Rugby ‘will bring business into Bray’
RUGBY League Ireland (RLI) paid for around 1,000 hotel nights last year, according to Graeme McWilliams from the group and that money could now be on its way to Bray following news that the league has made Carlisle Grounds its home, with at least four matches to be played there per season.
The Irish side with face Russia at the grounds on Saturday evening. Simultaneously, the Rugby League Federation Annual Congress will be hosted in Bray over the weekend. ‘We won a tender for the congress,’ said Graeme. ‘Reps from all over Europe will be here for the two-day conference.’
He said that the hotel nights he cited were those directly paid for by the league, for visiting teams, dignitaries and so on, excluding supporters.
Chairman of Bray Wanderers Denis O’Connor responded to recent criticism of the playing of rugby at the grounds, made by Cllr Joe Behan.
‘We have stated our position and we’re worn out stating it,’ he said. Mr O’Connor said that there is a rental agreement in place with Rugby League Ireland which is very welcome. ‘It helps to run a football club which is losing money,’ he said.
‘ The biggest incentive is the business it will bring into the town,’ he said. ‘Is the town of Bray so wealthy and well off that we don’t need custom?’
Saturday’s match versus Russia is a world cup qualifier, which Mr O’Connor said will bring 2,500 people into Bray over the weekend.
He said that there is a certain amount of work involved in preparing the grounds for their guests. ‘Next Friday night we have a match against Cork City. We’ll spend the night taking down goal posts and getting the pitch ready,’ he said.
Mr McWilliam said that the match’s outcome will have a bearing on the coming fixtures calendar.
‘Bray Wanderers is doing its best to im- prove the community aspect of this town,’ said Mr O’Connor, adding that from their performance over the past 15 matches, Bray would have been number one. ‘We are surviving and doing well.’
Mr O’Connor said that Rugby League is not as hard on a pitch as Rugby Union.
‘We maintain the pitch over 52 weeks. All we do off-season helps keep the pitch in the condition it’s in.’
Mr O’Connor said that the club has no plans to develop the Carlisle Grounds, and couldn’t do it without the council’s permission anyway.
He said, however, that the club is in need of additional facilities, including an all-weather pitch.
Last week, Cllr Joe Behan said that he was shocked to find that the Bray grounds were being used for a sport other than soccer, which is specified in the lease.
However officials of Wicklow County Council received legal advice that the use of the grounds in this way could be changed by way of a Deed of Variation and doesn’t need the consent of the elected members.
Cllr Behan said that he is concerned that this could lead to further weakening of the lease in future.