About

The sporting world has never been as competitive as it is today, both on and off the pitch. The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) manages and oversees rugby union teams within the island of Ireland, as well as representing the country’s interests on the international scene. The IRFU legal and compliance team, led by Declan McPhillips, are responsible for the regulatory and legislative security of the governing body, as well as protection and management of the sport within Ireland. In recent times the legal team has had to handle TV broadcast rights, player discipline, licensing and merchandise sales, competition authority regulation, sponsorship deals, sport-wide disputes and player contract negotiation. McPhillips and team recently negotiated a new sponsorship deal with Vodafone, valued at around €15m over four years, giving the IRFU a significant boost in revenue. Ireland recently launched a bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023, but licensing laws around the sale of alcohol in stadiums is threatening to stall the application. The IRFU legal team will play a big part in liaising with rugby’s international governing body to negotiate a solution.