NEEDING KICK-OFF

It’s not just the promoters of some of Ireland’s largest festivals who are desperate for the green light to put shows on. Ireland’s professional and semi-professional sports clubs are also eager to get the ball rolling.

With the League of Ireland suspended for the moment due to Covid, the businesses behind the sport are calculating how they can keep the floodlights on.

Mark Lynch, communications director with Shamrock Rovers, is hoping Ireland can show Covid-19 the red card so fans can get back to following the clubs they love. He pointed to figures from Uefa that show Ireland’s clubs rely on match-day revenue, with 28pc of potential income sourced from the gate. He said the figures show that the lack of a big TV deal was a revenue stream Irish clubs miss out on compared to their European counterparts.

“It’s a massive blow,” Lynch said of fans not being able to attend games.

Lynch said streaming could be an interesting development for the league. “I think it has got a chance, we have done it before at our club,” he said. “It would be a good marker to see the demand for the service. This is the embryo of it, so let’s see if it has any traction in the marketplace.”