Ireland FootGolf Association thanks sponsors after Irish Open 2026

The FootGolf Association of Ireland used its Irish Open 2026 sponsor thank-you message to put the economics of staging footgolf in plain view: events at this level depend on outside backing for course access, venue preparation, signage, staffing, prizes and media promotion. One visible piece of that support came from Frank Keane Volkswagen, which the association said was sponsoring both the Hole 4 Tee Box and Green 4 at Gowran Park Golf Club in Kilkenny.

BlueGolf listings show the Irish Open - Pairs Competition at Gowran Park on August 14, with the wider Irish Open set for August 15-16. The tournament page also shows registration beginning June 1, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. BST, and a team entry fee of €20 for men’s, senior and senior plus categories. Those details point to a relatively modest direct entry fee, which makes the sponsor layer even more important for covering the costs that keep a national championship running.

The association’s separate thank-you post to Frank Keane Volkswagen for its support of the FootGolf Association of Ireland and the Irish Open 2026 reinforces that message. In a developing sport like footgolf, sponsorship is not just decoration around the leaderboard. It helps underwrite the conditions that let the competition happen at all, from the layout of a specific hole to the wider presentation of the event for players and spectators.

That matters because footgolf sits in a narrow lane between golf and football, and the sport’s governing structure is already more formal than many casual observers realize. The Federation for International FootGolf describes the game as combining golf precision with soccer kicking skills, and it maintains world rankings and world championship pathways. Ireland’s place on that calendar depends on events such as the Irish Open being staged at recognizable venues like Gowran Park and supported by companies willing to put money and branding into the competition.

The sponsor thank-you was therefore more than a polite wrap-up. It was a reminder that marquee footgolf events are built on commercial relationships as much as on player turnout, and that the sport’s growth in Ireland will hinge on whether those relationships remain strong enough to keep the Irish Open on the schedule year after year.