Sky deal to 2002 to net FAI £4.25m

Sky Television has secured the exclusive rights in Britain to show the Republic of Ireland's home games for the next two and a half years.

In addition to the five World Cup qualifying games at Lansdowne Road, the deal covers non-competitive fixtures in Dublin. Sky also propose to screen US Cup games in which Ireland will be taking part for the first time in three years at various American venues next June.

RTE retain the terrestrial rights to Ireland's home games, the first of which will feature the Czech Republic, on their return to Lansdowne Road after an interval of six years, on February 23rd.

The Sky deal was brokered by FAI president Pat Quigley, chief executive Bernard O'Byrne and Laurence St John, an FAI adviser, during their visit to Tokyo for the World Cup draw earlier in the week.

It forms a significant, but as yet unquantified, part of an overall television deal which will net the FAI £4.25 million over a period ending in 2002.

Apart from Sky's input, the association will generate considerable revenue from other broadcasting networks involved in the transmission of Ireland's home games in the World Cup.

A sum of £4.25 million, albeit spread over two and a half years, is quite the largest to come on stream from this source and, among other things, will be used to fund the Eircom National League, the association's youth development programme and ongoing planning for their proposed new stadium, Eircom Park.

Welcoming the deal as an indication of Ireland's growing stature in international football, Pat Quigley said the benefits would permeate through the various strands of the association's programme.

"This is a very exciting time in the FAI, particularly from a development point of view," he said. "We are pressing ahead with the Eircom Park development which is already substantially underwritten at this point.

"We are also investing as much resources as possible in the development of the game at underage level. Deals such as those we agreed in Tokyo this week will help greatly to underpin such progress."

Quigley's enthusiasm for the Sky project was shared by O'Byrne, who said: "There is a significant Irish population in Britain who will benefit enormously from this new arrangement.

"The agreement carries the added bonus of being financially positive for the association. This is the largest injection of funding of its kind ever negotiated by the FAI and it brings the Republic of Ireland's teams to a broader audience than ever before."

Questioned later about the state of play in the planning process for the Eircom stadium project, O'Byrne said a formal application had been filed on October 8th.

South Dublin County Council had requested more time to examine aspects of the project he said, and in the interim, the FAI would be meeting with representatives of both the Council and local residents groups to clarify any points at issue.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United were yesterday preparing for a cash injection of £25 million after agreeing a new media partnership.

Premium TV are to hand over an interest-free loan, provided that an initial five-year deal is agreed at an extraordinary general meeting of Newcastle United plc.

But the move, which came just hours before United's UEFA Cup third-round second-leg clash with AS Roma, will mean an end to Scottish and Newcastle Breweries' spell as main sponsor and the sale of deputy chairman Douglas Hall's direct shareholding.

In a move announced yesterday morning, Premium TV plans to increase their holding to 9.8 per cent while at the same time acting as exclusive agents in relation to the club's media rights, including any dedicated television channel as well as website and internet activities.

The proposed cash injection will come as music to the ears of manager Bobby Robson, who took over from Ruud Gullit in December knowing that the cupboard was bare and that he would be forced to survive on a transfer shoestring, at least in the short term.

Around £10 million will be handed over on the agreement of the shareholders, with a further £15 million following a year later. The cash would be repaid on the fifth anniversary through a new share issue.

At the same time, Cameron Hall Developments, the family company of former chairman Sir John Hall and son Douglas, has agreed to sell 25.22 per cent of its majority holding to Wynyard (Guernsey) Ltd, an independent trust managed for the benefit of the Hall family.

Premium, through NTL, last year negotiated a deal which could have seen it take a controlling interest in the club, but that was always dependent on the Office of Fair Trading's ruling on BSkyB's £623 million bid for Manchester United, which was eventually blocked.

Talk of a takeover has been rife ever since, and it is little surprise that Douglas Hall has dispensed with his direct stake despite the apparent calming of the waters following the infamous "Toongate" saga.

The departure of Scottish and Newcastle as main sponsors too is no shock, and the club's shirts will carry a new logo for the start of the 2000-01 season.