On Friday the Government’s of The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland formally confirmed that Ireland as an island would be putting in a bid to host the Rugby World Cup Finals of 2023.
It was an enormous positive step for sport and a brave one for the politicians considering that the bid process will straddle a number of elections. Tony Blair and Labour in Britain were the driving political force behind winning the Olympics and Paralympic Games but it was David Cameron and the Conservatives who picked up the glory of hosting.
This announcement was just the start though of what will be a long process.
Here are seven issues that need to be uppermost in the minds of the team gathered to move the bid forward.
1. Collaboration
The FAI has successfully bid to host matches as part of the Euro 2020 football championships. The bid scored highly in terms of logistics and politics. Even though the stadium involved at the Aviva will be only one of those needed for the Rugby, and is aired by the two governing bodies, the experience of bidding, winning and then executing such a major event should not end with the eleven a side game and neither should rugby feel it can do this on its own without the genuine hand on assistance of others from outside the sport.
2. Knowing the process
The tender documents and bid process will not be formally known for another year and it is likely to be a two year process with a decision in late 2017. When New Zealand won the right to become the first repeat host in 2011 there were tales of switched allegiance between their and the South Africa bid, and Ireland was central to that. The Irish delegate at the time even called for greater secrecy in not revealing a tally of votes and the main rival at that time South Africa fell early in the bid process. Memories can be long where perceived slights are concerned and the political machinations needed to secure the right result will need to be as well drilled as any movement planned by Irish coach Joe Schmidt on the field of play.
3. Sponsors
Heineken and Land Rover are already on record as suggesting that Rugby needs to expand to new markets rather than rely on the old to maintain the high level of sponsorship that underpins the sport. This will be of major concern should the USA decide to put forward a bid for the 2023 World Cup. Those two represent one third of the Worldwide partners in place for next years tournament in England. Societe Generale, DHL, Emirates and MasterCard are the other four. Each of them is at global rather than local level and may shift and change post England.
4. Knowledge
There are a significant number of people working in sports administration around the world including as part of the Rugby World Cup 2015 team. Others that were involved in London 2012 will offer valuable insight into the logistics of planning and delivering a memorable games. The net for knowledge should be cast as far and wide as possible in the early stages of the bid process.
5. Nerve
Even the best received and meticulously planned events will go through phases in advance when key aspects are questioned and at times ridiculed. The lasting memory is determined by what happens on the day and over the period of the event, not by what is written or spoken of as potentially going to happen. Organisers need to have a strong nerve and confidence in what they have in place. Not that Ireland would be a place likely to have hurlers on the ditch saying they would have done it better though…
6. Broadening Perspective
Forecasting the technology that is likely to rule in 2023 so far out is a game that would break many hearts but we need to use Ireland’s reputation, gained through being home to so many of the leading players in that space and the success of events like the web summit, to position ourselves as a hub of innovation. The Olympics and World Cup stand tall when it comes to changing the way we view and consume events but the Rugby World Cup is the biggest global sports event we will ever host exclusively and this should be central to what happens off the pitch during the event.
7. Dry Run
You cannot replicate in full such a complex tournament in advance but you can use the experience of every event that takes place in advance. A bid for the Women’s World Cup in 2017 is something that should happen for many reasons, as we have outlined before. In this context it would be a perfect means by which to gather experience and would deliver proof of Ireland’s hosting ability at a crucial time in the decision making process for 2023.
Image Credit: Inpho.ie
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