Patricia Callan, Director of the Small Firms Association, has said that Ireland will experience a major social and economic boost as a result of the national football team's achievement in qualifying for the Euro 2016 Finals.
According to Callan; “Qualification gives Ireland an opportunity to showcase itself to an international audience of over 390 million people. This is a major opportunity for our tourism industry. It should also mean that more Irish people will holiday at home to join in the celebrations.”
According to the SFA, spend on merchandising and advertising for Euro 2016 will run to millions with those set to benefit including pubs, restaurants, newspapers, magazines and specialist clothing manufacturers. However, in order to maximise the benefit, the SFA is calling on all of Ireland’s 2 million workers to make an extra effort to Buy Irish during Euro 2016.
Callan stated; “If everyone spent just €20 a week extra on Irish products, the result would be an extra spend of €170 million on Irish made products during Euro 2016. This would have a significant impact for small business and would demonstrate in a meaningful way the concept of "Be Irish – Buy Irish" for Euro 2016.”
Despite all the possible positive outcomes, there is also a threat of increased absenteeism from work during the championships. “Euro 2016 has a broad following and as well as Irish fans, there are significant numbers of non-Irish workers in the country, who will be following their home teams. Consequently, it is imperative for Companies to put in place a plan to deal with potential absenteeism from work during Euro 2016,” stated Callan.
The SFA recommends that in order to counter absenteeism workers should be either allowed to take the relevent days off as part of annual leave entitlement; come in to work earlier or work later to make up the time, or be allowed to listen to the radio or watch the television.
© 2016 - Checkout Magazine by Niall Swan
