Nemo Rangers announce two new sponsorship deals

Ahead of the 2024 championship season, Nemo Rangers has announced new shirt sponsorship and kit supply deal.

The club’s new sponsor is The Mortgage Architect, which is owned by life-long club member Robert O’Sullivan. The Mortgage Architect is a nationwide mortgage broker dedicated to helping clients to find the best and simplest possible mortgage solution.

Nemo chairperson Bernadette Allen said she is delighted to have The Mortgage Architect on board.

“We thrilled to have The Mortgage Architect as our new club sponsor,” she said.

“Robert played with Nemo all through underage and adult level and has been heavily involved in sponsoring our underage teams over recent years.
“We are very thankful to Robert and The Mortgage Architect for their sponsorship, which will go entirely toward the development of games across the club.”

Robert O’Sullivan, managing director of the Mortgage Architect, said: “I am honoured The Mortgage Architect is the new sponsor of Nemo Rangers GAA, enabling me to give back to a club that is rooted to the community, and has provided me with countless memories and friendships.

“The Mortgage Architect has blended our local roots with our head office in Carrigaline, while also holding a significant nationwide presence.

“We offer a seamless paperless mortgage journey that utilises modern technology to streamline the overall process. Our goal is to make mortgages simple and offer our customers the best rates from the main providers in the market.

“Success is only possible with a good team, I am so proud of our growing workforce who are the backbone to the business and a key driver of our success.

“We hope this partnership is only the beginning of a long and success period for both Nemo Rangers and The Mortgage Architect.”

In addition to that new partnership, Nemo has also entered into a three-year agreement with McKeever Sports for the supply of kit for all of the club’s adult teams across hurling, Gaelic football, camogie and ladies’ football.

The Armagh-based firm has established a strong foothold across the country in recent years and has signed up a number of Cork clubs.

Nemo Rangers’ distinctive jersey design of black with a green hoop dates back to 1922, when it was created from a merger of two existing entities.

Rangers (formed 1893) and Nemo (1915) co-existed in South Parish for seven years until dwindling membership brought them together.

The two names were married easily and the Nemo Rangers website outlines the rationale when it came to choosing colours: “As Nemo had been playing in green and black and Rangers in black and white, it was agreed that the new colours would be black — the common denominator — with a green stripe to represent Nemo’s green and a white shamrock (which was later discarded) to represent Rangers’s white.”

With few other clubs wearing black kits, Nemo’s colour clash throughout the 20th century was with officials, but the 1984 All-Ireland Club SFC final win over Meath’s Walterstown — the fourth of seven — threw up an unusual scenario.

At the time, the All-Ireland was run like the Sigerson or Fitzgibbon Cups used to be, with the semi-finals and final on consecutive days. When Nemo and Walterstown both won their semis on the Saturday, Nemo were informed that they had lost the toss for colours for the decider and would have to source alternatives.

Frantic calls were made and Nemo’s Frank O’Connell was able to secure sets from Cork County Board, Coláiste Chríost Rí (close to a reversal of Nemo’s kit, but with one black hoop in between two white ones) and neighbours Douglas (green, white, and black hoops, albeit in a slightly different format to nowadays).

As reported by Michael Ellard, “Nemo chose to wear the Douglas colours, as they were the nearest shade to their own.”

In 2002, the All-Ireland series also provoked a change, though Nemo’s powers of persuasion ensured it was not drastic. Playing the green-clad Charlestown of Mayo in the semi-final, live television coverage meant that Nemo were asked to wear alternative jerseys, but a compromise was reached: they donned black shorts instead, increasing the contrast with their opponents.

Nemo won that game, but lost to Ballinderry in the final, having been beaten by Crossmolina Deel Rovers in 2001. They would make it third time lucky in 2003, however, avenging the Crossmolina loss with victory in Croke Park.

Television considerations also led to Nemo’s most recent high-profile change, the 2008 county SFC final against Douglas. While games between the clubs had featured both first-choice jerseys up to then, both were asked to change and Nemo were in grey tops and black shorts as they claimed a fourth successive title, Douglas fielding in green shirts and white shorts.