Pairc Ui Chaoimh re-development

Water John

He has a great anthem for Cork CB, 'I don't want to talk about it.'

yabadabado

Cape Clear wrote: »

Doubt a new pitch will be laid before Rod Stewart

Yeah I wouldn't think I anything would be done until June/July also depending on the games PUC gets .

Cape Clear

Water John wrote: »

He has a great anthem for Cork CB, 'I don't want to talk about it.'

He dedicated "Forever Young" to Frank

yabadabado

Cork's remaining league fixtures are switched to Páirc Uí Rinn and a decision is going to be made about a full pitch replacement or other remediation work .

Shedite27

yabadabado wrote: »

Cork's remaining league fixtures are switched to Páirc Uí Rinn and a decision is going to be made about a full pitch replacement or other remediation work .

Those PUC premium tickets looking like a great investment right about now

Flesh Gorden

Shedite27 wrote: »

Those PUC premium tickets looking like a great investment right about now

Yeah, they might let people watch from the hall upstairs behind the milky white windows.

Cape Clear

A bit of silly season kite flying?

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/rugby/pairc-in-the-frame-to-host-munster-leinster-rugby-clash-944271.html

Dbu

Cape Clear wrote: »

A bit of silly season kite flying?

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/rugby/pairc-in-the-frame-to-host-munster-leinster-rugby-clash-944271.html

Trying to pay some of the debt I reckon. Lot more concerts on the horizon as well Id say.

snotboogie

Cape Clear wrote: »

A bit of silly season kite flying?

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/rugby/pairc-in-the-frame-to-host-munster-leinster-rugby-clash-944271.html

That's fantastic to see and it makes total sense. Hopefully it materializes

ShamoBuc

snotboogie wrote: »

That's fantastic to see and it makes total sense. Hopefully it materializes

I think it will happen as will some big concerts, a la Westlife weekend which undoubtedly happen next summer.

ScrubsfanChris

snotboogie wrote: »

That's fantastic to see and it makes total sense. Hopefully it materializes

It would be great, still there's one thing to overcome though.

If Munster rugby have to "hire" PUC then its reasonable to assume they will lose money (unless they can break even or better with the extra tickets sales) compared to hosting the game in Thomond, a stadium that is still being paid off itself.
Money Munster rugby doesn't make is money the IRFU (the creditor) don't make.

It would be a fantastic spectacle and I'll be buying tickets day one, but I fear they might go with the financially reasonable option over spectacle here.

Hopefully I'm proved wrong

Shedite27

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

It would be great, still there's one thing to overcome though.

If Munster rugby have to "hire" PUC then its reasonable to assume they will lose money (unless they can break even or better with the extra tickets sales) compared to hosting the game in Thomond, a stadium that is still being paid off itself.
Money Munster rugby doesn't make is money the IRFU (the creditor) don't make.

It would be a fantastic spectacle and I'll be buying tickets day one, but I fear they might go with the financially reasonable option over spectacle here.

Hopefully I'm proved wrong

If Thomand holds 25000 and PUC holds 45000, is it not as simple as GAA/Munster going halves on the revenue of extra 20000 seats? Munster get their usual gate, GAA get 10000 seats worth or revenue for no effort.

ScrubsfanChris

Shedite27 wrote: »

If Thomand holds 25000 and PUC holds 45000, is it not as simple as GAA/Munster going halves on the revenue of extra 20000 seats? Munster get their usual gate, GAA get 10000 seats worth or revenue for no effort.

It will come down to what Cork GAA change for use of the stadium.

Thomond = 26,000 ticket sales + corporate/sponsor deals + drink/food sales

PUC = 45,000 ticket sales - less corporate facilities - any drink/food sales - stadium rent

I'm not begrudging this, I want it to happen....

j8wk2feszrnpao

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

I'm not begrudging this, I want it to happen....

Me too, it’d be great to have a game in Cork. But for Munster Rugby it might not be as simple as just moving it. Finances you covered. Plus while it’s an extra 6k seating, it’s mainly just extra terrace capacity. And with season tickets, you have sold a certain amount already.
And due to the size of the GAA pitch, you are even further away from the action, much like Croker. With the issues that PUC has had with its pitch, a potential muddy rugby game ripping it up may not be ideal (esp as experts said it may need a full year to bed in).
And Munster would be giving up home field advantage. Given their success at Thomand, playing at PUC has its risks for on field success as well.

snotboogie

munstermagic11 wrote: »

Me too, it’d be great to have a game in Cork. But for Munster Rugby it might not be as simple as just moving it. Finances you covered. Plus while it’s an extra 6k seating, it’s mainly just extra terrace capacity. And with season tickets, you have sold a certain amount already.
And due to the size of the GAA pitch, you are even further away from the action, much like Croker. With the issues that PUC has had with its pitch, a potential muddy rugby game ripping it up may not be ideal (esp as experts said it may need a full year to bed in).
And Munster would be giving up home field advantage. Given their success at Thomand, playing at PUC has its risks for on field success as well.

Munster have not had a whole lot of success playing Leinster in Thomond!

MrDerp

I think this is a long term commercial decision rather than short term.

Home attendances in Thomond are down, which suggests less people traveling of a Friday night, and Cork must be the most important market.

One wonders how many 10 year tickets, originally bought during peak Munster, were not renewed - particularly in Cork.

To me, this is an exhibition to remind the Cork faithful of the value of traveling to Thomond for the bigger matches, and to reignite season ticket sales and hopefully 10 year tickets.

Personally I go to plenty of matches in Independent Park and make do with Tv beyond that. I’d be more likely to watch Munster in the Aviva than Thomond. I’d imagine they want the likes of myself to do more traveling.

So they need a big game in Cork (there is no bigger) without affecting the commercials for the year. They’d happily make do with the usual receipts after stadium costs I’d wager.

j8wk2feszrnpao

snotboogie wrote: »

Munster have not had a whole lot of success playing Leinster in Thomond!

Unlikely to improve on a neutral field though.

A note on the finances, if extra capacity = a bigger windfall, they'd have moved a game to the Gaelic Grounds (extra 5k capacity than PUC) already. I understand that PUC has the premium additions compared to the GGs, but splitting the takings with another party is probably where the real discussions are crucial.

I take MrDerp's point on this though. Maybe a huge game in Cork, to wet people's appetite for attending games, even with the travel distance to Limerick, would be of greater worth to Munster Rugby than the pluses and minuses of the finances of a single game.

snotboogie

munstermagic11 wrote: »

Unlikely to improve on a neutral field though.

A note on the finances, if extra capacity = a bigger windfall, they'd have moved a game to the Gaelic Grounds (extra 5k capacity than PUC) already. I understand that PUC has the premium additions compared to the GGs, but splitting the takings with another party is probably where the real discussions are crucial.

I take MrDerp's point on this though. Maybe a huge game in Cork, to wet people's appetite for attending games, even with the travel distance to Limerick, would be of greater worth to Munster Rugby than the pluses and minuses of the finances of a single game.

I'd go a step further. The under 20's games were a huge commercial success, Musgrave Park gets higher attendances than the majority of the Pro 14 (I think only 5 teams averaged above 8k last year), Cork is a much larger market than a lot of the cities currently with teams, there is a brand new stadium lying empty and there are 15 Cork players on the Munster squad. How long until somebody with juice, be it the Pro 14, IRFU or somewhere out of left field like the premiership start asking why there isn't a full time team in Cork? If Munster continue to ignore Cork, the question will eventually get asked.

Pablo Escobar

snotboogie wrote: »

I'd go a step further. The under 20's games were a huge commercial success, Musgrave Park gets higher attendances than the majority of the Pro 14 (I think only 5 teams averaged above 8k last year), Cork is a much larger market than a lot of the cities currently with teams, there is a brand new stadium lying empty and there are 15 Cork players on the Munster squad. How long until somebody with juice, be it the Pro 14, IRFU or somewhere out of left field like the premiership start asking why there isn't a full time team in Cork? If Munster continue to ignore Cork, the question will eventually get asked.

Yeah, I really wonder how much of the decision to move pretty much the whole show to Limerick was a decision made by a Limerick heart over the head?

It has led to a major disassociation between the Munster brand and its largest market by a distance. It also pretty much correlates with the decline in attendances at Thomond. For me the damage has been done and it'll be very difficult to recover.

The new team angle is something that will crop up at some stage. Cork produces more players than Limerick at that level and the catchment area is much larger. It makes no sense leaving the area basically untapped.

Reputable Rog

Pablo Escobar wrote: »

Yeah, I really wonder how much of the decision to move pretty much the whole show to Limerick was a decision made by a Limerick heart over the head?

It has led to a major disassociation between the Munster brand and its largest market by a distance. It also pretty much correlates with the decline in attendances at Thomond. For me the damage has been done and it'll be very difficult to recover.

The new team angle is something that will crop up at some stage. Cork produces more players than Limerick at that level and the catchment area is much larger. It makes no sense leaving the area basically untapped.

What about those of us who have already paid for our seat at this game since April. I wouldn't be too pleased that my ticket for this game is no longer valid but you can stand on the Blackrock end instead.
This move will not happen.
This narrative about Cork people boycotting Munster because they play in Limerick is also a load of nonsense.

Portsalon

snotboogie wrote: »

Munster have not had a whole lot of success playing Leinster in Thomond!

The Christmas/New Year Pro 14 games are a bit of a jokeshop anyway. Due to the IRFU's player management restrictions, every province tends to pick their best players for the home game and sends a weaker squad to the away game.

polaris68

Reputable Rog wrote: »

What about those of us who have already paid for our seat at this game since April. I wouldn't be too pleased that my ticket for this game is no longer valid but you can stand on the Blackrock end instead.
This move will not happen.
This narrative about Cork people boycotting Munster because they play in Limerick is also a load of nonsense.

Agreed. Attendances are only down in Thomond Park because Munster have been Sh1te for the past few years. Cork rugby fans will put up with the drive if Munster starting winning again - they did it 10 years ago.

j8wk2feszrnpao

snotboogie wrote: »

How long until somebody with juice, be it the Pro 14, IRFU or somewhere out of left field like the premiership start asking why there isn't a full time team in Cork?

Never.

snotboogie

Reputable Rog wrote: »

What about those of us who have already paid for our seat at this game since April. I wouldn't be too pleased that my ticket for this game is no longer valid but you can stand on the Blackrock end instead.
This move will not happen.
This narrative about Cork people boycotting Munster because they play in Limerick is also a load of nonsense.

I don't think the game will happen in Cork this year either, hopefully next year.

Your second point is bizarre. You are not countering anything being said as to why Cork is losing out, you are just dismissing everything

kooga

Reputable Rog wrote: »

What about those of us who have already paid for our seat at this game since April. I wouldn't be too pleased that my ticket for this game is no longer valid but you can stand on the Blackrock end instead.
This move will not happen.
This narrative about Cork people boycotting Munster because they play in Limerick is also a load of nonsense.

Agree - I like getting the train to limerick and having pints in Charlie St. George’s - that’s my routine- plus the amount of bad parking around puc In game day is shocking - with no enforcement

snotboogie

munstermagic11 wrote: »

Never.

Didn't you say the same word about Rugby being played in PUC?

munstermagic11 wrote: »

True. I don’t know why this keeps being brought up. Thomand Park was redeveloped about 10years ago. So the time to get Munster/IRFU onboard was at that time. A 25/30k stadium, with the ability to host rugby/soccer/GAA games, and an alternative to the Marquee to host concerts. With the FAI/IRFU/GAA/Government all contributing, maybe it could have been roofed for further purposes (fund this instead of the event center).
The opportunity was there at one stage. But with Thomand in place, Musgrave also improved; rugby was never going to be played there.

Yet here we are with two national papers reporting that Munster are in advanced talks with the commercial team at PUC. It seems that the head in the sand everything's grand approach to predictions isn't the best strategy

touts

Playing Munster games in PUC makes particular sense if the Munster Branch the get to sell Musgrave park. It's recently been redeveloped but it's still only a distant second to Thomond Park. The money from that sale would go a long way to paying off the debt on Thomond Park and if they held two big games in PUC a year (say Leinster and one of the European games) along with the regular 4 or 5 Pro14 games the extra income would go a long way to helping the GAA pay off the debt on PUC. And we haven't even mentioned the possibility of Corn City playing there.

But Ireland being Ireland and the concept of sports working together in a common facility being as big a sin as you can commit it'll never happen.

j8wk2feszrnpao

snotboogie wrote: »

Didn't you say the same word about Rugby being played in PUC?

Yes, and it still hasn’t. Maybe get your own head out of the sand.
The horrible “Corkonian” affliction strikes some really bad.

ScrubsfanChris

touts wrote: »

Playing Munster games in PUC makes particular sense if the Munster Branch the get to sell Musgrave park. It's recently been redeveloped but it's still only a distant second to Thomond Park. The money from that sale would go a long way to paying off the debt on Thomond Park and if they held two big games in PUC a year (say Leinster and one of the European games) along with the regular 4 or 5 Pro14 games the extra income would go a long way to helping the GAA pay off the debt on PUC. And we haven't even mentioned the possibility of Corn City playing there.

But Ireland being Ireland and the concept of sports working together in a common facility being as big a sin as you can commit it'll never happen.

You know its Dolphin/Sundays Well home ground too right?

Also playing the U20 six nations there was a huge success
Munster need a smaller stadium for some Pro14 games. The abysmal attendance for some home games in Thomond last proves that (only 10,000 v Benetton)

A home European semi final seems like the most likely option for Munster game in PUC

kooga

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

You know its Dolphin/Sundays Well home ground too right?

Also playing the U20 six nations there was a huge success
Munster need a smaller stadium for some Pro14 games. The abysmal attendance for some home games in Thomond last proves that (only 10,000 v Benetton)

A home European semi final seems like the most likely option for Munster game in PUC

Given the group Munster have in the h cup this year - we will be waiting for a home semi final