State of the Union in Wales

PhilBB wrote:

Sin é wrote:
Any merit payments won by any of the Irish Provinces (including half the gates from European semi finals) never reached the Province that actually won them. That was all part of the IRFU's income.

Have you missed it that Munster have developed two stadia or are you just ignoring that fact as it doesn't suit your argument. You prefer that they wasted their money on wages.

You have not answered my question as to how many of the Regions had to build their own stadia yet. I hope all their money is not going on wages.

I know where the knockout cash went.

Munster haven't developed two stadia. Let's be honest about it. Do you want to show us how the redevelopments were financed? Maybe you'd like to start with the €4.3m purchase of houses around Thomond Park by the IRFU? How do you think that was paid for? Magic beans? Maybe we can address the government grants, the Council gifts? The Lottery grant? The actual money from Munster rugby towards each venue has been proportionately small.

PRW teams rent their grounds. Can you imagine that? Actually paying to use the ground instead of just asking the IRFU to write it off for another year?

Remind me how much Ulster rugby paid for the IRFU asset upgrade at Ravenhill? Or how much Leinster's contribution is to RDS? Or how much Connacht paid towards their upgrade?

Now, this is a thread about Welsh rugby so if you want to write up that reply and put in a new thread entitled "UK and Irish Government Grants to Irish rugby" then that would be grand.

I can't wait to see the figures.

Sin é wrote:
Musgrave was developed through the sale of land.

Munster raised most the money through 10 year ticket sales, Government grants. That is normal. What is more normal though in Ireland is that the parent organisation makes a sizeable contribution to the development of the stadium. For example, GAA are developing a stadium in Cork and GAA HQ are contributing €20m (with Gov. contributing €30m) in the €70m redevelopment.

For the record, Munster have already paid back €5m to IRFU of their €15m loan (apart from the large cut of the gate that the IRFU gets when Munster get to the knock-out stages of any competition).

Maybe you should give some credit to the Provinces for being able to negotiate and secure grants, something which the Regions seem to find very difficult to do in securing anything from the WRU. I'd imagine Munster Rugby would have been quite happy to avail of a ground that they could rent rather than having the extra burden of inveseting and developing a stadia.