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European nights can change a season—and a balance sheet. We break down how Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers step into the UEFA Europa Conference League with around €3.8m already secured and a clear path to push total earnings past €5m with a couple of smart results.
Beyond the headline story, we shine a light on the local heartbeat of Irish sport: multinationals backing GAA clubs, the first speakers for our Sport for Social Good conference, and commercial momentum with BDO extending its relationship with Leinster Rugby.
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Hello and welcome to the first edition of the Sport for Business Daily. My name is Rob Hartness and I will be your host on this audio version of the content we produce each morning and each evening, Monday to Friday at sportforbusiness.com. I'd love to hear what you think about this audio version. You can get in touch with me, Rob, at sportforbusiness.com. The excitement for the fans and the players is very real, and the financial rewards are likewise. By securing their place in the group stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League, both clubs have already guaranteed themselves around€3.8 million. That figure combines UEFA's base payment for reaching the groups with earlier qualifying bonuses. This windfall dwarfs what they could hope to earn in a single domestic season. But the rewards don't stop there. Every result in the group phase adds more to the pot. The sums will rise by€400,000 for each win and by€133,000 for a draw. Even one good night in Dublin or on the road in Prague, Athens or London can significantly boost the financial return. Should either side make it out of the group, a tough ask but not impossible, given recent Irish progress in Europe, the stakes grow rapidly. A place in the round of 16 carries a bonus of€800,000, rising to€1.3 million for the quarterfinals,€2.5 million for the semis, and 4 million for the runners up. The ultimate prize for lifting the trophy in May is a cool 7 million euros, in addition to everything else. Realistically, if Shelburne or Shamrock Rovers can collect a couple of wins and perhaps make it to the knockout rounds, their total earnings could push beyond 5 million. For clubs operating in the more modest financial landscape of the League of Ireland, this is transformative. It allows for greater development of talent and will raise all clubs in the League to some extent at least. For Shells, the journey begins in front of their own fans tonight, albeit in Tala Stadium, when they welcome Swedish side Haken to Dublin. Two weeks later, on the 23rd of October, the Reds head to North Macedonia to face Shkendisia, before returning to Dublin for another home clash against Kosovo's Drita on 6th of November. The Rogue Glamour arrives later in the group. A daunting trip to the Netherlands against AZ Alkmar awaits on November 27th, before a showpiece night in Dublin when Crystal Palace comes to town on December 11th. Shell's adventure concludes with a December 18th trip to Slovenia to face Kellya, a game that could prove decisive in their bid to extend their European run. Rovers are on the road to start their campaign. Their opening fixture is a way to Czech champions Sparta Prague tonight, as tough a curtain raiser as they could have drawn. But the Hoops won't have long to wait before home comforts hosting Slovenia's Kellya on the 23rd of October. November is equally demanding a trip to Athens on 6th of November to face AEK, followed by a home clash against Ukrainian giants Shaktar Donetsk on twent on the 27th of November. As Christmas approaches, Rovers will travel to Iceland to face Bredebilk on the 11th of December before rounding off the group in Tala on the 18th against Malta's ham run Spartans. It promises to be some adventure. Now, elsewhere on Sport for Business this morning, we're also talking about the local benefits of reaching out to your neighbours, even if they are global multinational companies. We've got a great story about Amazon contributing to two of their local GAA clubs and drawing comparison to Amgen, who are doing likewise with Cooler GAA Club in South County Dublin. We have named the first five speakers in our Sport for Social Good conference coming up on October the 14th in Dublin. Delighted to be joined by Karen Coventry, the new CEO of Special Olympics Ireland, by Brian Cook from Park Hit, by Kleena Horan, who runs the Alliance Paralympics Ireland Next Gen Initiative, and by Colin Sharkey and Shane McArdle, talking to them about the work they do in the Dublin City and Dunleary Rathdown local sports partnerships, very much on the front line of how sport is delivered to target groups across the capital. Our final story this morning is about BDO extending their relationship with Leinster Rugby. Hope you've enjoyed this Sport for Business Daily. It's a brief five-minute burst into your morning of the stories that are making the news across the world of Irish sport, particularly on the commercial side, which is very much our niche. Today's episode is brought to you by GAA Plus, making sure that the world of Gaelic games is broadcast with the very highest standards, both domestically and to an overseas audience. Thanks very much for listening. We'll be back again with you tomorrow morning.
