Provinces seeking stadium sponsors

THREE OF Ireland’s four rugby provinces are engaged in a scrum to secure naming rights sponsors for their stadiums.

Leinster and the RDS have been engaged in seeking a sponsor for the Ballsbridge stadium for some time now, with US insurer Liberty Mutual in the frame.

Ulster was also reported some time ago to be seeking a naming sponsor for Ravenhill in Belfast.

Now it seems that Munster is once again actively looking at the issue of naming rights for Thomond Park in Limerick. Munster previously considered selling the rights to Thomond around the time of its €40 million redevelopment in 2007-08 but the plan was shelved following local opposition to a corporate name being attached to the iconic stadium.

Times change and a €1 million deficit recorded in the year to the end of June has focused minds in the province on how to generate additional revenues to bring Munster back into the black and provide the firepower to keep the province among Europe’s elite clubs.

What might the rights be worth?

A recent report in the Limerick Leader suggested that the sponsorship might be worth no more than half the €750,000 per annum that it is thought Munster could have bagged from the rights during the boom years.

Enda Lynch, commercial and marketing manager for Munster Rugby, declined to comment on how much the rights might fetch, but he said the branch was prepared to look at alternative options, including sponsorship of its east and west stands.

Leicester rugby club in England operates such a model.

“We’re looking at a range of options,” Lynch said.

“We’ve been talking to a number of brands and will consider any options that will appeal to brands.”

Presumably, Leinster/RDS and Ulster are fishing in the same pond. Game on.