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Hello Laya Arena - The Sport for Business Daily
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We explore how the newly titled Laya Arena aims to blend sport, culture and community in the heart of Dublin, and what a true home ground means to players and fans.
Rebecca Trevor outlines the brand vision, Barry Murphy bridges rugby and music, and Linda Djougang explains how crowd energy becomes performance.
• Decade-long path to Leia Arena naming
• Modular venue design across sport, music and show jumping
• Member-first experiences for 710,000 Laya customers
• National reach beyond Dublin and provincial pride
• Barry Murphy on Irish crowds, gigs and Munster-Leinster battles
• Metallica memories and the RDS as a cauldron
• Linda Djougang on home advantage and sightlines
• World Cup bonds, the 16th player and fan energy
• Growth without losing identity and community feel
• 2026 opening timeline and interprovincial hopes
If you want to come and join us for the Sport for Business Women in Sport Annual Conference, on the morning of Tuesday, December the 9th in Tallaght Stadium find out more at sportforbusiness.com
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We publish a daily news bulletin and host regular live events on a wide range of sporting subjects.
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Our upcoming live events on Women in Sport and the Sporting Year Ahead, as well as plenty more, are live on the Sport for Business website, and we'd love to have you join us.
Just being here and putting our little nation on the map, it's just you know this is a stuff of of dreams, it's speeding, it's speeding, chilling 60 time to the Sport for Business Daily Podcast. I'm your host, Rob Hartnett. It is Wednesday, the 26th of November, and today we are bringing you voices from the dressing room of Ireland's newest stadium. Yesterday we were at the newly titled Leia Arena, and today we have short interviews with Leinster and Ireland Rugby International Linda Dugang, who will be joining us as well at the Sport for Business Women and Sports Conference on December the 9th in partnership with Lidl. We were joined by Barry Murphy, fresh from singing our Ron Navyan and Ireland's Call at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night. But perhaps more importantly, at least from my point of view, one of the founding members of Hermitage Green, and he's going to be talking sport and culture in relation to the newly titled stadium. But first of all, I was joined by Rebecca Trevor, head of marketing at Leia Healthcare, and she explains why the brand feels as though it is worthwhile pinning their name in the long term to this great new addition to Ireland's sporting, cultural and community facilities at the RDS. The Sport for Business Daily is an audio blast of the content which we produce every day on sportforbusiness.com. If you want to find out more, please do visit us at the website or sign up, subscribe, comment, and share wherever you get your podcasts from. Congratulations, Rebecca. This is probably as big a deal as as we're going to get this year. Obviously, Aviva coming on board and renewing with the stadium just around the corner. But the Leia Arena, brand new, naming rights in one of the nation's biggest stadia. Congratulations.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you so much. It's absolutely an iconic moment to be fair. It's something that we have been working on in the background for nearly a decade, actually, to be honest with you. And in the last, I suppose, 11 to 12 months, it's really ramped up. I suppose we've had dailies, weeklies with the team in both Leinster and the RDS in making this, I suppose, a really, really proud moment for all of us. And I think we cracked it this today. So hopefully, yeah, it's it's going to be received that way. It's something that we really believe in as a brand. We really want to give back. We want to invest in culture, sport, and community, and and this is the perfect platform.
SPEAKER_04:And it does cover all three of those as well. So it's a it's a big commitment. I mean, it's a it's a big stadium, uh looking fresh and brand new when it opens up again now in the early part of next year. But what was it behind it that made you as uh as an insurer, as a as a company that obviously wants to build loyalty and wants to build affinity with it with its clients?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Obviously, having access to tickets and access to gigs and things like that is going to be a winner, is that big part of it?
SPEAKER_00:That's absolutely it. So it's such a special venue. Um it's kind of nearly a modular venue. You've got um various different configurations, if it's sporting events, if it's music events, if it's anything else, right? The show jumping obviously is huge as well, right? So I suppose you get to really in like imprint the brand in all of these major moments in the calendar year, and that's exactly, I suppose, why we're placing ourselves there. But it also allows us to craft an opportunity for our members, our Leia Healthcare members, 710,000 of them, to really feel part of it. Um and that's exactly what we'll be bringing to the fore come summer 2026.
SPEAKER_04:Okay, you might not get all of them in for the yeah. Yeah, we mightn't, we mightn't. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. But that loyalty, I mean, you know, insurance is one of those things we've spoken with utility companies as well. They say you don't need customers to be thinking about you every day, but when it comes to that one day of the year when they've got to be.
SPEAKER_00:You want them thinking well about you, exactly that. Um look, we've been in sponsorship now since 2015. Uh we've lensed our Munster Connacht, we have brilliant relationships with the likes of Johnny Sexton. Um, but we we we've kind of I suppose solidified it now in the RDS that are sorry, the lay arena, that's going to be our our crown jewel, if that makes sense. So it's bringing it all together, it's really, I suppose, the centre of everything. Um, but look, all the theory is there to say, you know, if you're linked with the right brands, if you're linked with the right sponsorship properties, people feel better about you. Um, but we've got to bring that to the fore, we've got to make it real, and that's exactly what we plan to do.
SPEAKER_04:Great stuff. Any reaction from I know you've got a big base down in Cork as well, that you should be putting the name onto a fabulous stadium slightly north of the state. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_00:Um to be honest, the the reaction has been complete excitement um to be linked with such an iconic venue. And while it is based in in Ballsbridge here in Dublin, it's it's nationwide. Everyone knows about the RDS, everyone's experienced it in a different way. Um, so it's really, really a proud moment for everyone who's sitting at their desk in Cork today.
SPEAKER_04:The Lay Arena, very much a national stadium, just happens to be played in by a provincial team and others.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, exactly. But we'll be welcoming the likes of our other partners, Monster and Connuct here towards you know 2026 and into 27 and beyond. So it's it's going to be a celebration of all of the various different provinces. So that's the that's the game plan. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Hey Barry, how are you? I'm very good. I just wanted to chat to you because I'm a bit of a fanboy. So I was down at Forest Fest Summer, and I just I thought your gig was the best of them all. So I was there, and then Billy Bragg came on after you. So I've I've been a Billy Bragg fan since I've been. I could look, I could see, I could see two or three of you sort of peeping around the corner having a look at him out on the stage as well, but it was chatting to him backstage.
SPEAKER_06:So he came over to I was like, Jesus. He goes over to the lads chatting away, and he was like, he saw a little bit of a set as well. Like, but was that my favourite gig of the summer? I was chatting with Philip last week, who's the guy that runs it. Okay. Because they launched it again last week. I was like, that was my favourite.
SPEAKER_04:I don't know. We saw the farm with everyone, I think it on the on the Friday night. And then you're sellers and Billy Bragg and it was just cass.
SPEAKER_06:And even Andrew Stone was interesting. Interesting from the Dandy Walls as well.
SPEAKER_04:They were all on that little stage, yeah. So it was class.
SPEAKER_06:The main stage can be tricky as those ones like where it doesn't have the same kind of atmosphere.
SPEAKER_04:Well, you don't, because it's it's out outdoors, you know, like what you were saying here, like you know, getting a purpose-built kind of stage and environment and that. So we'll have to watch out anyway. But uh so um Barry, you're here today. We saw you in the Aviva Stadium at the weekend as well, singing Ireland's call and Ouron the Bean with Pride. You've got that wonderful kind of sport and entertainment crossover, which this arena is all about now. How exciting is it for you as a Munster fan and as a performer that we've got the lay arena now in Dublin, which is going to suit both?
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, I mean it's to have a small country with all these incredible venues and uh yeah facilities to host brilliant gigs, brilliant sporting events, um is class. I think we love as Irish people getting out and going to gigs and supporting the this I call it the era of the gig. There's just so much going on, and I you know, any international band, where's the first place they talk about when you ask them where's your favourite place to play? Ireland. Cool. You know, where where do you where do sporting teams love to play Ireland? It's the crowds, we get behind them, we we you know, we love it, we live for it. So I think having another place like this, Smackbang in the middle of the the our capital city, is incredible. And um, I've been to some class gigs here, I've been to some, I've played in some tough games here, uh won here once, I think only. Um it's not a great record, but had some brilliant battles here and had some of my most memorable, I think, battles against Brianna Driscoll, who was you know my favourite player growing up and to play against him here was incredible. And then even as a pundit coming here as a commentator at Ireland or with Monster over the years, I've really enjoyed it because it's like a bit of a cauldron, you know.
SPEAKER_04:So um it's noisy, it's hot, it's vibrant, you can feel it in there in a way that that that might not be replicable in some other bigger stadiums, but but now we're gonna have you know 20 odd thousand that will will will pack this place out for for all of the uh all of the Leinster games, including especially those ones against Munster. And as a gig venue as well. Um what was the what was the first gig you played? I I'm guessing that you never played here as Hermitage Green. No, we haven't in the arena.
SPEAKER_06:Bestival, I think it was called. Um and I just remember going, this is cool. No, I've I've kind of full circle moment almost that I've at least played. I'll be here and played gigs here, but um not on the main stage. But you've been to KTA before? Uh yeah, I came to uh Metallica was uh I think 2004, was it 2005? I was here, and um like a huge Metallica fan growing up, and it was June, I think, so it was summer, and myself and my buddy were messers. We went and bought a pair of leather pants each and in uh local charity shop and um dressed up as kind of bikers slash metalers because we were in our rugby jock era, but we still loved metal, so we wanted to blend the two, and um it was class. I mean, just watching them play the height of their powers and um play some of my favourite songs um was phenomenal. The atmosphere was unbelievable. They were because they it was literally like being at a sporting event because the the metal fans are um they're tough crowd to please. So some of the support acts in Lincoln Park were supporting their booed off stage, was like you know, referees turn a moment turning in a match and a referee getting abused. Um, and then Metallica came out and brought the house down. So um, yeah, we'd have blast, and then it was 12 months later I was playing here for Munster against Leinster in my first ever derby, and it was the first ever derby between the two um in this arena. So um to be involved in that, and as I said, Drico was playing, he'd just come back from a Lions, it was his first game back after getting injured, captaining the Lions. Um, so another big moment for me.
SPEAKER_04:So yeah, but it's a lot of fun memories here. And now maybe 26 into 27 you could flip it so that you'll come back as a player, as a musician, and then as a as a as a watcher on the uh on the rugby side of it.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, I mean I'd love to come back here and watch yeah, another because you know, another Leinster Monster here match here. I was here a few years ago when we won during COVID, but there was no one here. It was at the Raybok and it was an empty stadium, and I was commentating, and Munster finally got a win over Leinster, and uh there was no one here to celebrate it. So we've uh every other time I've been here, it's been uh a tough watch. So I think coming back here and hopefully you know, maybe once they're getting a win up here be class, and then you know, as a band, we've played in most of the biggest venues or um in the country, and uh a lot of them anyway. And uh you know what that's what you want, as you're always striving for is that to play in those big stages in front of big numbers. And I was kind of hoping maybe there might be some sort of festival that they could put on here, which I do think is perfectly suitable for it. Um, that might include Hermitage Green. Um, that's the only way you keep on dreaming, and sometimes it just works out that way if you if you focus your mind on something. So I've put it out into the universe now, and that'll be the plan.
SPEAKER_04:Well, if you're listening to this sports for business podcast and you're one of the program designers, then we know exactly what we want. Great stuff. Listen, thanks very much, Barry.
SPEAKER_03:And the best of luck with all of those hopes and ambitions. God, yeah, they come through, so we'll see. We'll enjoy the journey anyway. And yet at the same time, everything is coming in sort of you know, ahead of schedule and on budget.
SPEAKER_04:It just seems when it's such an important part of identity, like everything.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, um, you just feel like come on, Cassini Haria. We want to play at home. Like, I um just I want to play at home. Like, I think it does I just this home thing, and I know I love we love going to Belfast and Cork and but like when you're from Leinster, you want to play at home. Okay, do you know? I think it's where you feel that sense of feeling of homeless, like homeliness, and I think it's just that connection that you know you have with your home ground that you know the the scoring line, you know where everything is at. It's just that sense of just like this is ours, this is our home.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, you know, and so friends and family will always travel wherever you're going to watch you play. But but your wider tribe, I guess the fact that they can literally jump on the dart or jump on a bus and come here and see you.
SPEAKER_01:It's that connection, I think it's the connection with different staging. And I think that from here I know exactly where my family will be. Like, you know, when you you're standing up in the line, I know where to put my eyes to. Or like when you go to like Cork, it you don't know, you're not familiar. It's that familiarity, you're not familiar with the stadium. So you're like, you're constantly looking for family, and different stadiums bring different connections to different, like I say, like maybe rock here, maybe okay here have a different connection to the monster because that's whole her home ground. Like that's where she probably started, that's where the dream was built, that's the foundation. Yeah, and she has a different connection to I do because that's not where my home ground is. So it's just like we love and that even that green wave like trying to get every but like this is something of just about home ground, like you know, it's that home advantage, you know, like yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Well, you were able to turn kind of Northampton and Brighten into that home advantage over the summer, but to actually have it, yeah, the physical bricks and mortar playing as so 26 is gonna be a big year. So you're playing in the Aviva Stadium just around the corner as well.
SPEAKER_01:17th of May.
SPEAKER_04:17th of May. Uh ticket sales by all accounts are uh are flying. So things are things are looking really well for the game against Scotland, and then hopefully interprovincial matches that will be here in the autumn as well.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's exciting, isn't it? I think um I feel like that World Cup was so important for us in just building even a deeper connection with our supporters, deeper connection even with ourselves as a team. Um, and to be able to really showcase what we can do as a team. And and I think it was just quite special for all of us, really, because it was also for the majority of us, it was our first workup. So to be able to share that and share that with like the supporter that came over, and it was incredible. I don't know if you like the support, we're just incredible, and I think even the fact that we're just even talking about the support, but even here at Lay Arena, having that whole intimate, just and I we had the same thing there, but like here this because the the arena is just so just very close that you're able to just identify everybody, but also that energy that it brings, that atmosphere is just incredible. You can hear, especially at like 80 minutes when you feel like as a player that you're wrecked and there's no you're trying to push just that energy the crowd brings you. They give you that extra 10% kind of push to keep going, like when you have a scrum in your 22, or you know, and you you're waiting and they're screaming and the energy, they're bringing you along. And yeah, it's just part of a journey that you want the crowd. We want, I want to like even the whole we want the crowd to feel a sense of they're a part of it, too. They are part of the journey, and it can sometimes be hard.
SPEAKER_04:I know we we hear as as supporters, we hear the players talking about the kind of you know the 16th supporter in the in the ground, the 16th player. But it's lovely when you actually say that that it is, you actually feel it. It's not just that you hear it.
SPEAKER_01:Oh no, you feel it, and it's just that you can't really describe, but it's that just sense of just you're not alone that we got you, do you know? And it does something to you that sometimes when you go into the well and you're searching for that little, just that little percent in you, and sometimes it's just even not you, it's just the crowd that gives you that. And I think it's just quite special about having that intimate, that energy, because they do bring that electrifying energy, um, that you don't have as player that you know what we we're down by one point, but we have an we can go for it, and then you kick the ball in the 22, you're looking for that lineup, and they're right beside you, they're right in the game. Um, and I think it's just quite special, and I think it's just really the layer arena, it's just bringing that sense if that sense of like that community, and it's so because it's in the heart of Dublin too. Yeah, um, so it's quite special to just have everybody in and build that sense of just community, um, that sense of belonging, and just that's that atmosphere atmosphere, just sometimes as player it brings another side to you.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, and narrowing down that community side, but we're standing here in the home dressing room at the moment, kind of fancy, isn't it? Isn't it? Yeah, it's cool. Have you seen it? Have you? Yeah, yeah, no, having a look around it all right. Yeah, which one which which which I know this might not be great in an audio podcast, but uh have you got your spot picked out now that you'd like to be in? There, hey, right, you are right on it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. Um, yeah, I think it's this just something like I said, like having your home is a privilege because not everyone really has a home ground that they call theirs. So I think we we consider us a very privilege um to have a home ground, but also to just have a new one that is is growing. You know, we're we're now building another 20,000 uh seats, and it's just that sense of yeah, let's grow together. That you like the stadium is growing, but also we're growing as a team too. Um, so it's quite special uh to me, and I say to the whole team that the whole Leinster that we're growing, but in order, we're growing, but we're also not losing our sense of identity. Yeah, um, and I think that's what special, but in order to we love change, we but in order to change, we need to grow more with what we had before, with our roots, with our identity.
SPEAKER_04:Um standing on the shoulders of giants and that layer upon layer of tradition of the city. You could have said any better.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's that blue wave, like that blue, no matter like what jersey you put on on this state, like arena, like this layer arena is that sense of respect, that sense of pride that the minute you put on a jersey here, the minute you step into this changing room, you step in with just the value of what this this layerena represents. You're stepping into a legacy of people that have come before us, and you're leaving with pride, you're leaving with a sense of I give it everything. You know, you're living with a legacy, you want to, this is where legacy are made. Yeah, this is where history are made, and you want to aspire that you know what I want, I want it to be just not for us, but to be a world war thing that people know their arena, people identify with, people are taking part in it, that when people talk about the the arena, like they talk about layer arena, they talk about something special, they talk about being part of something historical. Um, so yeah, it's quite special.
SPEAKER_04:But we look forward to watching you creating your own legacy and making history here in 2026.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you, hopefully, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:So there you go. Thanks to Linda, to Barry, and to Rebecca for taking the time to have a chat with us. And to Rebecca in particular and all at Layer Healthcare for putting their money where their mouth is and supporting the new Layer arena at the RDS. It's all going to be opening up in the course of 2026, which is very exciting indeed. In the meantime, if you want to come and join us for the Sport for Business Women in Sport Annual Conference, the 13th of which that we are staging in Tana Stadium. On the morning of Tuesday, December the 9th, we have Michelle Tanner, the chair of the Sport Island Women and Sport Committee. We have Joanna Byrne, the chair of Johadi United and Shin Fein's spokesperson on sport. We have a great session with Claire Corbett of Catapult talking about advances in fandom in relation to women's sport. We've got an athletes panel, including with Linda Jugang. We've got a female coaching panel, including Lynn Cantwell of Irish Rugby, and we've got three of our newcomers from the Women of Influence list that we are publishing on sportforbusiness.com. Elsewhere on the site today, we've got a full report on the new Leia Arena. We've also got news of the GAA streaming 2026 Provincial Championship draws that will be live on GAA Plus and other social media channels on Thursday evening at seven o'clock. Plenty else to look forward to today. Nice story about Orla Cummerford and a new brand ambassadorship that she has in place. Later on today, we are going to be out at the turning of the sod for the new uh National Badminton Centre and Velodrome out of the Sport Island campus, and we will be dropping in on the Athletics Ireland Awards, celebrating a great year of athletics. It's all available on sportforbusiness.com. I look forward to you joining us there in person or on the podcast in the coming days. And tomorrow morning we're going to have a chat with Kevin Doyle, Republic of Ireland International, and known of late for being the man who ran at great speed around the RTE studios celebrating that Troy Parrot goal. I'm Rob Hartnett. Thanks very much for taking the time to be with us today.
SPEAKER_05:It's splitting, it's spinning, children 60,
