Connacht and Munster will go head to head on Saturday afternoon in a historic fixture at Mayo GAA's MacHale Park.
Both sides are desperate for a win in the BKT URC, coming off the back of tough losses last weekend.
Only three points separates the sides in the league table, despite Munster being in sixth position and Connacht in 12th. A win could see Connacht leapfrog their provincial rivals, and they’ll be hoping to feed off the novelty and excitement around the fixture to give themselves an edge.
A change of stadium is nothing new for Munster. They faced Leinster in Croke Park this season already. They’ve also played a South African XV and the Crusaders in their visits to Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork.
There’s a huge appetite for games to be moved around the provinces. For anyone not living close to Thomond Park or the Dexcom Stadium, moving a game closer to their home provides access and inclusivity. It’s a great initiative to connect with more fans around the province and provide opportunities for both the supporters and the organisation.
For Connacht, the increased capacity will bring a buzz and excitement, leveraging the support of their province with a 25,000-seater stadium.
"Selling out home matches and competing in European games is a huge advantage financially, which is why Munster have been proactive in fixing extra clashes against touring sides."
The Sportsground was always limited, hence the redevelopment, and while the players have played in much larger stadia, facing a rival in front of a much bigger home crowd will undoubtedly give them an lift.
It's assumed that there’s also a financial advantage with a much larger capacity. Sports teams generate the majority of their income from ticket sales. Selling out home matches and competing in European games is a huge advantage financially, which is why Munster have been proactive in fixing extra clashes against touring sides. They have recently announced another fixture for the URC break in November against an Argentina XV.
The lack of crowds during the Covid years meant that teams needed to be more creative with how they reduced their financial losses.
I’m not aware of the rental costs and the overheads involved in Connacht’s rental agreement with the GAA, however it must make financial sense for them to do so for a provincial match versus Munster where you're going to sell it out.
Yet, it wouldn’t always make financial or logistical sense to change venues. I don’t think the majority of their URC games would garner as much interest, nor would many European fixtures in the current season considering Connacht's involvement in the second tier.
The GAA season is a busy one. Finding a suitable weekend to match up with the availability of a stadium offers enough of a challenge, while the GAA doesn’t want to upset its own fan base by providing too much access to other sports.
As much as some supporters are crying out for varied venues to get more fans through the turnstiles, it’s not realistic to do so on a frequent bases when you consider factors such as sponsorships and accomodating the season ticket holders.
In Connacht’s case, it makes sense to do it when their ground is under construction. In other cases, you might get some leeway with one game per year without breaching other contracts and agreements.
Even for corporate events and hospitality agreements, there can be logistical challenges with hosting and offering the same service to those that support the club on a more ongoing basis.
This is professional sport. The club must balance all stakeholder views. These can be polarising as there would be a corporate and a non-corporate perspective. Of course supporters don’t want to feel like it’s all a business, and that there’s a community feel still in the professional game.
However, without money, professional sport will revert to the amateur ways that rugby has worked so hard to move on from. Season ticket holders also want to get value for their support and attend the games that they’ve signed up for. They can get access to early release of tickets to ensure their attendance, but it would still be at a different ground, and in most cases a different county.
The event itself will undoubtedly be successful with regards to a bigger crowd, huge excitement and spotlight on rugby and it will bring increased revenue.
Both team selections will be interesting, with the two sides competing in European competitions the following week.
Munster will be gearing up for a titanic battle with La Rochelle and all that goes along with it.
Connacht will host Cardiff in the Challenge Cup, a competition that they could target and win if they choose to prioritise it. It would be one way to guarantee Champions Cup rugby next season.
However, you suspect their focus will be on the league and putting all their energy into this unique fixture against Munster in Castlebar.
