No coverage of some games for N.I.

thomond2006

P_1 wrote: »

Good work Thomond, I've done all the sharing thing on Facebook, is it cool with ye if I were to share it on a few other forums etc?

By all means!

Gargled

awec wrote: »

I've never been inside my local club up home. Not sure they even open for games, I know that if they do they certainly don't advertise the fact anywhere.
...
I think there would be plenty of people who are rugby fans (at Rabo level anyway) but who have never played the sport and therefore have little affiliation or contact with a local club.

Good chance to start! Local clubs all over the country are struggling while the provinces pull fans away from the grassroots stuff. Also good to watch games with people who know about the sport!

Teferi wrote:

I'd add that you don't need to play or be a club member to be a fan of rugby either. It's a bit of a snobby mindset that I don't like.

It's not a snobby mindset. Without local clubs & schools there would be no Ulsters/Leinsters etc. You dont have to be a rich alikadoo to go watch AIL or a J1 match on a Sunday afternoon... you can't play J4s for Ulster!

Also again I know its bad that the country is split on this issue. But it doesn't help that we have different domestic broadcasters. A tricky situation and especially when large amounts of cash are being thrown about

thomond2006

“The rights for the November internationals from 2014-2017 were sold to both RTE and Sky Sports and as such the games are made available only through those platforms to television viewers in each jurisdiction,” he said.

“Irish Rugby has to strike the balance between making the game available to as wide an audience as possible while also acknowledging its responsibility to support, develop and fund the game from the grassroots through to the elite professional levels.”

The spokesman added: “This balance is evident in the decision made by the IRFU to maintain a spread of provincial and international rugby that is available across both free-to-air and pay-for-view platforms.

“The new broadcast partnerships for the November games will considerably further benefit the provincial stakeholders of Irish Rugby to help develop the game throughout Ireland.”

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/headlines/rugby-body-defends-tv-deal-on-live-games-1-4816230

2 responses to this:

(1)
"Irish Rugby has to strike the balance between making the game available to as wide an audience as possible..."

So basically Northern Ireland fans should be made feel like an 'extra' audience that should feel lucky/privileged to watch their own team?

(2)
"The decision made by the IRFU to maintain a spread of provincial....rugby that is available across both free-to-air and pay-for-view platforms"...

What subscription service would bid for the ****ing Rabo?!

What a load of BS. I'm stunned by their attitude.

P_1

Typical non-answer from a body that doesn't believe themselves to be accountable to anybody but themselves.

An apt protest might be for everybody to bring some cake with them to the France match but I doubt they'd get the metaphor.

thomond2006

P_1 wrote: »

Typical non-answer from a body that doesn't believe themselves to be accountable to anybody but themselves.

the definition of a "blazer squad"

P_1

thomond2006 wrote: »

the definition of a "blazer squad"

Without a shadow of a doubt, could be the few beers I've had this evening but I reckon the 'cake' protest could well be a good visual way of at least trying to shame the IRFU into doing something about this decision.

cython

I don't know if this has been raised yet, but this is the same shower that had no problem with one of the warm up games for the 2011 WC (specifically England) being given exclusively to Sky in all of ROI, NI and GB. Now the last of these is really nothing to do with the IRFU, but with this same precedent behind them, the latest move isn't actually so much of a surprise to me.

I know there were rationalisations made at the time that it was a condition imposed by the RFU, etc. but ultimately it was billed as Ireland vs England, with Ireland playing at home in the Aviva, and the coverage was gone before the game was even announced, though we only found out much later. This is a shower that have no qualms about shafting their entire demographic, never mind 6 of the 32 counties!

connemara man

cython wrote: »

I don't know if this has been raised yet, but this is the same shower that had no problem with one of the warm up games for the 2011 WC (specifically England) being given exclusively to Sky in all of ROI, NI and GB. Now the last of these is really nothing to do with the IRFU, but with this same precedent behind them, the latest move isn't actually so much of a surprise to me.

I know there were rationalisations made at the time that it was a condition imposed by the RFU, etc. but ultimately it was billed as Ireland vs England, with Ireland playing at home in the Aviva, and the coverage was gone before the game was even announced, though we only found out much later. This is a shower that have no qualms about shafting their entire demographic, never mind 6 of the 32 counties!

Oddly I dont mind this above as much as the situation as is, at least we were all shafted ws you put it together no one group being unfairly treated, how rugby supporters in NI are being treated is disgraceful we are a 32 county team not 26

vienne86

Let's not forget this issue, and get the letters in to the IRFU.....etc. I was in Edinburgh last week - it is the first time I have travelled to a 6 nations game, and I was struck by how many NI folk were there. Great supporters. They don't deserve to be shafted like this.

Grimebox

thomond2006 wrote: »

the definition of a "blazer squad"

Excuse my ignorance but what is the actual definition of a blazer squad...?

JustinDee

Grimebox wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but what is the actual definition of a blazer squad...?

In rugby clubs, provincial branches and the sport's governing body, committee members (mostly made up of ex-players) and management wear representitive blazers to match-day or committee events.

Coleridge

Grimebox wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but what is the actual definition of a blazer squad...?

An English hip hop combo of the early noughties. They did ‘Crossroads’ and the like.

Wexfordboy89

Coleridge wrote: »

An English hip hop combo of the early noughties. They did ‘Crossroads’ and the like.

they were called Blazin squad and were sh1te :pac:

awec

Interesting Oireachtas comments made regarding the no coverage of the Ireland football games in Northern Ireland . A similar but slightly different situation to rugby I think, but it would be good to see the same questions raised.

See it here: clicky clicky

Senator Jimmy Harte: On the occasion of the Irish soccer match tonight against Austria, this morning I attended a seminar of Irish supporters' clubs from throughout the world. One group I met from west Belfast asked me to raise this issue which it felt was in breach of the Good Friday Agreement, that tonight RTE will scramble its signal to any viewer north of the Border so that, unlike us, they cannot watch the match tonight in the comfort of their homes. The west Belfast supporters' club stated it had asked the company Sky and it does not know why this is happening. I would ask RTE to clarify why it is stopping the signal going across the Border. I refer to those living in places such as Strabane who cannot watch it whereas those living across the Border in Lifford can watch it on RTE. Perhaps we could have a debate on this.

Senator David Norris: That is Mr. Rupert Murdoch for you.

An Cathaoirleach: Senator Harte without interruption.

Senator Jimmy Harte: Mr. Murdoch does not yet own RTE. It is an issue that concerned them and many fans who follow both the Republic of Ireland soccer team and the Northern Ireland soccer team - it is not exclusive. They said that many families up there then have to go to the pub to watch it at a cost. I would ask that we get clarification on it from the Minister or have a debate.