eir Sport has announced details of its exclusively live coverage of the mouth-watering clash between champions Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers on the opening weekend of the 2017 SSE Airtricity League. Coverage of the game gets underway live on eir Sport at 7.15pm on Friday 24th February.
Last season 21 games were shown live during the course of the League season and there is still a debate among clubs as to the need on one side to gain more fans through greater exposure versus the drop in attendance at matches when the TV cameras are on.
RTE will once again be showing live matches this season though no full schedule has yet to be published. A row broke out last year over Shamrock Rovers asking not to be considered for TV broadcast because of the extra costs it incurred and the changed kick off times that were needed to fit the schedule.
The amount of coverage of European Leagues on Sky, eir Sport, BT Sport, Eurosport, RTÉ and online means there is no shortage of content for football fans to get a fix.
After Dundalk’s exploits last year, Cork City’s continued proximity in the League and a possibly resurgent Shamrock Rovers in 2017 with new sponsorship and financial backing this could be a breakthrough year for the League.
Next week we will be taking a look at the commercial changes and new deals that clubs have been putting together ahead of the new season.
“We are delighted to announce details of this eagerly anticipated clash between two Irish football heavyweights, Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers, in the opening weekend of action in the SSE Airtricity League,” said Glen Killane, Managing Director of eir TV and Sport.
The forthcoming season is set to provide fantastic entertainment and we are thrilled to be in a position to bring continued coverage of the league to football fans across Ireland.”
“In 2016, eir Sport followed the heroic exploits of Dundalk during their European quest, broadcasting all six of their Europa League group games. It’s great that we are at the start of the League again with another chance to renew our commitment to Irish football.”
