Madam, – I sincerely hope your paper has not missed the irony of the IRFU calling on Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan to reverse the plan to designate the Six Nations championship and Heineken Cup games free-to-air for television (Front page, May 18th).
This is the same IRFU which in conjunction with the FAI has gladly taken almost half the construction cost of the stadium from Government funding to construct one of the most costly per seat stadiums in the world with restricted views and with a height comparable to Croke Park but with nearly half the capacity. To compound this, we, the members of the public, are being asked to accept that the name of our de-facto national stadium has been sold to a multinational corporation while being forced to either pay for Sky Sports or go to the pub to watch our national and provincial side play.
Although it is at times difficult to agree with RTÉ one cannot argue with its position that the practice of designating major sporting events as free-to-air is overwhelmingly in the public interest and supersedes the rights of sporting organisations to maximise revenues.
It is incredible to comprehend how organisations on the planet in this century can no longer exist without corporate sponsorship. It makes one wonder how on earth they managed to get by in the last century. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I agree totally with the IRFU’s stance against the Minister for Communications’s plan for free-to-air coverage of rugby matches.
Eamon Ryan has taken the political, vote-winning view of the world without considering the consequences.
I wonder has he ever been in the RDS, Thomond, Ravenhill or the Sportsground for a match?
The Irish provinces have done a great job in making the whole package of attending a game attractive, exciting and most of all fun for all the family. The main attraction is seeing the world-class players who not only play to an outstanding level, but are also great ambassadors for the game. They wouldn’t be playing here if it weren’t for the money from the likes of Sky.
Rugby is buoyant in this country at the moment, giving people a lift when all around them is dark and gloomy.
I would urge the Minister to come on down to watch a match – I will lend him my Leinster season ticket if he wishes, but I’d ask him, please don’t interfere in something that is good and decent! – Yours, etc,