Sport for Business

Let us know what’s on your mind

What happens when speed meets purpose and a whole community leans in? We sit down with Paralympic medalist and European champion Orla Comerford during Women in Sport Week to explore how top performance, smart risk, and real visibility can change the future of para athletics in Ireland and beyond. Orla opens up about arriving at 28 not as an athlete fading out, but as a sprinter just getting started—fresh goals, tougher standards, and the hunger to leave the sport stronger than she found it.

We dig into the indoor season and why the 60 metres is a ruthless but brilliant lab for testing skills. Orla explains how recent PBs reflect hard winter work and how a short, honest off-season—wandering India after Worlds, then returning to grind—resets both body and mind. This year becomes a launchpad: Europeans ahead, Worlds next year for qualification, and a summer built around Diamond League and Continental Tour opportunities. The mission is bigger than medals: show up at the highest-profile meets, create more slots for para athletes, and make sure future stars get invited rather than having to ask.

Integration is the engine. Orla shares practical examples of meets placing para long jump and shot put within existing schedules, proving how simple it can be to add events without spectacle or strain. When fans can see para sport alongside able-bodied fields, interest deepens, stories stick, and pathways multiply—locally at Morton Games and across global stages. Proximity matters too: when championships sit in our time zone or just across the Irish Sea, casual viewers become ticket buyers and lifelong supporters.

Orla’s personal perspective sharpens everything. Living with a progressive eye condition, she chooses presence over prediction: use what you have today, take the chance, and keep moving forward. That mindset powers her sprinting and her advocacy for women’s sport, coaching, media, and leadership—the “same energy” that grows participation and performance together. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves athletics, and leave a review telling us which event should integrate a para field next. Your voice can help open the next lane.

Find out more about what we do day in day out at Sportforbusiness.com

We publish a daily news bulletin and host regular live events on a wide range of sporting subjects.

Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts from, and look forward to more upcoming chats on leadership and the business of sport.

Our upcoming live events, including our League of Ireland Breakfast at Grant Thornton on February 4th, as well as plenty more, are live on the Sport for Business website, and we'd love to have you join us.

Let us know what’s on your mind

A missed World Cup can break a career or build a new one. Erin King chose the second path. We sit down with Ireland’s captain to unpack the shock of injury, the slow work of rehab, and the mindset shift that turned heartbreak into hunger ahead of a landmark Six Nations. From that first uneasy scan to the first whistle back, Erin shows how perspective reshapes performance—and how gratitude can harden into game-winning edge.

We dig into Ireland’s resurgence and what’s changed beneath the highlights: smarter coaching, real investment from the IRFU, and youth pathways that finally give girls a clear route to the green jersey. Visibility is rising too, and it matters. The team’s first standalone at the Aviva Stadium against Scotland is more than a fixture; it’s proof that women’s rugby belongs on the biggest stages with the biggest crowds. We talk tactics and temperament—quick rucks, brave width, disciplined defence—and why big venues amplify belief as much as noise.

There’s unfinished business off the field. Erin calls out the coverage gap and backs the “same energy” push, arguing that equal effort and equal results deserve equal attention. Progress is real—more media slots, fuller stands, smarter storytelling—but the job isn’t done. We connect the dots between performance, promotion, and participation, showing how each win can spark the next generation to join a club, pick up a ball, and see themselves in this team. If you care about Irish rugby’s future, women’s sport, or how resilience becomes culture, this conversation is for you.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves rugby, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show.

Find out more about what we do day in day out at Sportforbusiness.com

We publish a daily news bulletin and host regular live events on a wide range of sporting subjects.

Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts from, and look forward to more upcoming chats on leadership and the business of sport.

Our upcoming live events, including our League of Ireland Breakfast at Grant Thornton on February 4th, as well as plenty more, are live on the Sport for Business website, and we'd love to have you join us.

Let us know what’s on your mind

The energy around women’s sport in Ireland is real—and it’s at a tipping point. We sit down with Nora Stapleton and Bethany Carson to unpack what’s working, where momentum is fragile, and how the “same energy” theme can turn a good week into lasting change. From balanced boards to booming social leagues, the story isn’t just growth—it’s about building cultures where women feel valued on the pitch, on the sideline, and in the boardroom.

We dig into the four pillars guiding progress: active participation, leadership and governance, coaching and officiating, and visibility. Nora shares how funding, mentoring networks, and a renewed leadership framework helped lift board representation to about 48% women—proof that targeted action works. Then we face the hard part: culture. Representation alone doesn’t fix rooms where old habits still crowd new voices. Bethany explores how allyship, education, and practical supports can make meetings productive, coaching pathways fair, and officiating roles more attractive and safer for women.

Visibility remains the toughest nut to crack. Big moments—the Rugby World Cup, Six Nations, and packed domestic fixtures—pull new fans in, but sustainable change needs consistent coverage, smart scheduling, and storytelling that treats women’s sport as sport. We also highlight the rise of social sport—basketball blitzes, Gaelic for Mothers and Others, and more—giving women team bonds without the heavy time ask, keeping them connected to clubs and community. Add in new school resources to spark conversations and you have a pathway that starts earlier and lasts longer.

If you care about moving from momentum to normal, this conversation offers the roadmap: measure what matters, fund what works, fix culture, and keep the spotlight on. Subscribe, share with a teammate, and leave a review telling us the one action you’ll take to bring the same energy this week.

Find out more about what we do day in day out at Sportforbusiness.com

We publish a daily news bulletin and host regular live events on a wide range of sporting subjects.

Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts from, and look forward to more upcoming chats on leadership and the business of sport.

Our upcoming live events, including our League of Ireland Breakfast at Grant Thornton on February 4th, as well as plenty more, are live on the Sport for Business website, and we'd love to have you join us.