The Irish Rugby Union, the IRFU, has made women's rugby one of its priorities as part of its new 'Inspire, Connect, Thrive' plan for 2024-2028.

The strategy, described as involving “unprecedented collaboration between the IRFU and the four provinces”, is the result of 15 months of negotiations involving more than 5,000 rugby stakeholders.

Four key objectives were identified: “to deliver exceptional rugby experiences, promote our high performance ambitions, develop women's rugby and inspire our supporters”.

Attract female stars

The project aims to grow women's rugby by creating inspiring and inclusive experiences to attract and retain players, while promoting sustainable growth in the sport with long-term career and volunteering opportunities. Establish four contracted provincial teams and aim for 40% female representation at provincial and club levels.

In addition, the IRFU seeks to widen access to rugby by partnering with schools and universities, implementing programs to identify and support talent and launching dynamic marketing campaigns. A manager will be appointed to implement this strategy and will be directly responsible to the IRFU's Director General.

Correcting past mistakes

The IRFU's lack of investment in women's rugby has come under much criticism in recent years, particularly since the 2017 Rugby World Cup, which was a failure for the national team.

The new plan comes after the national rugby union team qualified for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup and the 2024 WXV 1 after finishing third in the Women's Six Nations.

Since hiring Scott Bemand as head coach, the team also won the first edition of WXV 3 in 2023 with a record 109-0 win over Kazakhstan.

Finally, the Irish women's team will compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in July, their first appearance at the Games. She finished seventh in this year's HSBC SVNS series in Perth, where she won the gold medal.

On the morning of 150^E birthday

“We are living through an exciting time in the history of Irish rugby as we approach our 150th anniversary.^E birthday We can be proud of the success and resilience of our sport, with more participants and supporters than ever before. I am therefore excited to present our strategic vision for the future of rugby in Ireland,” said Kevin Potts.

“Our project is simple – inspire, connect and thrive. inspire more people to play, support and volunteer in rugby; connecting more people and communities through rugby; We also ensure that we provide an environment for all players, coaches, referees, volunteers and staff to thrive in rugby.

“Accelerating the development of our women's rugby is an absolute priority. With the Olympics only weeks away and the Rugby World Cup planned for 2025, there is considerable potential to boost this aspect of rugby in Ireland, representing a significant opportunity for the IRFU. »

This article was originally published in English RugbyPass.com Willie accepted Billiards.