Media reports over the weekend suggested that the relationship between alcohol advertising and sport is to be subject to new regulation as part of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill due to be brought to cabinet by Health Minister Leo Varadkar perhaps as early as this week.
A ban on alcohol sponsorship of sport has long been proposed by public health campaigners but was rejected by a special Oireachtas group last year on the basis of the damage it would do financially to sport in the short and medium term.
There was also conflicting evidence of the impact similar bans had in France, where youth drinking has risen in recent years.
The suggested new move here would prevent the on pitch advertising that was first introduced in horse racing in the UK 20 years ago and which more recently has been used by Guinness and Heineken in Rugby, as well as by RBS as part of its sponsorship of the 6 Nations.
Other brands to use the tactic include Lucozade Sport in soccer at the Aviva Stadium.
The legislation will not prevent sponsorship or indeed the more common use of pitch side advertising whether through fixed boards or LED screens at the major sporting venues.
It will need to be carefully drafted.
The development of graphics in television means that many of the ads which look as though they are painted on the ground are actually just computer generated images seen only on the screen
It is possible that a Guinness Autumn International at the Aviva Stadium could be played on a ‘clean’ pitch but that TV pictures broadcast either within Ireland or geo tagged to be only shown in certain other jurisdictions could look as though they were being played on a pitch marked out in similar fashion to that pictured above.
If introduced the measure would be the first time that regulation of drink advertising in sports stadia moves to a legislative as opposed to a voluntary code.
It is thought highly unlikely that any further restriction would be imposed while Ireland is bidding to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
The tournament just held in England had Heineken as a major global partner albeit without the on pitch branding which is in question here.
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