HyGo becomes Athletics Ireland's official hydration partner

Athletics Ireland has named HyGo Irish Still Spring Water as its new Official Hydration Partner, giving the Tipperary-produced brand year-round visibility across elite competition, club athletics and mass-participation running and reaching more than 75,000 registered members nationwide. The deal fills a commercial category Athletics Ireland had recently listed as available, following the exit of previous partner Change Hydrate, and will include a dedicated HyGo Hydration Hub, event sampling and integrated branding across the governing body's channels. Financial terms and duration were not disclosed.

HyGo is produced by Borrisoleigh Bottling Ltd, a Co Tipperary water manufacturer founded in 2017 that also supplies the established WB Yeats brand to Ireland's hotel and hospitality sector. The company's water has won seven international gold medals for quality, though turnover is not publicly disclosed. The business was founded by John Hegarty and Rory McLoughney at a facility in Borrisoleigh previously part of the Gleeson Group.

Athletics Ireland is the national governing body for athletics on the island of Ireland, overseeing more than 360 affiliated clubs from juvenile and community participation through to international high-performance teams. The organisation does not disclose sponsorship-specific financial terms.

The deal continues Borrisoleigh Bottling's rapid expansion into Irish sport sponsorship, following its appointment as official water sponsor of Tipperary GAA earlier in 2026, and takes the brand from a single-county presence to a nationwide platform.

For Athletics Ireland, the agreement re-fills a hydration category vacated by Change Hydrate and adds to a partner portfolio that already includes 123.ie, adidas, McCabes Pharmacy, Biofreeze and A&L Goodbody, giving the governing body continuity of commercial revenue across its sponsorship categories. Athletics Ireland chief executive Hamish Adams has said the partnership reflects an alignment around quality, sustainability and community.

For the sponsorship sector, the tie-up places its plant- and paper-based cartons directly in the hands of participants at the point where hydration is most relevant, a more direct activation route than shelf-based retail sponsorship typically allows.

The agreement reflects a broader pattern of smaller Irish producers using sport sponsorship, rather than national retail advertising, to build brand recognition, timed to land ahead of the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, where Ireland will field a 47-strong team.

Source: Sport for Business / Athletics Ireland / Tipperary Live