Sport for Business

Let us know what’s on your mindA creative heavyweight returns to Paddy Power as we examine how a provocative brand voice can evolve under tighter rules and higher expectations. We reflect on past culture-led stunts, agency lessons, and the path to responsible, high-impact sponsorships in 2026.• Paul Mallon’s return and why it matters• Signature campaigns that built brand distinctiveness• From provocation to participation through responsibility• Agency-side lessons applied to a tougher market• Aligning with rights holders on values and voice• League of Ireland fixtures and Dalymount milestones• Event details to kickstart 2026 with research and speakersTickets for our Keynote Sporting Year Ahead event in partnership with Teneo are on sale now at sportforbusiness.com Find out more about what we do day in day out at Sportforbusiness.comWe publish a daily news bulletin and host regular live events on a wide range of sporting subjects. Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts from, and look forward to more upcoming chats on leadership and the business of sport.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.

Let us know what’s on your mindWe share the energy from the Sport for Business Women in Sport conference and turn the mic to two athletes who show why listening changes outcomes. Linda talks rugby, nursing, and a Master's that opens new doors; Laura charts a late start in racing and a clear route to Le Mans with honest talk on funding and grit.• Athlete voice as the driver of real change• Linda’s rugby journey, nursing background, and sports management masters• Stepping away from a central contract to grow leadership and longevity• Laura’s Radical racing path and Le Mans ambition• Sponsorship realities and the bring-your-partners model• Balancing full-time STEM work with training and sim racing• Mental skills, safety, and performance under pressure• Trinity Access, role models, and opening doors for young people• Calls for support that meet actual athlete needsIf there’s anybody out there who wants to get somebody to inspire your workforce or your teams by telling their story, then Linda Djougang will do it brilliantly. And if you feel as though you’re ready to dive in and give a helping hand, you never know that Laura O’Connell with that sense of enthusiasm and drive that you want to support, and you can reach out to her through Sport for Business as well Find out more about what we do day in day out at Sportforbusiness.comWe publish a daily news bulletin and host regular live events on a wide range of sporting subjects. Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts from, and look forward to more upcoming chats on leadership and the business of sport.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.

Let us know what’s on your mindWe go inside Hockey Ireland’s ten-week sprint to transform the Sport Ireland Campus into a Pro League venue with world-class broadcast, a sold-out crowd, and a free fan village that widens the sport’s reach. Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer Nick McElwee brings us inside the decision-making process that will deliver World Class Hockey in Dublin this week.• Winning hosting rights on a ten-week timeline• Leaning on a small core team and expert partners• Turning a campus into a functioning venue• Balancing weather risk, branding, and broadcast needs• Building a world-feed TV product with 10 cameras• Funding mix, de-risking, and early ticket sales• Creating FOMO with a 1,500-seat sell-out• Opening a free fan village to grow visibility• Using experience from Formula One-scale events Find out more about what we do day in day out at Sportforbusiness.comWe publish a daily news bulletin and host regular live events on a wide range of sporting subjects. Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts from, and look forward to more upcoming chats on leadership and the business of sport.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.

Let us know what’s on your mindA single statistic reframes the future of Gaelic games: a quarter of Ireland’s youngest children live near just 50 clubs. We dig into the GAA’s National Demographic Report and explore how rapid urban growth and rural decline are reshaping teams, facilities, coaching, and community life. The patterns are stark, the implications immediate, and the choices ahead will define whether the sport remains present and vibrant in every parish and postcode.We talk through the data that redrew the map: one in three people living in or near Dublin, falling birth rates since 2010, and 78 percent of clubs anchored in rural areas with fewer players each year. From overcrowded pitches and long waiting lists in fast-growing corridors to under-strength adult teams in the West and Midlands, the challenge splits in two—but the solution set meets in the middle. Smaller-sided formats such as 11-a-side and 9-a-side can keep competition meaningful where 15-a-side strains. A national facilities strategy can add pitches, lights, and indoor spaces where demand explodes. New bylaws can guide transfers to ease pressure and sustain rural clubs tied by family and identity.We also focus on structure and support. A proposed club support unit would move growth and sustainability from the shoulders of volunteers to a consistent system that plans, funds, and measures what works. Pilot projects in counties with opposite pressures can prove models for the whole island. And with Sport Ireland’s involvement and a clear call for collaboration with government and local authorities, the report places Gaelic games inside the wider story of social infrastructure, public health, and community cohesion. With Ireland’s population now above seven million, there’s real opportunity—if the game adapts to where people actually live.Listen and decide what should come first: facilities in the hotspots, new clubs in growth corridors, or a faster rollout of smaller-sided championships. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who cares about local sport, and leave a quick review to help more people find us. Find out more about what we do day in day out at Sportforbusiness.comWe publish a daily news bulletin and host regular live events on a wide range of sporting subjects. Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts from, and look forward to more upcoming chats on leadership and the business of sport.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.

Let us know what’s on your mindSome stories only land when the mic is live and the notes are gone. We sat down for a raw, unscripted session at the Active Disability Ireland Annual Conference to hear what sport really means when life bends, breaks, and rebuilds. Rob opens with honesty about living with MS, then we pass the floor to two remarkable guests whose journeys reframe resilience and inclusion in Irish sport.First up, Melanie shares how a spinal injury closed one chapter and opened another with wheelchair rugby league. She walks us through the sport’s pace and physicality—five-a-side, tags for tackles, a real rugby ball—and the practical hurdles, from expensive sports chairs to maintenance that never ends. Training with Wigan sharpened her game, while Ireland’s programme surged under new coaching: back-to-back Celtic Cups, a home win in Galway, a learning tour to France, and a world ranking that now points to Australia next November. It’s a story of momentum built on coaching, kit, and community.Then Kerry takes us into the quiet storm of elite archery. She missed Rio by a breath, broke her leg before Tokyo, and still kept going as the pandemic stretched the cycle to seven years. The call to fly came just six weeks out. She talks about the loneliness of empty stadiums and how she built her own support by cheering for solo athletes—who returned the favour the next day. Her insights on focus are razor-sharp: reset every arrow, refuse autopilot, breathe, visualise, begin again. And she explains why retiring now is the bravest move—balancing personal wellbeing with the need for broader systems that don’t rely on one person to keep a sport visible.Across both stories, a clear message emerges: real inclusion is infrastructure plus empathy. Lower barriers to equipment. Fund coaching and competition. Create pathways that last longer than any single athlete’s career. If you care about Irish sport, high performance, or the human engine that powers both, you’ll find plenty to take with you.Enjoyed the conversation? Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a quick review to help more people discover these voices. Find out more about what we do day in day out at Sportforbusiness.comWe publish a daily news bulletin and host regular live events on a wide range of sporting subjects. Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts from, and look forward to more upcoming chats on leadership and the business of sport.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.