NTES sponsor Three Red Kings – me, essentially for another year. That means more team sheets and Blood & Thunder Podcasts brought to you by NTES.

But what does this mean?

If you check out the post on the NTES site here you’ll see some cool stuff from their man man Nick Whittome.

“Our continued support for Three Red Kings is a testament to NTES’s commitment to excellence in both sports journalism and regional community engagement,” said Nick Whittome, CEO at NTES. “By investing in initiatives that promote high-quality journalism, we are contributing to a more connected and vibrant community within Munster.”

This partnership extends beyond exceptional sports coverage; it represents an investment in the region’s economic and social development. NTES believes that independent media strengthens the sporting community and plays a vital role in driving regional progress by fostering dialogue and engagement among local businesses and residents.

All this is true, but in a genuine sense, Nick and NTES kept the show on the road with TRK in the middle of the pandemic. Our first interaction was in February 2021, when Ireland was still in a Level 5 Lockdown and games were being played in empty stadiums. I was in a pretty awful place financially, like most people. The pandemic was old news at that point, and had already bitten on people’s finances, so for the first time in a while, my monthly earnings were trending downwards. Three Red Kings was an escape for people – for me too, even though it was my job – but financial reality was hitting.

I wasn’t eligible for any income support, so I was looking around, wondering what I’d do if things kept on the path they were on. I’d just met the girl who would become my fiance (and the mother of my daughter) and it was already looking like I was heading back to financial instability.

Then I got an email from Nick.

A sponsorship. Actual money! I still have the email from that week.

Hi guys, 

Does it sound desperate? It should, because I was.

Later that week, the money hit my account and their first ever sponsored post was a narrow victory over Connacht. So while NTES value Three Red Kings for promoting high-quality sports journalism, I value NTES because of how reliable they are, how sound they are to deal with and how they genuinely care about the things they say they do.

When they talk about fostering creativity in the Munster region, they mean it. Their IT systems help businesses, schools and colleges function better. I know that’s true because in March 2021, they kept me going when it was looking like that might not be possible.

That’s what NTES do best – show you what’s possible.

So here’s what we’re going to do.

If you follow NTES on Bluesky and Instagram I’ll put your name into a hat – I have a lot of hats – and I’ll pick out some people to win a free year of the Test Match Animal (€10 a month tier) on TRK Premium, all thanks to NTES.