Does anyone call Lansdowne Rd, the Aviva Stadium?

loyatemu · 23-03-2022 11:18am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118822452#Comment_118822452

AFAIK the IRFU do own the stadium (they certainly own the land it's on) - the FAI are there under some form of long term agreement.

I wonder is there any potential to develop the Havelock Sq end to the same capacity as the Lansdowne end? I thought I read somewhere that the IRFU owned a lot of the houses in the square. It would at least make the stadium look less like a bed-pan.

Cookiemunster · 23-03-2022 12:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118822543#Comment_118822543

The IRFU own the land the stadium is built on, not the stadium. The stadium is owned and run by New Stadium Ltd, which is 50% owned by the IRFU and 50% by the FAI. The board of directors of the stadium management company has 3 members form each organisation.

crisco10 · 23-03-2022 2:16pm

I flip between the two, having sworn to never call it the Aviva.

and I actually am ok with it too, looking at without sentimentality, if letting a company put their name on it allows us to keep more players on central contracts or pay for rugby clubs to get a new pitch etc I think it’s by far the lesser evil.

question, (and I acknowledge a slight false equivalence here), would we rather have POM, Furlong, Henderson playing in Ireland, sometimes in the “Aviva” or those 3 all in clubs in France while their lesser deputies play in “Lansdowne Road”?

Serbian · 31-03-2022 12:54pm

I'm finding the outrage from Dr. Leech pretty comical, especially the concept of selling the naming rights to our stadium being emblematic of what Ireland has become, whatever that means.

The reality is, we're a small country with limited streams of income for our rugby unions. Without money, the game is nothing, so you're just going to have to accept that selling naming rights to stadiums is a core part of what rugby is in Ireland.

It's not like we're leading the charge as some corporate shill, virtually every rugby playing country does it. Notable examples include Wales (The Principality Stadium), South Africa (The First National Bank Stadium), Scotland (BT Murrayfield Stadium), Australia (The Accor Stadium and The Optus Stadium), Japan (The Toyota Stadium) and New Zealand (The Sky Stadium). They have also previously sold the naming rights to Eden Park to ASB Bank, but don't currently have a named sponsor there. Even England, the richest rugby union in the world, have British Airways attached to the Twickenham, and has incorporated it into the logo.

France, Italy and Argentina are the only top teams that don't do it, and it's notable that in all three of their cases, the national stadium is owned by their football association and not their rugby union.

If you care about rugby in Ireland, you have to accept that we'll need to explore every revenue opportunity available to us. Naming deals like The Aviva Stadium are what allow us to compete with the salaries on offer in bigger nations like England and France, and allow you to enjoy seeing the best Irish players playing for both your province and your country.

You should be grateful that the Aviva Stadium exists.

Squeeonline · 31-03-2022 12:57pm

Aviva isn't the worst name. "Bord Gais energy theater" or some other brand name location would be worse.

Out of all the sponsors, it's really not so bad a name to give it.

arsebiscuits1 · 31-03-2022 1:46pm

This feels like outrage just for the sake of it.

If something one claims to be "significant" to them can be cheapened just by the name of it then it clearly doesn't mean as much as they think of it.

The name of something in this sense doesn't mean even an iota of what the stadium or place represents in my memories.

I don't give a toss what that stadium is called be it Lansdowne, Aviva or Give me your Money stadium. I care about how many great games I got to see in there and how much enjoyment being in there has brought me

salmocab · 04-04-2022 6:58am

Few days late to the party here, I suspect the useable of a name might be more or less successful depending on the name, I use the aviva but also say the point as both names flow easier than the other name.

El_Duderino 09 · 04-04-2022 8:10am

Do you think the type of company would have much of an impact on whether people use the name? Is an insurance company more likely to get people to rename the stadium than a betting company? Would the Betway Staduim stick in the craw more than the BOI Staduim?

salmocab · 04-04-2022 8:15am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118877156#Comment_118877156

Not sure if you were replying to me or the OP but if it was me what I meant was saying the aviva is easier than Landsdowne road whereas saying the point is easier than the o2 or 3 arena. It’s not so much which is the original as to how easy the words flow in a sentence.

El_Duderino 09 · 04-04-2022 8:38am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118877163#Comment_118877163

It was supposed to be a general question but started with 'so you think' instead of 'do you think' by accident. Edited now.

I would have thought 3 arena flows. What about Skips Staduim? That flows and even has alliteration. But I really doubt that those opposed to name changes would be more in favour of a crisp brand than a bank or insurance company, even if the name flows.

Are you more in favour of brevity than anything else.

salmocab · 04-04-2022 9:05am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118877217#Comment_118877217

I don’t have strong feelings on it either way to be honest, I can see why people get itchy about it but as I said in my post really I just use whichever seems easier to use, if someone asks where the Leinster match is next week I’d certainly just reply ‘aviva’. Whereas with the point depot I’d always just say ‘the point’. Over time that will change anyway as there will be lots of people that never knew it as the point depot to begin with.

thefallingman · 04-04-2022 9:19am

It's the Aviva, though it's beginning to look as bad and as rundown as it was in the Landsdowne road era

04-04-2022 9:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118821748#Comment_118821748

Exactly this. I used to call it Landsdowne but now more often than not Aviva. It maybe helps that it is an entirely new stadium. The problem comes as you say when it becomes Eircom Park or whatever. Stadia should probably keep some constant name as well for continuity, eg Aviva Stadium at Landsdowne. The same happened in Belfast to the Odyssey Arena which has become the SSE and I just can't get used to it.

Fr Tod Umptious · 04-04-2022 9:59am

A quick search here reveals that since 01/07/2010 (close to when it opened) the word Aviva has appeared ~7,900 times in the Rugby board.

During the same period the word Lansdowne has appeared ~6,200 times.

Ergo people are more likely to call it Aviva.

pickarooney · 04-04-2022 6:40pm

Did you search for all the misspellings of Lansdowne and exclude any combination of Aviva and Premiership?

Dubinusa · 04-04-2022 8:50pm

I used to love going to the old stadium. I've never been in the Aviva. It does look pretty good. I was a frequent punter to Croker. Daly er and Lansdowne. Ahhhh, to be a wee nipper again.

Does anyone call Lansdowne Rd, the Aviva Stadium?

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