Irish rugby sides at present cannot compete with their English and French rivals in terms of cold hard cash.
And with daily speculation linking Ireland internationals to moves abroad, Munster rugby are taking a proactive stance in trying to gain a financial edge over their provincial rivals that may end up in some annoyance for their fans.
Thomond Park is one of the most iconic sports venues, not only in this country, but across Europe.
The old stadium in Limerick was a fortress, and the scene of many famous triumphs, while since it as remodeled almost a decade ago in 2008, the province have seen both good and bad days on the Cratloe Road.
However, with a greater financial squeeze on everyone in the IRFU now, plans seem to be underway to try and change the name of the iconic venue to generate extra cash.
The Limerick Leader are reporting that Garret Fitzgerald, the CEO of Munster Rugby, has confirmed that they are looking for a sponsor to take up the option of the naming rights for approximately €300,000-€350,000.
The newspaper reports that Fitzgerald is confident the sponsorship opportunity would be an attractive one for many businesses,
“The issue of naming rights of Thomond Park is still very much on the agenda. I think something like that will always be an emotive issue.
“The reality of it is that it is what is happening in every business in professional sport. You see it all over the place. We have employed and signed with a consultant to promote that in 2016.”
Musgrave Park in Cork has its sold to the Irish Independent in 2014 while Ulster now play their rugby at Kingspan Stadium, formerly known as Ravenhill.
However, the verdict among Munster fans appears to be mixed
https://twitter.com/daveirl/status/687399751747244033
https://twitter.com/timbcaycgi/status/687695497281335296
@YvonneNiShiocru When Thomond Park was redeveloped the option of renaming it was put to supporters who rejected it. It really should stay so
— Brian Hodge (@ebhodge) January 14, 2016
@LimerickToday Huge mistake in the midst of fragile relations between club & fans. Thomond Park is world famous why compromise that??
— Cllr Daniel Butler (@DanielButlerFG) January 14, 2016
On the Thomond Park naming rights – if Munster can get someone to pay they should snatch it up before they have time to change their mind.
— Three Red Kings (@threeredkings) January 13, 2016
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