This'll go down well...

"Thomond Park" no more...

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/munster-to-sell-the-naming-rights-for-thomond-park-1.1773070

Doesn't bother me.

It'll still be called Thomond by the common man and if we can get a big ball of money for it why not.

I can imagine it'll get annoying hearing it in the media and over the match tannoy but as I say .....BIG BALL OF MONEY!!

I know what you mean, but I was surprised at my own reaction when they said that they were selling naming rights to Ravenhill.

People never keep calling stadiums by their original name. If fans didn't start calling a stadium by the new, sponsored name sooner or later, companies wouldn't do it.

The reality is it is the Aviva not Landsdowne Road anymore

Thomond Park and Ravenhill will go the same way

I dont think its a problem if its a good company putting its name to it, and the senior directors are liked etc...ie The Aviva Stadium, or the Red Bull stadium or the Emirates etc.

The problem is when the stadium is named by the "hated" Chairmans own company purely for his own financial gains...i.e Newcastle Utd, St James Park and Sports Direct Arena!!

Yeah, Geoff, they announced Ravenhill was to be bid for, and whilst we all understand the logic, I was less sanguine than I thought I would be.

When it happens, I hope it's something quintessentially NI.

I don't like the drink, but I could get behind Bushmills Stadium...

Tayto stadium   

Damn it Geoff I was about to say that.

Does that mean Sparky will be put down and replaced by Mr Tayto with his enormous head?

Dunnes Stores Stadium.

Moy Park.

geoff998rugby wrote:The reality is it is the Aviva not Landsdowne Road anymore

Thomond Park and Ravenhill will go the same way

The Stadium being completely rebuilt has an impact there as well.

The Kerry Group Denney's Sausages Stadium

This is very sad news indeed.

We really shouldn't be doing this with the likes of Ravenhill and Thomond Park. Throwing away over a hundred years of history and tradition and for what? To climb up another rung on the pyramid scheme of professional rugby?

geoff998rugby wrote:The reality is it is the Aviva not Landsdowne Road anymore

Thomond Park and Ravenhill will go the same way

I agree with Geoff. I hate that Landsdowne isnt called Lansdowne anymore but I tend to always call it the Aviva myself.

geoff998rugby wrote:Tayto stadium   

haha!! Yes!!

Would love if they made a Tayto man out of seat colours.

BT Stadium?

Throwing away over a hundred years of history and tradition and for what?

I don't agree with that at all.

The history and tradition of Munster and Thomond Park won't suddenly evaporate just because of a name change.

The fact is Munster have financial problems which have to be faced up to and this is one avenue.

I've been lucky enough to be going to Thomond since 1985 and I have no problem with it.

MunsterMac wrote:

Throwing away over a hundred years of history and tradition and for what?

I don't agree with that at all.

The history and tradition of Munster and Thomond Park won't suddenly evaporate just because of a name change.

The fact is Munster have financial problems which have to be faced up to and this is one avenue.

I've been lucky enough to be going to Thomond since 1985 and I have no problem with it.  

Yep you need the money so bite the bullet. In life we cant always afford to be sentimental. However, it is a little sad no?

Why is it called Thomond park anyway? Who was it named after and was it always a rugby ground? Anyone know?

Thankfully, if true, when the Arms Park is renamed it'll be "BT Sports Cardiff Arms Park". So still the Arms Park   

Greed.

Why is it called Thomond park anyway? Who was it named after and was it always a rugby ground? Anyone know?

I would imagine it's called after the medieval Kngdom of Thomond which included Clare, Limerick north Kerry and north Tipp.

It is represented by one of the crowns on the Munster flag.

The other 2 represent the Kingdom of Desmond, based around Kerry / Cork and the Kingdom of Ormond based around Waterford.

As far as I know it was always a rugby stadium and it opened in 1940.

My father was born a drop kick away on the New Road in 1910 when the area that was to become TP was still open land.

Scrumpy wrote:Greed

Realism.

I'd be surprised if "Thomond" is dropped from the name completely - more likely to be some amalgam of the sponsor name and Thomond - something like Toyota Thomond Park. If the Thomond name goes completely then it will go the way of Lansdowne. Lots of people swore blind that they'd never refer to the redeveloped ground as the Aviva and it would always be Lansdowne. A few years on and most people call the ground the Aviva - whether it sells any extra insurance for the sponsor is debatable. Still find it difficult though to believe that people in Cork are ever going to call Musgrave Park Irish Independent Park - certainly can't see the hacks in De Paper using the sponsor's name in this case.

Surprisingly though, I still refer the 02 as the Point - don't know why - maybe it's because the Luas tram goes to the Point.

MunsterMac wrote:

Why is it called Thomond park anyway? Who was it named after and was it always a rugby ground? Anyone know?

I would imagine it's called after the medieval Kngdom of Thomond which included Clare, Limerick north Kerry and north Tipp.

It is represented by one of the crowns on the Munster flag.

The other 2 represent the Kingdom of Desmond, based around Kerry / Cork and the Kingdom of Ormond based around Waterford.

As far as I know it was always a rugby stadium and it opened in 1940.

My father was born a drop kick away on the New Road in 1910 when the area that was to become TP was still open land.

Merci. "a drop kick away" I like it.

Nothing but Greed.

So it isn't just the French and English!

Scrumpy wrote:Nothing but Greed.

So it isn't just the French and English!

Nope realism.
The French and English clubs are forcing an environment where we have no choice to take such moves in order to compete

Scrumpy wrote:Nothing but Greed.

So it isn't just the French and English!

It's the Irish. They are allowed to go after a "big ball of money"....I mean they are working in the interests of "da good of da game"

Anybody else wishing to expand income streams is obviously shafting the game.

geoff998rugby wrote:

Scrumpy wrote:Nothing but Greed.

So it isn't just the French and English!

Nope realism.
The French and English clubs are forcing an environment where we have no choice to take such moves in order to compete

  Greedy Munster.

And the reality is that even if we do get a bucket of dosh for the renaming we'll still just be running to stand still in relation to the English and especially the French clubs.

Chunky Norwich wrote:

Scrumpy wrote:Nothing but Greed.

So it isn't just the French and English!

It's the Irish. They are allowed to go after a "big ball of money"....I mean they are working in the interests of "da good of da game"

Anybody else wishing to expand income streams is obviously shafting the game.

LOL.

guns was having a go at me on another thread for lauding professionalism in rugby....apparently its ok for the oirish to take advantage of the market but if anyone else does it its destroying the game...

Tell me Chunky with the English and French 'expanding their income streams' (which of course in French terms means finding a nice rich Sugar Daddy with an uber-ego) what would you want the Irish teams to do?

Go quietly into the night and fade away??

do whatever you want to or can. just don't whinge about what someone else is doing and then go do it yourselves.

i think it's the non-credible altruism that gets up peoples noses.

MunsterMac wrote:Tell me Chunky with the English and French 'expanding their income streams' (which of course in French terms means finding a nice rich Sugar Daddy with an uber-ego) what would you want the Irish teams to do?

Go quietly into the night and fade away??

Stop moaning.
Congratulate them for forming a better, fairer tournament.
Congratulate them for bringing more money into Northern Hemisphere rugby union.
Refrain from thinking private investment is bad for rugby, which has recently been disproved.

Start with those. If you manage all 4, I'll think of others.

quinsforever wrote:

Chunky Norwich wrote:

Scrumpy wrote:Nothing but Greed.

So it isn't just the French and English!

It's the Irish. They are allowed to go after a "big ball of money"....I mean they are working in the interests of "da good of da game"

Anybody else wishing to expand income streams is obviously shafting the game.

LOL.

guns was having a go at me on another thread for lauding professionalism in rugby....apparently its ok for the oirish to take advantage of the market but if anyone else does it its destroying the game...

Nobody is against expanding income streams - it is how it is done and even more importantly how it is how it is distributed that is the key.

I guess you and Chunky will never be able to grasp the difference

quinsforever wrote:do whatever you want to or can. just don't whinge about what someone else is doing and then go do it yourselves.

Jeez! I'm sure if Munster name a team with only 3 Irish player in it one day, then you can use the throwing stones in glass houses argument. But until then the point is rather moot.

In the world of black and white, where there is only free market professional rugby and amateurism, maybe thats true. But in real life there are many shades of grey. We're not saying rugby shouldn't be professional or run like a competent business when we argue against the most damaging excesses of professional rugby.

Finally! It was stupid to turn down easy money in the first place after Thomand was redeveloped. Munster are struggling to pay back the debt on the stadium and with their falling crowd numbers ,this is essential.

Money to keep us some way effective as a pro outfit....still a fraction of the French or English clubs...

Definition of Greed - Inability of English clubs to win the HC on current terms. Thus jump on the French bandwagon in the hope of getting some crumbs from the table and possibly buying their way to success.

How long ago did Munster sign Howlett? No English club could have signed him for the money he wanted.

They have always been rolling in Money, Re-naming your stadium is nothing but greed imo.

Scrumpy wrote:How long ago did Munster sign Howlett? No English club could have signed him for the money he wanted.

They have always been rolling in Money, Re-naming your stadium is nothing but greed imo.

Rolling in it thats us...      

I'm embarrassed for you.

Any rich Leinster fans out there who could stump up for the "Brian O'Driscoll Memorial Ground"   

i like your definition of greed. not sure it makes much sense though.

but just to be clear. of course the PRL should be greedy. they have 1 job only. to make as much money for AP clubs by representing their combined interests. same for LNR. if they didnt, they could get sued for failing to act in shareholders best interests.

but lets also be clear. the irfu are trying to look after themselves as best they can. like the SRU. and WRU. and FIR.

are they all greedy? yes. is it unfair that the PRL and LNR have a much stronger hand? yes. can you do anything about it? no.

ME-109 wrote:

Scrumpy wrote:How long ago did Munster sign Howlett? No English club could have signed him for the money he wanted.

They have always been rolling in Money, Re-naming your stadium is nothing but greed imo.

Rolling in it thats us...      

I'm embarrassed for you.

I think you just don't like the boot being on the other foot!   

No doubt Munster will release another shirt for their fans to buy next season too.  

ME-109 wrote:

Scrumpy wrote:How long ago did Munster sign Howlett? No English club could have signed him for the money he wanted.

They have always been rolling in Money, Re-naming your stadium is nothing but greed imo.

Rolling in it thats us...      

I'm embarrassed for you.

Why? He's right. The top 3 Irish teams have twice the playing budgets of anyone else in the Celtic League.

 

It's nicer when we can have a thread about Irish rugby without it being invaded by tedious trolls. Go and get your kicks elsewhere you big eejits.

Notch wrote:It's nicer when we can have a thread about Irish rugby without it being invaded by tedious trolls. Go and get your kicks elsewhere you big eejits.

    

Come on Notch we only having a bit of banter, just like the rest of the rugby world did when they were calling the English greedy and immoral.  

It was only banter wasn't it?

Notch wrote:It's nicer when we can have a thread about Irish rugby without it being invaded by tedious trolls. Go and get your kicks elsewhere you big eejits.

Trolls now.

Just because a different opinion raised.

Scrumpy wrote:Come on Notch we only having a bit of banter, just like the rest of the rugby world did when they were calling the English greedy and immoral.   

Er...whenever were the English anything but...   

That’s the spirit ME.

I await your apology Notch, tedious trolls indeed!!!