Sport for Business

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A record crowd in the Aviva. A massive lift in visibility. Real belief building around the Irish women’s team. Then the awkward question: why doesn’t a big moment automatically turn into a big jump in participation? 

I’m joined by Lynne Cantwell, Head of Women’s Strategy at the IRFU, to take a clear-eyed look at year one of the women and girls rugby strategy. We talk about what is genuinely working, especially the build-out of provincial pathways for 16 to 23-year-olds that give motivated players weekly access to better coaching and development while they stay rooted in their clubs, schools and universities. If we want athletes arriving at senior level ready to go, the preparation has to happen in those teenage and early adult years. 

We also dig into event delivery and why it matters. The Women’s Six Nations day at Aviva Stadium is treated as an eight-month project, with fan zones, music, hospitality, and the details that signal welcome and accessibility, from buggies to breastfeeding rooms. Lynn shares how Rugby World Cup learnings shape planning and debriefs for what comes next, including WXV and future Six Nations fixtures. 

From there, we go straight to the hard stuff: participation growth of 4% against a 10% target, the resourcing and staffing required to help clubs, and the central role of volunteers. We talk schools rugby, the fight for space in curricula, what sponsorship from Vodafone and Dublin Airport signals to corporate Ireland, and why broadcast access still needs real pressure, especially when women’s internationals miss out on linear TV. 

If you care about the future of women’s rugby in Ireland, listen, share it with someone involved in a club or school, and leave us a review or rating so more people can find the conversation. 

Find out more about what we do day in day out at Sportforbusiness.com

We 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, including our Sport and Creativity Conference on October 1st, 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 mind
Someone in your club does the work that never makes the highlight reel: chasing membership renewals, organising schedules, pushing fundraising links, welcoming new faces, and keeping the whole show on the road. That effort is the real engine of Irish grassroots sport, and it deserves recognition.

We sit down with John Hyland, founder of ClubSpot, to launch a brand new recognition: ClubSpot Sport for Business 30 Under 30 Young Volunteers in Sport. 
We’re asking clubs across the island to nominate under-30 volunteers who are making a measurable difference, whether that’s a community initiative, smarter communications, a fresh fundraising approach, or simply bringing order to the admin chaos that can swallow volunteer time. John shares what judges will value most: clear outcomes, real impact, and examples of younger members elevating the work that’s already happening in their club.

John also tells the story behind ClubSpot, from volunteering after an injury to building a platform now used by 600+ clubs. We explore why digital tools for sports clubs matter, how combining experienced leadership with younger tech skills strengthens club culture, and why volunteering builds networks and career-ready traits that employers notice. 
We also share where to find the nomination form, plus what’s coming up next for Sport for Business, including our sport and creativity event at the Lighthouse Cinema in Dublin.

Find out more about what we do day in day out at Sportforbusiness.com

We 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, including our Sport and Creativity Conference on October 1st, 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 mind
A 14-strong Irish squad is about to step into the European Championships.
We’re joined by Jon Mackey, performance director of Boxing Ireland, to talk through how the programme targets this tournament as the year's major benchmark and a clear measuring stick on the road to Olympic qualification. 
From travel and training intensity to exposure to world-class opponents, Jon explains why learning accelerates when you put athletes in tough rooms and tougher rings. 

We also get into what’s changed behind the scenes over the past 18 months: evolving coaching structures, evidence-informed training methods, a more objective selection policy, and the work of reconnecting high performance with the wider boxing community. 
Jon shares how added staffing and better stability let the programme focus on what actually moves performance forward, while a new head coach recruitment process aims to set the tone for a busy year that includes World Championships and key qualifiers. 

The conversation also lands on the emotional heartbeat of Irish boxing, reflecting on a weekend that put the sport firmly in the national consciousness and the legacy of Katie Taylor and other Irish champions. 
If you care about Irish sport, high-performance systems, and what it really takes to compete at European level, this one’s for you. 

Find out more about what we do day in day out at Sportforbusiness.com

We 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, including our Sport and Creativity Conference on October 1st, 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 mind
Franchise cricket is coming to Dublin with serious ambition, and we wanted to understand what it takes to make that kind of leap in Europe. 
After the summer break, we sit down with Warren Deutrom, the driving force behind the European T20 Premier League, to talk through the reality behind the hype: the false starts, the relief of finally getting matches played, and the hard evidence you need once the lights go on, from crowds and feedback to broadcast traction.

We dig into the original problem the league tries to solve for Irish cricket and its neighbours: how do you give local players consistent access to world-class T20 standards when the biggest leagues are elsewhere? 
Deutrom explains why a three-nation footprint with six city-based franchises is the most credible starting point, and why year one is all about proving the concept, even when the costs of infrastructure and broadcast production run into the millions.

The commercial story is just as important as the cricket. We talk investment risk, why India sits at the centre of the funding and audience opportunity, and how Olympic cricket changes the long-term European landscape for recognition and support. 
We also get practical about the Dublin leg in Malahide: what the matchday experience will feel like, what kind of scores to expect, and how the league hopes to welcome both local clubs and Ireland’s Indian community.

If you care about the business of sport, sports marketing, broadcast growth, and what modern fan experiences look like, this one is for you. 

Find out more about what we do day in day out at Sportforbusiness.com

We 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, including our Sport and Creativity Conference on October 1st, 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 mind
The Olympics might only arrive every four years, but the pressure never really goes away, and neither does the planning. From the Sport Ireland Campus, we sit down with Peter Sherrard, CEO of the Olympic Federation of Ireland, to talk about what leadership looks like when your job is part high-performance sport, part commercial engine, and part crisis management when the spotlight swings your way.

Peter shares the career moves that shaped his style, from working in Milan to fast-paced years with Ryanair, and then into Irish football during the Euro 2016 era. We get into the hard-earned lessons that travel well across sectors: simplify what you can control, prioritise under noise, and build teams where people understand each other’s work before silos take hold. We also talk openly about the governance reset after Rio 2016 and what it takes to rebuild trust in a national sporting organisation.

Tokyo becomes the ultimate stress test. We unpack the uncertainty of Covid-era decision-making, the logistics of protecting athletes and staff, and why resilience is more than a buzzword when rules change week to week. From there, the conversation turns to the business of the Olympic movement in Ireland: the four-year cycle, why events beyond the Summer Games matter, and how a funding model driven heavily by private sources reshapes risk, sponsorship, and long-term planning. We finish with quickfire insights on sport, empathy, laughter, and the power of quiet time for clear thinking.

If you enjoy smart conversations on Irish sport leadership, governance, sponsorship, and high-performance planning, subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review. What part of building a winning culture do you think gets overlooked most?

Find out more about what we do day in day out at Sportforbusiness.com

We 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, including our Sport and Creativity Conference on October 1st, as well as plenty more, are live on the Sport for Business website, and we'd love to have you join us.