GAELIC GAMES/Drinks' sponsorship conflict: A potential conflict has arisen for Waterford hurler Paul Flynn, the Gaelic Players Association member who has been signed up for a Lucozade promotional campaign after earlier endorsing the GPA's chosen energy drink, Club Energise.

Flynn, who is in line for an All Star award this season, was used by Club Energise in a promotional campaign in Waterford, including on 48-sheet roadside billboards.

The GPA approached Cantrell & Cochrane last year with the idea of producing an energy drink, which would be aggressively endorsed and promoted by GPA members.

Club Energise was born out of this approach and, in an innovative royalty scheme, the GPA receive between four and five cent per bottle of Club Energise sold anywhere in Ireland.

The Club Energise royalty payments are now the single biggest source of revenue for the GPA and, apart from funding the running of the GPA itself, also helped to fund 12 scholarships handed out last year.

Apart from the royalties paid to the GPA, Flynn was entitled to a personal fee for posing individually for the Club Energise promotions.

It has now emerged he has also been signed up to promote Lucozade in a forthcoming promotional campaign. When contacted by The Irish Times yesterday, Flynn declined to comment on the potential conflict.

GPA chief executive Dessie Farrell would not comment on the issue either, though Michael McArdle, marketing manager of Cantrell & Cochrane, confirmed Flynn had been used to promote their product in Waterford.

"Whether Paul is available to us now as a result of his deal with Lucozade, I don't know. It would have been our intention to use him going forward, but I don't know the status of his Lucozade deal," said McArdle.

The Gaelic games battle between Club Energise and Lucozade has been stepped up in recent times. Farrell said the GPA attempted to tie up a deal with Lucozade for two years, but didn't have any success.

Now, according to Farrell, Lucozade are using players to endorse their products. Tipperary goalkeeper Brendan Cummins and Westmeath forward Dessie Dolan, neither of whom are GPA members, are also involved in the forthcoming Lucozade promotion.

Tipperary forward Eoin Kelly and Mayo women's football star Cora Staunton already feature in Lucozade television adverts.

Lucozade this week sponsored the new "breakthrough awards" by the GAA, which honoured teams like Clare hurlers 1995 and Leitrim footballers 1994 for making major breakthroughs on the playing fields.

Despite the apparent conflict of Flynn's position, Club Energise say they are delighted with the success of the Club Energise brand, which was launched just over a year ago.

"Our latest research by AC Nielsen market research company shows that we have secured 19 per cent of the sports drink market in Ireland. Those figures are for June and July," said McArdle.

"This is well above our expectations. The primary reason for our success is the involvement of the GPA. The GPA members are committed to promoting it, and in our 10-year contract we are committed to using over 50 GPA members each year to promote the product."

GPA members have been very up-front in their efforts to promote Club Energise.

The drink was highly visible on the podium on the day Westmeath footballers brought the Delaney Cup (Leinster senior football championship) to Mullingar, and various players have been seen to grab hurried swigs from Club Energise bottles during televised interviews.

McArdle added that Club Energise have sold five million bottles in Ireland over the last year, and have just launched a new flavour on the market.