Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

They are and they are not. I have read through the Teneo report that was submitted to us, which refers to media coverage. If people see the heroes they look up to participate, that drives engagement, which I am sure interests Sport Ireland. For example, Dr. May touched on female participation in sport. The progress of the Meath ladies football team in the last couple of years in breaking the dominance of Dublin and Cork drove many young girls in Meath and across the country to become involved in ladies GAA.

If sporting organisations end up putting their products behind paywalls, it has a detrimental impact on young people joining and being encouraged to join particular sports because they will not see them if they are behind a paywall or are on pay-per-view. We cannot just say it is a matter for the sporting bodies. If we all care about sport, as Dr. May and I do, we should put it up to the organisations.

The IRFU now has a welcome deal with TV3 and RTÉ to show the Six Nations on terrestrial TV but a number of years ago, its communications manager wanted to enter a European basis in which it would be able to sell its product to others. It is important to have this conversation and not to just say it is up to the pillar bodies.