Daniel McConnell

He spoke about growth in commercial revenues.

He spoke of, you know, I suppose that there is

potential there both in the sort of premium market you know in the kind of premium sales because again that was another travesty of the bygone or the Delaney era the whole premium level tickets.

Like you know we asked him what success would look like and he kind of gave his answer but I think a true measure of the success of his era was that if we can get through another podcast with him and we don't mention John Delaney once I mean that would be success if after three or four years you're talking about Euro 2028 you're talking about

the growth of numbers, you're talking about the refurbishment of grounds at League of Ireland level, you're talking about, as he said, new playing procedures for kids at grassroots.

I do hope they deliver on that Allianz season in terms of their kids.

But his answer was almost in what he said.

Like, the answer to the problem was, we're an outlier.

We're the only one of 55 organisations to not have an alliance season.

Like, that...

But I see it, you probably see it, you know, like kids playing in the depths of winter makes no sense when they're not playing in the best weather months of the year.

I think...

While he gave voice to some of the challenges, you know, I think, and I think, sorry, the most compelling aspect, and I was probably quipping a little bit with him, was around, does he have a hundred grand check to cut, or is he in a position to cut a hundred grand check?

I think, you know, he kind of alludes to the fact that they've had to budget very carefully to make sure that they don't get themselves into that, where they're burning up a...

an overdraft and they're kind of in difficulty in terms of meeting their day-to-day payments.

But, you know, you would have to take some solace in the fact that, you know, they're actually budgeting on the basis of not qualifying and if they do qualify, it's a bonus rather than kind of trying to kind of go the other way around or hoping on a wing and a prayer that you manage to qualify.

Sponsorships and all the rest of it.

What was your sense of him as a leader?

Because we kind of delve into that towards the end of the interview about his own leadership style.

And someone who seems to be an enabler of the people around him.