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THE DONEGAL SOFT drink, Football Special, is destined for the shelves of Lidl from September, the family-owned company behind the cult product has confirmed.
Revered across the county of Donegal – and also enjoyed further south – Football Special has been made by the McDaid’s family business since the 1940s.
Speaking to The Journal, the company’s marketing associate Izzy Williams explained that the original Football Special drink – then named Football Cup – was invented to celebrate the successes of the local football club, Ramelton’s Swilly Rovers.
“They wanted a drink that they could pour into cups,” she said, “and then they would drink from the cups to celebrate the success of them winning.”
The local football club was a successful team back in its day, and Football Special was created “purely for that reason”.
Now there are a whole array of Football Special products including a “craft soda retro range”, a “classic” range, pub trade, and even ice cream. The products are stocked in Counties Dublin, Meath, Wicklow, Kildare, Monaghan, Derry, Belfast and Mayo, among others. It’s also on sale in Britain in the London Irish Centre.
Lidl will sell the drink in its 220 Irish stores for a limited time as part of its Kickstarter programme for small Irish businesses, following a Dragon’s Den-style pitching process.
Customers will have a chance to win a year’s supply of Football Special through scanning a QR code on the Lidl bottles. To enter, fans of the drink will have to say what it tastes like.
“We want people to give us their most creative answers,” Williams said.
“You can get the most random responses from people. So it’s funny what people will come up with. We’re looking for the most entertaining answer as to what people think Football Special tastes like.”
Derry - Donegal heritage. pic.twitter.com/sNnNH0m0Qp
— Eoin Sheahan (@EoinSheahan) April 20, 2024
Williams said that the company gets a varied response on the taste profile of the drink – “it’s kind of completely unique”.
In its home county of Donegal, Football Special has reached a status of being the soft drink equivalent of Daniel O’Donnell. Mugs, tea towels, beach towels, and subscription boxes can be purchased from its website – as well as socks, hoodies, and gift cards.
Football Special-themed wedding favours are apparently a not-unpopular fixture in Donegal either.
The drink has been popular for years now, Williams said, but now it’s reaching a new audience.
“People in their thirties or older, I would say, are the main people who would drink it, but then obviously they’re passing it on and introducing it to their kids now. So you’ll get young kids trying it for the first time and being really excited about it,” she said.
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Delighted, it’s a lovely drink
“They wanted a drink that they could pour into cups,” she said, “and then they would drink from the cups to celebrate the success of them winning.”
Easy to see why she’s in marketing.
@Ollie McGlinchey: indeed, I can’t think of a drink you can’t pour into cups..
Sounds like a good alternative to alcoholic drinks. Especially if they’re driving home. I pictured it in the prize cup
Country Spring Cream Soda was the business!
It’s no tanora.
I cant gt TK red lemonade anywhere my mate Paddy is furious heard it discotinued,,,
@james rowan: Not discontinued as far as I know, still available in Tescos and my local Daybreak in Bunclody stocks it too.
@Dizzy Dj: in my local tescos and dunnes employees at both told me its discontinued, i havent seen it in any of the shops in about 2months except for centra who want €2.85,once there stock is gone its gone,,,
@james rowan: TK cream soda that was the business when we were kids. Some sugar rush from it. Better than any energy drink
@Ger Whelan: no TH white lemonade either ffs,,,
@james rowan: not discontinued, no. I had a TK Red last month at the Academy in Dublin (they were not serving alcohol on that night). And pretty sure I saw bottles at supermarkets recently
@james rowan: Maybe they’d order in a case of it? Otherwise maybe you can order it online?
@james rowan: we used to get tk orange hp until a few weeks ago in local dunnes but have noticed it is not on sale any more much nicer than Fanta or Club
@Jerry LeFrog: yep just checked tesco still stock both red lemonade bottles and cans and tk orange too .
I’d love a bottle of Score!
Nash’s soft drinks in Limerick. Now there’s a nice drink.
Cavan cola was always better
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