Ah OK. A pity that.
I’ll be talking to a St Mullins man in the morning. I’ll make enquiries on your behalf.
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O’Neills blames GAA season for fall in sales
LIMERICK’S GEAROID HEGARTY IN ACTION IN THE ALL-IRELAND FINAL. O’NEILLS ARE UNHAPPY AT THE EARLY END TO THE SEASON. PHOTOGRAPH: BRYAN KEANE/INPHO
Sports clothing company says GAA calendar change ‘not good for business’
GORDON DEEGANO’Neills, the sports clothing company, is forecasting that the condensed All-Ireland series in senior hurling and football will result in a 12-
15 per cent drop off in the company’s replica county shirt sales this year.
Paul Towell, co-owner of O’Neills, said yesterday that the completion of the men’s All-Ireland series with the July staging of the senior hurling and football finals was “not good for business”.
Usually, at this time of year, sports retailers are busy selling replica shirts for counties that have made it through to the All-Ireland semi-finals and finals as the excitement builds towards the season climax of the September staging of the finals in Croke Park.
However, Mr Towell said that the ending of the men’s All-Ireland series last month will leave the firm’s August shirt sales “very badly affected”.
Split season
The move by the GAA for the split season between county and club was passed unanimously by GAA congress in February of last year when there was no debate on the issue.The move this summer, however, has come under fire from multi-All-Ireland winners and pundits, Pat Spillane and Dónal Óg Cusack, while past GAA presidents, Nicky Brennan and Sean Kelly, have voiced concerns over the new All-Ireland series timetable.
“While the hurling and football championships had some very entertaining games, from a business point of view, it is very difficult to produce and distribute enough jerseys in less than two weeks to meet demand for semi-finals and finals,” Mr Towell said.
He said that with the condensed championship in 2022, “shirt sales would not be as good as other years. There was very little time for hype to build up before the big matches. We estimate that the fall-off in replica sales will be between 12 per cent and 15 per cent this year.”
On the best selling county replica shirt this year, Mr Towell said that Derry was the big seller for 2022. Mr Towell said that he would favour the All-Ireland finals being staged in late August or early September and pointed out that the sales of club jerseys won’t in any way make up for the lost county jersey sales.
Mr Towell would not be drawn on the firm’s revenues from replica shirts but did say that county shirt sales was “a very important part and significant part of our business”. He said that he doesn’t believe that the completion of the men’s All-Ireland series in July “has been a great success as it is leaving August and September to other sports”.
“The GAA is withdrawing from the high-profile sporting sphere during that time, where traditionally it held sway in all the media outlets,” he said.
The O’Neills brand has long been synonymous with the GAA and employs about 1,000 people North and South.
More recently O’Neills received a sales boost through the Paul Mescal impact, with the company reporting its branded shorts were its best-selling product last year. Mr Towell confirmed the €20 Mourne shorts was “by far O’Neills best-selling product for 2021 and sales have increased by 30 per cent on last year”.
“The shorts are seen as very trendy now.” Sales of the shorts increased after they were worn by the actor on the lockdown global TV hit, Normal People.
They’ve thrown in the Towel.
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Good enough for the cunts. Trying to buy a set of jerseys off the pricks would give a man a nervous breakdown.
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€60+ for a youngsters jersey, it’s obscene
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Absolute cunts. Customers are treated with contempt.
That Towell lad is about 70 and drives around in an open top bmw with his Peter Stringfellow mullet blowing in the wind. If his nickname isnt ‘Sanitary’ it should be
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A monopoly in Ireland for the majority of their career and they still fleecing and bleating. A half zip for a chap is nearly a mortgage payment.
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The quality is shite as well. A couple of washes of an O’Neills hoody and it will have faded badly and the softness gone out of the material.
Jaysus I never noticed that myself, not with the gear in the past decade anyway. I’ve stuff there from near ten years ago that hasnt aged a bit. Maybe its the different colours. I have to give it to them, I think the gear is beyond reproach from a quality pov, but by God you pay for it.
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Id agree with @myboyblue for a change. Quality is generally good though sizing can be erratic. Its just they ride you with pricewise and their customer service is straight from the Micheal o Leary playbook.
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I think once you have your O’Neills size you’re pretty well set, doesnt vary much, although the recent half zips are tending to trend a bit on the tighter side, which is grand for the likes of you and me, but might not be great for some of the other lads on here.
And we agree on plenty mate, I just like joshing with you is all.
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Well I’d agree that they’re bulletproof as regards stitching etc but I do find that the colour fades badly on the navy hoodies, which I bought two of in tbe past decade or so.
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The sizing is scandalous!
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The mark up on those jerseys is unbelievable, lowest quality jerseys on the market(sublimation) in any sport and your talking over a €50 mark up. No wonder they are cribbing about it, its a cash cow. Thats why GAA gear sellers are ten a penny now, cheap gear with a crazy mark up
Company with near monopoly of a market cries a river over falling sales.
Fuck off!
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I’ve Medium and XL O Neills tops that both fit me perfectly. Ive 2 x large tops. One is too big and the other is too small!
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Ah jaysus 
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I’d give that 10 likes if I could.
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i purchased an grand ol sideline/league in February jacket on oneills website for 25e… a steal saving 40 bob on it