General Rugby Discussion 3

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934248#Comment_121934248

All aviva branding to go. Venue has to be clean of any sponsorship other than uefas commercial partners

blackwhite

All Aviva branding around the stadium also - and there’s a lot of it.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934440#Comment_121934440

I assume all the costs of removal and restoration are carried by UEFA or whoever?

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934598#Comment_121934598

I’d have my doubts based on how these tournaments usually work - but it’s not something that the IRFU are being asked to pay for and so I’d surmise not something the stadium operating company are paying for either.

What I’d heard came via a branch meeting - can’t see the IRFU being privy to how FAI/UEFA divvy up their costs

Exclamation Marc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934598#Comment_121934598

Generally when countries are bidding to host these types of games from UEFA or FIFA, they offer to bear the costs for the "privilege" to host the game.

As its football related, it's more likely than not the FAI ponying up.

Pete_Cavan

Presumably it would be the stadium operating company (co-owned by FAI and IRFU) who would cover any costs for operating the game. Not sure how it shakes out if rugby has to hire Croke Park for multiple games instead of the Aviva. You'd have to think Irish rugby (and even the stadium operating company) would be down quite a chunk of change across several games for the sake of one match.

Burkie1203

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934954#Comment_121934954

Think the City itself might have bid for it, influx of ppl spending a fortune etc

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934954#Comment_121934954

The UEFA soccer final is only affecting one game, the potential ERCC semi-final.

The UEFA game is 22nd May, so the June issues can't be laid at the door of the FAI. Seems to be concerts (presumably agreed by both the IRFU and FAI) by P!NK and Taylor Swift that are the cause of the June availability.

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121934954#Comment_121934954

IRFU are the majority shareholder of New Stadium DAC. (Think it’s currently 57.5%). Branch meeting was told there is no cost to the Union of hosting, so can only assume it’s the FAI bearing the costs

Blut2

With the substantial costs of prepping the stadium, presumably compensation for the IRFU for the money they'll lose from not having a semi-final in the stadium (if that happens), and with how many seats in the stadium will be reserved for UEFA/corporate sponors/etc, I'd be curious to know how the financials of hosting the game will work out for the FAI. Is it expected to turn a big profit for them?

blackwhite

I haven’t heard of any compensation being due for missing out on using the Aviva for the semi-final.

It wasn’t a guaranteed fixture - and technically the RDS is Leinster’s home venue that would be due to host any semi-final - they just choose to move it to get a bigger gate.

They’ll still make some money off it - just not as much as if the Aviva was available, but still more than they’d made at the RDS.

As for the overall financials of hosting the Euros - someone in the Soccer forum may have better insight than anyone here

Captain_Crash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121935576#Comment_121935576

They can’t use the RDS in the event of making the semi’s. The ERC rules allow the “home” team to play in a venue of their choice that’s not their designated home ground. In Leinsters case they use Lansdowne for such games. No doubt if the rules allowed them use the RDS, they’d still be using Lansdowne anyway, but even still, the RDS is out of the picture should Leinster qualify.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121936197#Comment_121936197

Also I think that Semi-Finals must have at least a 30k capacity so RDS is out regardless

Former Former Former

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121936197#Comment_121936197

The ERC rules allow the “home” team to play in a venue of their choice that’s not their designated home ground.

That rule has been done away with for years, the only hard stipulation is that the higher ranked team gets home country advantage, after that it's EPCR's decision on where the game gets played.

But the RDS would be too small anyway so it's a moot point.

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121936197#Comment_121936197

Leinster request the use of Lansdowne - they don't have any automatic right to it.

For next season, they have had to submit a request to use the Aviva for each of their URC and Champions Cup home games and it's then down to the board of the stadium management company to approve or reject each request.

Captain_Crash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121936241#Comment_121936241

Well yeah, they have to rent it like anyone else! You can host a 5 a side tourney there tomorrow if you like…. And have the money, just Taylor Swift will be in June.

@Former Former Former I didnt realise that rule had been done away with. Suppose there isn’t many teams whose home ground holds more than 30K to begin with so hardly makes a difference.

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121936854#Comment_121936854

Which is back to the point that they won’t be entitled to compensation, on the basis of being unable to rent it this time around

Captain_Crash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937059#Comment_121937059

I never suggested they would be entitled to compo…. 🤷🏻‍♂️ but I agree with you yeah!

icdg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121936241#Comment_121936241

There is a suggestion in the Irish Times that they are going to Nowlan Park instead, which I dare say would infuriate the largely Dublin based STH contingent.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2024/03/24/croke-park-in-line-to-stage-champions-cup-semi-final-if-leinster-make-last-four/

kksaints

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937291#Comment_121937291

Presume it is a capacity based reason for Leinster to be considering Nowlan Park as a host for a few URC matches. It's a strange one otherwise as Kilkenny isn't a rugby stronghold to use that old cliche and for a good while Kilkenny had a stronger Munster Rugby connection with Ian Dowling the only Kilkenny player I can remember playing top level rugby. Nowlan Park also doesn't have floodlights so Leinster would have to play their matches on Saturday probably before 4pm. Plus that time of the year is peak club GAA time in the county and Nowlan Park gets a lot of use at that time of the year. I'd have thought Tallaght Stadium with a capacity of 10,000 would be enough for most run of the mill URC matches.

On the otherhand it would be great to see a few Leinster matches outside of their traditional territory and it would be a decent boost for the businesses and restaurants in Kilkenny with the crowds a Leinster match would bring. I'd definitely try and get to a few matches which I don't really consider when they're in the RDS.

phog

I'm not sure it's relevant (other than teams/fans flying into Shannon) but Kilkenny is an absolute disaster to get to from the Mid West. It's a lovely city to overnight in and visit but getting there is torturous. What about Tallaght stadium or is that too small?

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937291#Comment_121937291

There was a formal request submitted to the Aviva stadium board for next season up to 17 home fixtures, all 9 home URC fixtures, the 2 home Champions Cup fixtures, and up to 6 knock-out games across the two competitions.

Aviva Stadium Board were to meet the week before St. Patrick's Day and are due to inform Leinster before Easter of how many of those games can be accommodated in Lansdowne Road. For any games that the Aviva isn't available for (possibly around international windows or in cases of clashes with the soccer team), then Nowlan Park and Croke Park are alternatives depending on the likely crowd size.

In addition to that, as far as I'm aware there was no request made for the Aviva to accommodate any friendly fixtures, either during pre-season or during next year's international windows. It wouldn't surprise me if they tried to organise one or two marquee friendly fixtures for pre-season to be played at a large non-Dublin venue.

Former Former Former

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937367#Comment_121937367

I'd have thought Tallaght Stadium with a capacity of 10,000 would be enough for most run of the mill URC matches.

That wouldn't even accommodate all the season ticket holders, plus you'd need an allocation for away fans, so you're probably looking at 15,000 as the absolute minimum. That really narrows it down.

pickarooney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937455#Comment_121937455

Driving is grand but it's an unfunny joke trying to get from Kilkenny to Limerick or vice versa by public transport. It took over 4 hours last time I tried.

StormForce13

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121930930#Comment_121930930

Interesting aftermath to that game is that the TMO was heard telling the ref that he wasn't going to highlight potential dirty play by a Quins player because the TV pundit Austin Healey had spotted it first. Healey had identified a knee-slide clearout on Owen Farrell by the Quins captain, Stephan Lewies, in the latter stages of Sarries’ 52-7 victory and suggested on-air “it could be really interesting” to see exactly where Farrell had been struck.

But instead of studying the replay for potential foul play, the TMO Stuart Terheege appeared to suggest to the referee Christophe Ridley that they could not be seen to be influenced by the television coverage. The broadcast comments – “Yeah, mate, the problem I have got now is that it looks like Austin has instigated it, because we’re late, so I don’t want to talk about it, OK?” – were picked up by the officials’ ‘hot mic’ and would appear to contradict the official stance that TMOs do not hear TV commentary which could sway their decisions. The RFU said it would look into the matter further.

Blut2

Nowlan Park would be a huge waste for anything other than lower demand URC games. I doubt they'd get more than 10,000 fans attending regularly there, and thats probably wildly optimistic given the distance/journey time from Dublin.

Croke Park with just the lower tier open, and a good smattering of promotional cheapo tickets and freebies to clubs/schools, would surely be the better option.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121937992#Comment_121937992

Depends on the cost of rental I would imagine.

Would the gate from 15-20k attending a URC game in Croke park cover the costs associated with the rental etc.?

blackwhite

There's a 19k seat configuration in the Aviva that is their plan for regular URC games.

Have to think that there's potential in bringing the likes of a Zebre to Kilkenny on a Saturday afternoon in October - but beyond that they'd run into capacity problems quickly.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121938075#Comment_121938075

Any GAA ground will suck given the size of them, but I think if Leinster have to move out of the RDS it makes sense to spread the games around a bit.

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121938116#Comment_121938116

The update from last branch meeting mentioned only Croke Park as an alternative when Lansdowne not available - no other provincial grounds mentioned or alluded to.

There's a potential impact on season ticket renewals if they take too much out of Dublin that is likely to be a factor in their considerations also.