Rhasidat drops to third place on marketable list

TALLAGHT Olympian Rhasidat Adeleke has dropped to third place of Ireland’s most marketable sports star.

In 2025, the Tallaght Athletics Club star was replaced as Ireland’s most marketable sports star by golfer Rory McIIroy.

According to research from sponsorship consultants Onside and Marketing Institute Ireland (MII), the latest projections for 2026 have footballer Troy Parrot unsurprisingly at top spot following his goal scoring exploits for the Republic of Ireland and AZ Alkmaar.

McElroy, who achieved a career grand slam last year, retains second spot with Adeleke and singer CMAT sharing third place on the list.

2025 was a difficult year for Adeleke, who was forced to pull out of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo after an unspecified injury setback in August.

Meanwhile, the Irish sponsorship market is projected to rise by 5 per cent to €247 million in 2026, according to Onside.

In terms of driving future sponsor growth, the industry calls out the big three sporting properties within the top five most promising platforms. Gaelic games leads, surpassing rugby to claim first place followed by festivals in second, with emerging categories such as Padel and Hyrox making an appearance within the top 10.

Soccer has risen in prominence driven by the excitement of Ireland’s qualification in November for the FIFA World Cup playoffs.

“The landscape is evolving with brands harnessing personalities who can build and sustain an audience, not just those who perform on their respective sporting field,” says Kim Kirwan, Director of Intelligence and Insight at Onside.

“The talent pool is widening beyond the worlds of sport and entertainment to include content creators, with brands favouring those personalities who can connect with audiences and maintain relevance throughout the year and not just during sporting moments.”