27 December 2025
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
News from December: Logistics specialist company, PRL Group, pens sponsorship agreement with Cork Everton AFC
Photo caption: Gordon Higgins, PRL Area Manager; with Keith Gahan, Chairman, Cork Everton AFC; at the announcement of the PRL sponsorship agreement.
As part of the agreement, PRL will become the main sponsor for Everton AFC’s schoolboys football teams. Also included in the partnership is the installation of priority pitchside PRL advertising signage for home match days at Everton Park, the team’s home ground, located near Cork Airport. The PRL logo will also feature on the club’s official schoolboys and academy team jerseys and on the club’s social media platforms and website.
Everton AFC, established in 1958, has built a strong reputation as a community-driven club with a deep commitment to youth development. Over the decades, the club has fostered a vibrant environment where young players can grow both technically and personally, benefiting from dedicated coaching and a supportive culture. This long-standing focus on nurturing local talent has contributed to the club’s success on and off the pitch, helping Everton AFC Cork remain an important pillar of grassroots football in the region.
Everton AFC is an FAI Club mark 2 club which is the highest recognition given to clubs acknowledging key structures within the club organisation, Everton being one of a very small number of clubs in the country with this recognition.
Violet Devereux, CEO of PRL Group, said: “We are very excited to be partnering with Everton AFC. They are a vibrant part of the local community as evidenced by the huge following they have nurtured. We share the same values and drive as Keith and the rest of the Everton AFC management team and we look forward to bringing the partnership to life in the coming seasons. Indeed, success in business and success in football can often depend on the same skillsets: staying focussed on key goals; a well worked strategy with detailed planning; everyone playing their part as team players – no doubt, sharing our different approaches will benefit both PRL and Everton AFC.”
Keith Gahan, Chairman, Everton AFC said: “We are delighted to welcome PRL Group as one of our key sponsors. The company has a long tradition of building brand excellence across Ireland and locally, here in Cork, through their well-established facility in Carrigtwohill. They are a company that leads by example in their field and we are truly grateful for their belief in our vision, and we look forward to a successful journey together over the coming years”.
PRL Group
PRL is an Irish & UK company specialising in logistics management, freight, sales and marketing. The PRL team prides itself on offering a full 360° outsourced business service, helping businesses to achieve brand success. The company focuses on building long-lasting partnerships with clients and customers.
With over 80 years heritage of providing supply chain solutions, the company specialises in providing route to market solutions from multi-temp Warehousing, multi-temp Distribution, In-Market field sales services from order capture to van selling and merchandising supported by best in class Finance, IT and Quality management capability.
PRL also provides a packaging, co-packing and repacking/packaging/fulfilment service, on- site management and consultancy service, and a bonded warehouse solution to the beverage sector.
The company works with manufacturers, retailers and distributors of ambient and food products, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare products, providing a full service logistics and merchandising solution.
Everton A.F.C.
Since its inception in 1958, the club has gone from strength to strength. Teams from the club, from underage right up to senior level, have achieved success in many competitions and championships. Over the decades, the club has nurtured many promising players from academy, through junior teams and onto the senior game, such as Denis Irwin, the renowned defender for the Republic of Ireland and Manchester United, who started his long career at Everton AFC and to this day, is a strong supporter of the club.