MARK DUFFY’s Post

Croke park v Lansdowne road…? Like Irish unity there’s a thought you’d think might never happen. However, money always talks. It could solve a lot of problems- 1. Athmosphere “Compared with the regular Six Nations crowd, the World Cup attendees were younger and more boisterous, drawn from across the spectrum of sports. When it comes to spring, many of those supporters find themselves locked out by the model that sees the union distribute their tickets through the clubs, who often bundle at least some of them and sell them to corporate entities and travel companies. The income they generate funds the sport at a local level, but an additional capacity would allow the union to investigate ways to tap into the latent interest from the World Cup” Enjoyment- It will stop the boozers in the stands destroying the enjoyment of the others. Far more can attend. Money- It would generate a lot more, and perish the thought, the IRFU might even reduce prices to encourage real fans. So how about leaving the RDS and Lansdowne road? Allow Leinster use it. The GAA use it. More Concerts. As the IRFU don’t really care about their Patrons once they get their money that won’t be an issue. They side step a changing culture towards boozing.

What does a good financial advisor do? They should allow you to spend as much of your precious free time as possible doing the things you cherish in life; taking away the worry and stress of whether you can afford things, or not, through continued close analysis of your investments - all whilst scenario planning your potential cash requirements. A trusted advisor should be there for you to lean into with any financial decision, if you want/need.

Cracking list on here

At a time when rugby union is struggling in North America, and despite not having the Eagles qualifying for the RWC23, Major League Rugby is attracting many former rugby icons, such as Matt Giteau, to name but one. Recently, Stade Toulousain, one of Europe's most prestigious clubs, joined forces with the Utah Warriors, striking a major blow on the American Rugby Union (XV) market. However, it is Rugby League (XIII) that is about to conquer the American market. This type of rugby, often described as more spectacular and rougher, is about to set foot in the United States. The economic strategy behind this move is questionable and highly risky... But "high-risk = high-reward". I can't wait to see if Rugby League (XIII) can make it on the American market before Rugby Union (XV) rugby does. Let's give it a try. ---------------------   French version available online   ---------------------   Selective by passion   #sponsorship #sports #marketing

Regional Rugby in Ireland works because historically Ireland has been devided regionally. In NZ they have also been historically regional, in Scotland the Highlands and Lowlands etc... In Wales we have always been tribal (one valley will never support another), and as a result regions have never worked. It could be argued we should have gone with the 9 club option. 3 clubs west, 3 east and 3 in the centre. Supporters would have come out of the woodwork to support their valley or city. Arguably the crowds are woeful because people do not identify with the regional sides. Grassroots rugby is also too far removed from the regions. Does someone in Pontypridd identify with Cardiff? Perhaps the WRU need to rethink rugby in Wales or it may continue to decline. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

(S)painful Decision to be made? Following defeat in the European Championships 2024 Final to Spain last night, Gareth Southgate gave a pitch side interview to ITV’s Gabriele Marcotti where he said the following: "I think England are in a really good position in terms of the experiences they've got now. The age of the squad, you know, most of this squad are going to be around not only for the World Cup but the next Euros as well so, um, you know, there's a lot to look forward to but you know, that’s not, you know, at this moment, is not any consolation." Linguistic analysis can be applied to any aspect of life. What someone doesn’t say can often be more important than what someone does say. In this interview, notably absent is the pronoun, ‘we,’ which indicates unity and cooperation. Gareth Southgate had two key opportunities in which he linguistically distanced himself from this, once where he thinks ‘England’ are in a good place and secondly where he references the experiences ‘they’ve’ had. Conversely, the only commitment we see from the England Manager is via the pronoun ‘I’ in respect to that which he, ‘thinks.’    The shortest answer is the best combined with commitment.   Linguistically for now it appears that Gareth Southgate’s distancing from the squad has taken him a step closer towards the door. #England #FootballAssociation #EuropeanChampionships2024 #EnglandManager #GarethSouthgate

Wales and Ireland (Rugby Union) will never play each other in their traditional red/green colours again. It is great to see that World Rugby is implementing rule changes to help the viewing experience for colour blind supporters. However, I would urge teams that this will affect to consider the impact on performance of changes in colour. I am sure we all remember the disasterous grey kit worn by Manchester United back in 1996 (well, worn for half a game anyway). This has not stopped them from re-adopting a grey away kit in more recent years but what impact does it have on a players ability to spot their team-mates? I am a strong believer in making your players as visible as possible while on the pitch so this involves wearing kit of a high contrast to both the opponent, and surroundings. I also think that training in the same colours in the build-up to a match helps players 'tune in' to what they will be scanning for on game day. However, much of this is overlooked by big clubs in favour of kit that will sell well in the club shop, and training kit which makes a statement - presumably to also prompt fans to fork out their cash. There will always be conflict in sports between performance outcomes and money makers and kit colour will often be decided upon by those with a finance hat on. #colour #color #sixnations #ireland #wales #rugby #manchesterunited #siralexferguson #football #highperformance #performancevision #sportsvision #sportscience https://lnkd.in/e9AaR5S7

International Friendlies: More Than Just a Kickabout ⚽️ Beyond the thrill of the game, international friendlies like today's England vs Brazil at Wembly Stadium, hold significant strategic value for both teams. Here's why these matches matter: - 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: It's a crucial warm-up for major events like Euro 2024 (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿) and Copa América (🇧🇷). These friendlies allow teams to test tactics, formations, and player fitness before the real competition begins. - 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲: Integrating new players and fostering team spirit are key for success. Friendlies provide a platform to experiment and build cohesion before high-pressure tournaments. - 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬: International matches are a major revenue generator through tickets, broadcasting rights, and sponsorships. A prestigious matchup like England vs Brazil is particularly attractive for these reasons. Follow My Fave Places for more insights. Because every place has a story. #football #soccer #internationalfootball #EURO2024 #CopaAmerica #Brazil #England #sports #sportsbusiness #teamwork https://lnkd.in/ejnSvpFt

What do you do with the sheep after you get them over the bridge.

In a recent post, I stated the financial imbalance between Premiership Rugby, United Rugby Championship & The #Top14, driven by media rights that are considerably greater in favour of the #French League, will see the conitunued outflow of British Players to #France to seek greater renumeration. It's pretty much 101 #supplyanddemand #ecomomics. However, there is a further underlining issue that is much more difficult for the #PremiershipRugby to rectify that puts them at a long-term competitive disadvantage. Over the last couple of decades with heathly promotion and relegation, we've seen the emergence of well-financed 'large-market' city clubs, evenly distributed across France, rise to the top of the #Top14, while many of the traditional 'smaller-town' South-West clubs now residing in #ProD2 or even below. Whereas, the #English league has, for all intents and purposes, become a pseudo ‘closed league’, with clubs residing in the smaller towns or city suburds. The #Premiership has no representation in many of the major city markets, leading to a geographical non-profit maximization scenario. In simple terms if you were starting from scratch Club's would ideally be evenly spread across all the major city markets, in order to maximise the league's audience and revenue potential. The ownership and governance structure of the #Premeriship, where incumbent clubs, along with CVC Capital Partners, own the league and make all the decisions, will naturally, lean strongly towards promoting the continuation of the status quo in terms of it's club representation. Turkeys are not going to vote for Christmas! It therefore seems logical to assume, with this along the media rights disparity, the English are in danger of being in a long-term state of systemic negative competitive imbalance in relation to their French counterparts and number one competitors. #Rugby #SportsEconomics #EnglandRugby #FrenchRugby #economics #sportseconomy #CVC #privatequity #competition England Rugby FFR - Fédération Française de Rugby Ligue Nationale de Rugby European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) World Rugby Rugby Europe Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) WRU - Welsh Rugby Union Scottish Rugby