Leinster keeping venue options open as return to new Laya Arena looms

The naming rights deal with Laya Healthcare has been struck nine months before the revamped venue is due to reopen for the annual Royal Dublin Horseshow next August

Laya healthcare today announced a landmark naming rights partnership with the RDS and Leinster Rugby officially renaming the iconic RDS Arena to ‘Laya Arena’. Picture: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

The Aviva Stadium, and Croke Park, will continue to be options for Leinster home games even after the province's senior team returns to an RDS ground that has been rechristened as Laya Arena.

The naming rights deal with Laya Healthcare - a ten-year agreement - has been struck nine months before the revamped venue is due to reopen for the annual Royal Dublin Horse Show next August. Leinster will be back in as tenants for the start of the 2026-27 season. The province signed a 25-year lease with the society in 2022.

The IRFU and FAI renewed their agreement with Aviva for the stadium on Lansdowne Road back in the autumn. As had previously been the case, it included an exclusivity clause that makes it obligatory for their men’s senior teams to play all home games there.

No such restriction will apply with Leinster who had been utilising the bigger capacity Aviva for a handful of big games every season long before they vacated the RDS temporarily two summers ago while the venue was being revamped.

“We intentionally haven’t made a call on that because last season and this season has been like an experiment for us to see what is it like to play in the Aviva for more than one or two games, or what is it like to use Croke Park.

“Clearly we want to play as many games in the RDS as possible,” said Leinster CEO Shane Nolan. “I would love the RDS to be sold out every game and it is the hottest ticket in town, a really intimidating place for the opposition to come.

Irish and Leinster legend and Laya Healthcare ambassador Johnny Sexton. Picture: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

“To do that we need to play more games here but then there is the commercial reality of our fans having the ability to fill the Aviva Stadium. We have even seen them fill Croke Park recently and I need to be aware of those commercial realities.

“That revenue earned goes right back into our professional and domestic games. So we need to get that balance between this being our home and playing more of our games here against what are the right times to consider another stadium.” The “vast majority” of home games will be played at Laya Arena, as before, however and the experience for players and fans will be improved hugely with the construction of the new 7,000-seater Anglesea Stand and other works.

New dressing-rooms have been built in the opposite grandstand and Leinster will be utilizing the adjacent St Mary’s Church, owned by the RDS, for corporate ticket holders who will also be accommodated in state-of the-art surroundings in the new Anglesea Stand.

The new capacity of just over 20,000 won’t be markedly different from what it was before, but the elevated standards will see changes to the ticketing structure by a club that now has 15,000 season ticket holders.

“We are looking at that at the moment. In February we will go on sale and start the process. Our fans have been brilliant in moving with us to the Aviva for this and last season, but we want to make sure that we manage that process right in terms of giving people the option to come back in [to the Laya Arena]. We are looking at the pricing review of that as well.

“We will be able to offer more products and services for customers, and that will involve different tier pricing. We will still be very conscious of keeping our pricing structure accessible and affordable for kids and families but we know there is a market for a higher end experience as well so for the first time we will be able to offer that range of services.

“So we will figure out the pricing and stuff in the next month before we go live in February.”