Leinster Rugby have announced their partnership deal which will see leading Audit, Tax and Advisory firm BDO become their Official Business Adviser…

BDO has Ireland’s only dedicated Sports Advisory Unit advising many of Ireland’s most prominent sporting clubs and stars already including many of Leinster’s players. As a consequence of this announcement BDO has announced that it plans to double the number of people working in its dedicated Sports Advisory team.

Speaking at the launch at BDO’s headquarters in Dublin, BDO Managing Partner Derry Gray said; “At a time when our country is focusing on finding areas to help the drive out of recession, the Tourism and Leisure sector and in particular the business of Sport has never been more relevant to our economy. Here at BDO we have huge experience advising the sports industry in Ireland; from advising Rugby and Soccer clubs in Ireland and abroad, consultancy work such as managing Golf resort projects, to advising Soccer, Rugby, GAA and Boxing stars. This announcement solidifies an already existing relationship with many of the Leinster players. I am delighted that this announcement means we will be working on a more formal basis with Leinster Rugby.”

Head of BDO’s Sports Advisory Unit, Partner Ciarán Medlar said; ‘BDO’s Sports Advisory Unit is the only dedicated offering of this nature in Ireland and already has a well established track record of working with our leading stars including many Leinster players. Today’s announcement of our partnership with Leinster Rugby progresses this into a formal relationship with the club itself. I’m delighted that we will be able to expand our team in light of this announcement.”

Speaking of this new partnership Keira Kennedy, Commercial & Marketing Manager of Leinster Rugby added; “We are delighted to establish a new and exciting partnership with BDO – a progressive company with a vision and ambition which is closely aligned to our own values. Already BDO have established strong working partnerships with the Leinster squad and we look forward to building on this relationship over the coming seasons.”

BDO Sports Advisory Unit:
Established as a single unit in 2002, and currently with a team of nine advisors covering Consulting, Tax, Wealth Management, Pension as well as regulatory and compliance advice this unique service delivers business advice to Irish and International Sporting professional and bodies with a current client list across a range of sports including Golf, Rugby, GAA, Soccer and Boxing. It is planned that this team will double in size to 18 advisors within the next 18 months.

BDO Ireland:
BDO Ireland has Audit, Tax and Advisory experts working out of 3 offices in Dublin, Limerick and Belfast. BDO Ireland has over 400 staff nationally.

BDO International:
BDO Ireland is a member of the international BDO network the world’s fifth largest accounting network. The combined fee income of all the BDO Member Firms, including the members of their exclusive alliances, was $5.28 billion in 2010. The global network provides advisory services in 135 countries, with almost 48,800 people working out of 1,082 offices worldwide.