Students from Munster Technological University and the University of Limerick will team up with counterparts from Texas Christian University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this week to tackle some of the biggest opportunities facing Irish sport over the coming years.
The 2026 Leaders of Tomorrow Case Competition, staged as part of the wider Aer Lingus College Football Classic programme and supported by Enterprise Ireland, will ask four mixed university teams to develop recommendations on hosting the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor and matches in Dublin during UEFA EURO 2028.
It puts the focus firmly on an increasingly important aspect of hosting major international sporting events: ensuring that the value created extends well beyond the competition itself.
Two teams will examine how Limerick can maximise the impact of the Ryder Cup, while two will focus on Dublin and EURO 2028.
Their work will consider accessibility and inclusion, sustainability and transport, economic impact and opportunities for local businesses, and the long-term legacy generated by the events.
Each team includes one student from each of the four participating universities, bringing together different academic disciplines and perspectives from Ireland and the United States.
Representing Munster Technological University are Éamonn O’Leary, Oisin Coghlan, Elaine O’Donovan and Fionn Griffin, studying across Instrumentation Engineering, Structural Engineering and Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering.
The University of Limerick representatives are Sean Barrett, Cornelius Kirby, Abi Houlihan and Leah McCarthy, whose studies cover Mechanical Engineering, Immersive Software Engineering, Industrial Biochemistry and Sports Performance.
The students have already begun working virtually with their international teammates and will meet in Dublin ahead of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic to finalise and present their recommendations.
“This is an exciting opportunity for our students to apply their knowledge to a significant real-world challenge while working with peers from Ireland and the United States,” said Professor Maggie Cusack, President of Munster Technological University.
“We encourage our students to gain experiences that broaden their perspectives, build their confidence and prepare them for the world of work.”
Professor Shane Kilcommins, President of University of Limerick, said the range of backgrounds represented by the students was an important part of the exercise.
“Their backgrounds span engineering, technology, science and sport, and the competition gives them an opportunity to bring those different perspectives to a complex, real-world challenge.”
From an Enterprise Ireland perspective, the programme also demonstrates the wider economic potential that can flow from major sporting events.
“Major international sporting events can create significant opportunities for Ireland beyond the event itself, from economic development and tourism to new business and international connections,” said Christina Clancy, Regional Manager South at Enterprise Ireland.
“Initiatives like this create valuable opportunities for students, universities and organisations on both sides of the Atlantic to collaborate, exchange ideas and build relationships that can endure well beyond a single programme or event.”
The teams will present to a judging panel in Dublin on Friday, August 28, with the winning team recognised later that day at the CEO Club Luncheon in the Mansion House and again on the field at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
The 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic will see TCU face UNC-Chapel Hill at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, August 29.
The fixture is the centrepiece of a broader programme spanning business, education, culture and sport, designed to strengthen connections between Ireland and the United States.
Sport for Business Perspective
The Case Competition is a smart addition to the Aer Lingus College Football Classic week because it takes two major events already secured for Ireland and asks the next generation to consider how their impact can be extended.
The Ryder Cup and EURO 2028 will bring significant international attention and visitor numbers, but the more interesting long-term question is how host cities and regions turn that short burst of activity into stronger businesses, better infrastructure, improved accessibility and lasting connections.
Bringing Irish and US students together around those challenges also fits neatly with the wider ambition of the College Football Classic, which has increasingly become about much more than the game at the Aviva Stadium.
Sport for Business will be at the Aer Lingus College Football Classic and across the associated programme of events this week.
Aer Lingus and the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, as well as UL and MTU, are full members of Sport for Business.
If you would like to be part of the Sport for Business community and see your organisation in our content, on our stages, and in the conversation happening every day around the commercial world of Irish Sport, email us today and let’s see what is possible.
Image Credit: Enterprise Ireland
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