“A NATIONAL OCCASION” – RTÉ HEAD OF SPORT REVEALS HOW KATIE TAYLOR’S CROKE PARK FAREWELL CAME TO FREE-TO-AIR TV

RTÉ Head of Sport Declan McBennett has revealed that the broadcaster’s involvement in Katie Taylor’s Croke Park farewell has been in the making for some time, with the significance of the occasion ultimately making it possible to bring the undisputed champion’s final professional fight to a nationwide free-to-air audience.

Taylor will bring her remarkable professional career to a close at Croke Park on September 5, with Flora Pili standing between the Bray superstar and a dream farewell in front of what is expected to be a huge home crowd. The fight will also be available to viewers across Ireland on RTÉ, marking a full-circle moment for the broadcaster which was present during some of the earliest stages of Taylor’s sporting journey.

Speaking to Irish-Boxing.com, McBennett explained that RTÉ’s interest in being involved goes back much further than the announcement of this particular event, with previous attempts to stage Taylor at Croke Park having already sparked discussions.

“I think it’s been in the making for quite a while now because obviously there was talk of Katie fighting in Croke Park a number of years ago and for various different reasons, largely around security and the finances and just the scale of Croke Park, it didn’t come off,” he said.

“But if it was ever to come off, then I think it was something that RTÉ wanted to be involved in. So once there was final confirmation that it was actually happening this time around, contact was made.”

The negotiations were not straightforward, however, with the commercial value attached to an event of this magnitude meaning a deal could not simply be taken for granted. McBennett praised those involved in making the agreement happen, particularly Taylor’s management team, Matchroom and DAZN.

“To their credit, while the negotiations were lengthy, the people involved in terms of Katie’s management, notably Brian Peters, Aiken Promotions, but particularly Matchroom and DAZN have been very good in trying to find a solution that would make this work,” he explained.

“That not only do you have a full Croke Park, but you also have a nation watching on for what is arguably going to be an extremely special night.”

RTÉ’s involvement was not simply a case of the broadcaster being presented with an opportunity once Matchroom and DAZN had decided to explore free-to-air options. McBennett revealed that the national broadcaster was actively interested from the outset and had to work through DAZN as the rights holder.

“Well, like we said, we were interested and DAZN deemed themselves to be the home of boxing. So we obviously had to make contact with them and go through them,” he said.

“Thankfully Frank Smith was hugely helpful in terms of Matchroom in dealing with DAZN. DAZN have been open. And I think they understand that this is not just a fight in itself. It’s a national event. It’s a national occasion. And it’s as much a thank you as it is a farewell to Katie.”

That distinction was ultimately crucial to getting the agreement over the line. While RTÉ would have faced a very different commercial proposition had this been another routine Taylor world title defence, McBennett believes the unique nature of September 5 changed the conversation.

“It was difficult but again I have to give enormous credit to Matchroom and DAZN because I think if this were a normal fight I’m not sure that the RTÉ numbers would have stacked up for DAZN,” he said.

“I think there is a sense that this is just a one-off and by its very nature it’s about getting as many people to see it across multiple generations as is possible.”

The expectation within RTÉ is that Taylor’s farewell will rank among the broadcaster’s biggest sporting audiences of the year, although McBennett was reluctant to put a specific figure on what the event could deliver.

“I think it’ll be right up there, to be perfectly honest,” he said. “We never get ahead of ourselves, we never project numbers, but I think given the timing, given the nature of everybody back from holidays, school starting off again, so everybody should be at home, and I think Saturday night the 5th of September it’ll be a really special night.”

Taylor’s ability to transcend boxing is another major factor. McBennett believes the appeal of the occasion will stretch across generations, with fans who have followed her journey from the amateur ranks watching alongside children who have grown up seeing Taylor become one of Ireland’s biggest sporting stars.

“I think Katie goes across the generation, so I think whether you’re eight or 80, you’re going to be tuning in to see it,” he said.

That broad appeal is precisely why RTÉ sees September 5 as something much bigger than simply another boxing broadcast. For McBennett, it represents the conclusion of a sporting journey which began when Taylor was an amateur and which saw RTÉ cover some of the earliest chapters.

“This is this is a special, this is a one-off. This is Katie,” he said. “This is like Katie’s journey, right at the very start of Katie’s journey in terms of her amateur days in the Olympics.”

“And you know when Katie fell to her knees in 2012, having reached a lifetime goal at that stage of her lifetime, her dad in the corner, Zaur in the corner, you know she was wearing red but she was representing Ireland, so that was RTÉ was there.”

McBennett believes there is something particularly fitting about RTÉ being present at both ends of Taylor’s professional boxing journey.

“I think it’s nice and it’s appropriate and we’re certainly very proud of the fact that the journey will end on RTÉ as well,” he added.