Clare GAA agrees new partnership which will see Cusack Park being renamed

The home of Clare GAA is to be renamed as part of a new commercial partnership which has been agreed between Clare GAA and American firm Zimmer Biomet.

Under the three-year agreement, the county ground in Ennis will be known as Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg.

It is the first time that a title sponsor has been secured for the historic stadium, which up to now has been known simply as Cusack Park.

Zimmer Biomet, which has a significant presence in Shannon, has been a major employer in Clare for nearly 20 years. The medical devices company, which is headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana in the United States also has a facility in Galway and employs around 1,100 people in Ireland.

Clare GAA says the official move away from the English spelling of Chíosóg was an "important detail" of the agreement as Michael Cusack, founder of the GAA, never went by the English version of his name.

READ ALSO: Contracts signed for construction of new housing development in Ennis

Commenting ahead of a formal launch of the partnership later in the year, Michael O'Malley, head of manufacturing at Zimmer Biomet in Shannon, said: "The Zimmer Biomet ethos is steeped in the values of community support, grassroots involvement and active healthy living."

He added that the vast majority of the company's workers in Ireland are involved in the GAA and that there is great banter and rivalry among its staff.

"We are extremely proud to partner with Clare GAA in assuming the naming rights to Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg and of the benefits this association will bring to both organisations," he added.

It's understood the initial agreement is for three years with an option for a two-year extension.