Three to sponsor IRFU

justsomebloke

well O2 Ireland have been bought out by Three. So by default Three are now our new overloards and I for one welcome them.


(so don't go buying any new Ireland gear for the moment)

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

backgreen

a lot of overlapping..O2 sponsor shannon and 3 UL Bohs

.ak

Well it's a step in the right direction. Just can't wait til we're sponsored by 4 tbh.

.ak

Anyway.. Telefonica have sold it to Three, but I'm not sure if they're dropping the brand? Three will probably use the foot print but to drop the brand would probably damage the footprint itself.

Ah actually apparently they are phasing out the brand, but it'll take over 2 years.

ScissorPaperRock

Not a fan of that cartoony '3' on any jerseys I've seen it on. Hope they come up with something else for the national rugby kit.

errlloyd

This is a horribly elitist thing to say, but I want a different sponsor to the soccer team.

.ak

ScissorPaperRoc wrote: »

Not a fan of that cartoony '3' on any jerseys I've seen it on. Hope they come up with something else for the national rugby kit.

They won't change their branding, for anything.

We won't see it for another 2 years anyway, and the sponsorship deal may change.

justsomebloke

.ak wrote: »

but I'm not sure if they're dropping the brand?

From what I have read they will be dropping the brand.

Larbre34

ScissorPaperRoc wrote: »

Not a fan of that cartoony '3' on any jerseys I've seen it on. Hope they come up with something else for the national rugby kit.

Lol, no point trying to argue against snobbery in Rugby anymore. I suppose the Coca-Cola brand would be too messy for you as well?

I thought at first AIG's new brand was a special just for NZ rugby to get used to carrying a logo once again but I see its a full market launch. Its looks cr*p

Anyway, it could be worse, could be N.A.M.A. on the shirt......

.ak

justsomebloke wrote: »

From what I have read they will be dropping the brand.

Yeah RTE reporting they're phasing out the brand over 2 years.

justsomebloke

Larbre34 wrote: »

Anyway, it could be worse, could be N.A.M.A. on the shirt......

what, when the lads have to go through the last quarter of the game topless due to the shirts being repossessed.

Might help bring in a new hen party demographic to our supporter base

irishbucsfan

The brand is definitely going. You'll probably see it gone in the UK, but there's more money involved there and different companies so that deal is going to take much longer I guess.

.ak

They're only buying the Irish branch of Telefonica I think?

jamiedav2011

O2 sponsorship stretches to 2016 past WC, so will be interesting to see what happens then.

Wonder has it happened before that a brand sponsors both national football and rugby teams?

irishbucsfan

.ak wrote: »

They're only buying the Irish branch of Telefonica I think?

3 are, yeah

ScissorPaperRock

Larbre34 wrote: »

Lol, no point trying to argue against snobbery in Rugby anymore. I suppose the Coca-Cola brand would be too messy for you as well?

Anyway, it could be worse, could be N.A.M.A. on the shirt......

What are you talking about??? Both Three and O2/Telefonica are massive corporate entities, and neither are Irish. I personally wouldn't like the Coca Cola brand on the strip either. I would like something simpler.

You have a great imagination though, to the extent that I don't even know what you're getting at. So... well done.

who_me

.ak wrote: »

Well it's a step in the right direction. Just can't wait til we're sponsored by 4 tbh.

+1 !

who_me

.ak wrote: »

Yeah RTE reporting they're phasing out the brand over 2 years.

What's the O2 going to be called? The 3?

Commercial naming rights gone mad.... </angry rant mode>

LeeroyJones

I just wish that whoever takes over from Puma tries to buy out exclusive shirt rights.

One can dream!

Larbre34

ScissorPaperRoc wrote: »

What are you talking about??? Both O2 and Telefonica are massive corporate entities, and neither are Irish. I personally wouldn't like the Coca Cola brand on the strip either. I would like something simpler.

You have a great imagination though, to the extent that I don't even know what you're getting at. So... well done.

What I'm getting at is that the '3' logo isnt good enough for your precious rugby shirt, you're being a snob.

rrpc

Three network seems to be down at the moment, is this a coincidence?

Risteard

Larbre34 wrote: »

What I'm getting at is that the '3' logo isnt good enough for your precious rugby shirt, you're being a snob.

I took it that he doesn't like the look of the logo on the jersey. I don't either. Nothing to do with being a 'snob.' I just don't think it looks nice.

Lapin

3's network went down today.

Hope its not an omen for the International team.

.ak

Couldn't care less what the sponsorship looks like on a jersey, so long as it's black and/or white.

Larbre34

who_me wrote: »

What's the O2 going to be called? The 3?

Commercial naming rights gone mad.... </angry rant mode>

O2+3 + O5?

You could see this coming down the tracks for the last few years, venues with naming rights on them changing hands and causing confusion, the Aussies are the worst for it (Lions test venues in Sydney and Melbourne have had 3 and 4 separate names respectively)

I hate it too and would always refer to Lansdowne Road, The Point, The Grand Canal Theatre etc etc. I was most impressed when the Munster faithful stamped out any notion of naming rights on Thomond Park, and the lack of it hasnt hurt them at all.

.ak

Larbre34 wrote: »

O2+3 + O5?

You could see this coming down the tracks for the last few years, venues with naming rights on them changing hands and causing confusion, the Aussies are the worst for it (Lions test venues in Sydney and Melbourne have had 3 and 4 separate names respectively)

I hate it too and would always refer to Lansdowne Road, The Point, The Grand Canal Theatre etc etc. I was most impressed when the Munster faithful stamped out any notion of naming rights on Thomond Park, and the lack of it hasnt hurt them at all.

Ehm.... Hate to break it to ya, but Munster are in serious financial issues over Thomond.

eclipsechaser

.ak wrote: »

Couldn't care less what the sponsorship looks like on a jersey, so long as it's black and/or white.

... and doesn't say "O2 Money" across the belly...

Risteard

Larbre34 wrote: »

O2+3 + O5?

You could see this coming down the tracks for the last few years, venues with naming rights on them changing hands and causing confusion, the Aussies are the worst for it (Lions test venues in Sydney and Melbourne have had 3 and 4 separate names respectively)

I hate it too and would always refer to Lansdowne Road, The Point, The Grand Canal Theatre etc etc. I was most impressed when the Munster faithful stamped out any notion of naming rights on Thomond Park, and the lack of it hasnt hurt them at all.

Debatable given Munster's current financial position.

Larbre34

Risteard wrote: »

I took it that he doesn't like the look of the logo on the jersey. I don't either. Nothing to do with being a 'snob.' I just don't think it looks nice.

To suggest something nicer is needed for the national rugby kit is snobbish, it implies its good enough for other codes.

Risteard

Larbre34 wrote: »

To suggest something nicer is needed for the national rugby kit is snobbish, it implies its good enough for other codes.

No it's simply saying that you don't like the look of the logo. Has nothing to do with other codes or even the company itself.

I don't think it looks nice on the soccer jersey either, but I don't follow soccer so wouldn't see it as much.

Larbre34

.ak wrote: »

Ehm.... Hate to break it to ya, but Munster are in serious financial issues over Thomond.[/QUOTE

Yes but the naming rights as proposed at the time wouldnt have solved where they are now, plenty of other factors. Difficult as things are at least they didnt sell their souls

.ak

Larbre34 wrote: »

.ak wrote: »

Ehm.... Hate to break it to ya, but Munster are in serious financial issues over Thomond.

Yes but the naming rights as proposed at the time wouldnt have solved where they are now, plenty of other factors. Difficult as things are at least they didnt sell their souls

I dunno, I don't think there's such a thing as taking the moral high ground regarding sponsorship.

People can give out all they want about Aviva, for example, but at the end of the day if they want to pump a load of money into the sport we love then fair fecks to them, let them call it Aviva's Amazing Candy Coated Circus for all I care.

Risteard

Would have definitely eased it though. At the time of building the new Thomond Park, Munster were one of, if not the most marketable rugby club in Europe and as such would have commanded a high price for the naming rights.

Locking a company into a long term contract would have been a big boost to the coffers. Even selling naming rights for both stands would have helped, it's not like there's an emotional attachment to the names East and West stand.

Ms Happy

So will The O2 (The Point) become "The 3"

ScissorPaperRock

Larbre34 wrote: »

What I'm getting at is that the '3' logo isnt good enough for your precious rugby shirt, you're being a snob.

Larbre34 wrote: »

To suggest something nicer is needed for the national rugby kit is snobbish, it implies its good enough for other codes.

You're ridiculous. You're not even making any sense.

a) I didn't say 'good enough'. I said it looks 'cartoony'. How that translates into being snobby, I don't know. Do snobs hate cartoons?

b) You just sound weirdly insecure. I didn't even mention other codes. I was looking at some of these images https://www.google.ie/search?q=ul+bohs&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=ejXIUfPZEcnC7Abo_YGwAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1373&bih=718.

If it makes you feel any better I don't think the Three logo looks nice on the national football kit either. Given that this is the rugby forum, and that the football team is not being discussed here, I didn't really think that was relevant.

awec

The 3 logo on the football kits is stinkin' looking. No thank you.

B0X

awec wrote: »

The 3 logo on the football kits is stinkin' looking. No thank you.

Yeah, not a fan of how it will look.

Lelantos

B0X wrote: »

Yeah, not a fan of how it will look.

Surely a team of Mike Ross' will strike fear into the heart of even the All Blacks!

mfceiling

B0X wrote: »

Yeah, not a fan of how it will look.

At least Mike Ross will look good...

Hagz

Christ.

.ak

Really took me a minute to realize there was any difference tbh. It's just another white blip in a different shape now.

conf101

I'm not mad on it but I honestly don't think it looks any worse than O2 on the jerseys

ScissorPaperRock

It's not as bad as I imagined it would look actually

wicklowwonder

By the way guys the sponsorship change will be one of the first things to happen when 3 take over O2. They ate phasing out the O2 brand over two years from now. They can't do anything for 6 months but once that time is up and competition authority gives the go agead they won't be investing in O2 brand building as it would be pointless so the sponsorships will change immediately.

My only worry would be 3 are now the biggest player in Irish sport sponsorship, what happens of they decide to do a Vodafone and scale back on sport sponsorship? Irish sport could be goosed, you could have international soccer and rugby, UL Bohs, Shannon, Waterford GAA, Waterford Soccer team all looking for sponsorship add this to alcohol sponsorship frowned upon and there may not be enough money to cover all if they where to come free at once.

garv123

The white specs all over the jersey between the sponsor, crest and puma logo makes the pic above makes it look crappy.

Looks good on some jerseys

Dravokivich

B0X wrote: »

Yeah, not a fan of how it will look.

They aren't going to retro fit it onto a current jersey though are they?

ColmH81

Between 3 phasing out the O2 brand(which they will do as soon as they're legally allowed) and Puma doing a hop skip and jump out of Ireland, it'll be interesting to see what they come up with after the 6N...

irishbucsfan

ColmH81 wrote: »

Between 3 phasing out the O2 brand(which they will do as soon as they're legally allowed) and Puma doing a hop skip and jump out of Ireland, it'll be interesting to see what they come up with after the 6N...

When Joe wins us a grand slam people will be queuing up with their bank details for us

Robbo

ColmH81 wrote: »

Between 3 phasing out the O2 brand(which they will do as soon as they're legally allowed) and Puma doing a hop skip and jump out of Ireland, it'll be interesting to see what they come up with after the 6N...

I believe there's quite a few debenture tickets for Lansdowne, dating back to continuations of the 1983 drive to build the East Stand, which ran out at the end of this years 6N and have not been renewed. Interesting times ahead for the finance heads in the IRFU.

tolosenc

irishbucsfan wrote: »

When Joe wins us a grand slam people will be queuing up with their bank details for us

I think we should wait until we have the back-to-back-to-back grand slams and the world cup before signing an undervalued deal. Green crew tshirts from Penneys until then.