Eoin Slevin, Lidl Buyer, Carla Rowe, LGFA Player and Seamus McDaid, Managing Director at McDaid's launch Football Special special edition
Lidl Ireland teams up with Donegal’s McDaid’s to launch special edition Football Special bottles celebrating ladies’ Gaelic football
Lidl Ireland has announced the return of iconic fan favourite soft drink Football Special to its 229 stores across the island of Ireland, featuring special edition artwork to celebrate this year’s ladies’ Gaelic football season and upcoming TG4 All-Ireland Championship Finals.
Following a successful in-store promotional listing last September through Lidl Ireland’s Kickstart Supplier Development Programme, McDaid’s Football Special sold out in record time and became a firm customer favourite. A second release of the cult classic drink was rolled out across Lidl stores in March, in time for St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
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As part of Lidl Ireland’s decade-long support for ladies’ Gaelic football, the iconic drink is set to make its return to retailers and is now rolling out a special artwork bottle for Football Special fans featuring a striking new label placing female players at the heart of the action in a unique partnership with McDaid’s.
Returning for a limited time only, Lidl shoppers can get their hands on 1L original Football Special bottles featuring the ladies’ Gaelic football artwork for just €1.79 / £1.49 on promotional release in-store from Thursday 26th June, coinciding with LGFA knockout stages, and again from Thursday, July 31, ahead of the TG4 All-Ireland Championship Finals.
Newly added to the promotion, the classic drink will also be available in 330ml cans for the first time, priced €1.19 / £0.99, featuring its traditional label.
The new deal represents McDaid’s third listing with Lidl Ireland, placing the iconic drink on the shelves of Ireland’s leading discount retailer and in front of 2 million weekly customers, significantly expanding its reach across Ireland from its home in Ramelton.
Lidl Ireland has also selected Football Special to showcase to other Lidl countries as part of a dedicated food theme in line with the upcoming World Cup 2026, further demonstrating export and international growth opportunities available to Irish suppliers with Lidl Ireland.
Speaking about the return of Football Special to Lidl, Kevin Duffy, Chief Commercial Officer at Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland, said: “Football Special is a perfect example of how a local Irish producer can benefit from Lidl’s Kickstart programme and achieve real success. It’s great to see such a well-loved local drink score new fans right across Ireland and we’re expecting another sell-out run when it returns to stores this summer.
“At Lidl, we’re hugely invested in supporting and advancing female sport through our flagship sponsorship with the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association (LGFA). As part of our ‘Get Behind the Fight’ campaign, we’re focused on elevating visibility of female players to fill every seat at every game.
“Our partnership with McDaid’s to produce a special edition artwork bottle putting female players in the spotlight is another tangible example of how we can continue to promote LGFA and its players and drive further engagement and support amongst our shoppers and communities across the country.
We’re thrilled to relist this popular product just as the LGFA season gets into full swing and leading up leading up to thrilling All-Ireland Championship Finals in August.”
Lidl, who recently signed a three-year partnership with Her Sport as title sponsor of its prestigious Her Sport Awards to further support and recognise outstanding achievements from women in sport, has committed more than €10 million to the development and promotion of Ladies Gaelic Football since 2016.
Commenting on the new listing and special edition label, Seamus McDaid, Managing Director at McDaid’s said: “Since participating in Lidl’s Kickstart programme, our business has grown exponentially, and we’re thrilled to secure our third listing with Lidl. Working with a major retailer like Lidl has been incredible for building our brand, reaching new audiences and we’re delighted that it has been so popular with Lidl shoppers.
“Football Special was born out of our love for football and pride in supporting our local team and players. Lidl Ireland is synonymous with its support for women’s sport and Gaelic football, so this new listing offered us the perfect opportunity to combine our shared passion for sport and community to develop a unique label promoting ladies’ Gaelic football as we build up to the TG4 All-Ireland Championship Finals. It’s a great way to tell the story of the heritage of Football Special whilst supporting the current stars of the pitch and bringing the upcoming TG4 All-Ireland Championship Finals into the homes and hearts of even more supporters, old and new!”
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