Speculation is growing around a potential deal to stage URC games in the United States in 2023. Fenway Sports Group, the Boston based company who own the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool, are reportedly keen to bring some of the biggest United Rugby Championship fixtures in the calender year to the US, including Leinster v Munster.
The Times are reporting that Fenway Sports Group have already approached the URC about a potential deal and it's natural to wonder if the game could be staged at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.
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The historic baseball ground seats almost 40,000 people and with a huge amount of Irish living in Boston, it would likely go down great in the city. In the past, Fenway Park has hosted hurling, American football and soccer.
United Rugby Championship chief executive, Martin Anayi has said that his company "don't want to close anything off".
URC: Fenway Sports Group to face Competition from Qatar
The URC is growing massively since it's rebranding in 2021 which saw South African sides join the league. The domestic league has also been approached by Qatar Airways to potentially stage games in the Middle East after this Winter's FIFA World Cup.
It's not only the URC which the Qataris are eager to bring to the country, with Heineken Champions Cup governing body, the ERCP also reportedly keen to stage games in the country.
The ERCP have signed a three-year-deal with Qatar Airways which could see a number of European rugby clashes being hosted in Qatar.
One of the ideas being mooted is a preseason sevens tournament among the URC sides.
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Qatar Airlines chief executive Akbar Al Baker has said that he wants their new, air conditioned stadiums in Doha to host Heinken Champions Cup games after the World Cup.
Anthony Lepage, the interim chief executive of EPCR, and chief financial officer has said that there is also potential for a future Rugby World Cup to be staged in the country.
Lepage said:
We’re at the beginning of the relationship. There is a huge commitment from them to invest in sport,
Rugby is very traditional, so maybe it’s too early. We have a lot of projects, are talking about a Club World Cup competition, and so maybe Qatar could be a destination for that. Maybe in 10 years, Doha, we don’t know.
The Frenchman also said that the sport can't be opposed to new opportunities to build the sport around the world, saying:
Like other sports we need to survive after Covid. For rugby specifically we’re too small a family. In the northern hemisphere there are only six nations, we need to extend, open the door to others, and the club competition is one door.
It takes a lot of time for that. If we open to other territories, we open to other businesses, partners and are a global competition. There is a balance to find between the money and the sport, that’s not easy.
URC chief executive, Martin Anayi shared the same opinion as Lepage and highlighted Qatar Airway's investments in other sports as a reason why they can't "be closed off".
These deals are so important as they are the lifeblood of the professional game
It’s about bringing new revenue into the game. Qatar Airways is a huge sponsor of football, putting millions of pounds into that, bring Formula One events here, MotoGP, and the ecosystem of rugby can’t be closed off to opportunities like this. Other sports are doing it.
Starting from this season, players from the URC will use Qatar's Aspire medical centre for rehabilitation, the centre used by the likes of PSG and Bayern Munich regularly.
Whether the URC decide to start staging games in Qatar or the US, it's certainly a huge opportunity for the sport to grow financially and globally, but the issue around human rights in Qatar remains.
It's well documented that the country has problems surrounding the LGBTQ community, with homosexuality being outlawed there. Earlier this year, Leinster scrum half Nick McCarthy came out as gay.
The criticism around Qatar hosting large sporting events has been around since they were announced as the 2022 FIFA World Cup host country and it's likely that questions will be asked of the URC and ECPR should they decide to go ahead with the deal.
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