SmartPly OSB to Sponsor Amateur Football League

The development of St Pancras Station is speeding towards its November 2007 deadline with some help from FSC certified SmartPly OSB Floor.

Waterford based SmartPly, a subsidiary of Coillte, the Irish forestry and forest products company, today announced that it is the new sole, official sponsor of the Amateur Football League of Ireland for the 2007/08 season and beyond. Taking over from Guinness, the sponsorship will include naming rights for the AFL and a range of branding opportunities across the activities of the League.

This is the first time that SmartPly OSB has engaged in this kind of sponsorship and has the option to renew at the end of 3 years. The amount of the sponsorship is not being disclosed.

Mr Paul Lenehan, Hon. Chairman and Mr. Noel Kennelly, Hon. Secretary of the Amateur Football League said, "We are delighted with SmartPly OSB's support, which is vital to maintaining the vast network of clubs and teams with whom we work. We are heavily reliant on volunteers who commit so much of their time and expertise to running the league and SmartPly OSB's sponsorship means that we can continue to reward the commitment and support of our members."

Neil Foot, Managing Director of SmartPly and Geoff Rhodes, Marketing and Business Development Director of Coillte Panel Products noted, "The AFL is a vital resource not just for football, but also to communities across the country who benefit from its work. Our parent company, Coillte is also in the business of developing a vital resource - Ireland's carefully managed certified forests - to create products, such as SmartPly OSB, which are used not just here, but across the world."

SmartPly OSB is Oriented Strand Board, made of three separate layers of wood strands mixed with resin, laid in different directions and compressed under heat to create super strong "OSB" boards. This process uses wood resources efficiently and SmartPly OSB can be used inside or out for anything from house building to the hoarding around building sites. The manufacturing takes place at the SmartPly plant in Waterford which employs approx 170 people.

SmartPly is part of Coillte Panel Products (CPP), a division of Coillte, which also includes Medite, the manufacturer of Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF), based in Clonmel.

1 October 2007