IRFU to spend up to €1.5m to deliver WRWC17 tournament

The Irish Rugby Football Union is set to spend up to €1.5 million to deliver the Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland in August bringing total spend on women's representative rugby to over €3.6m. 
 
The total cost of the tournament is expected to come in just over €4 million with supplementary funding being provided by World Rugby, Government and council funding, partnerships, ticket revenues and sponsorship.
 
At the IRFU's AGM held at the Aviva Stadium today, it was revealed that in addition to the €1.5m invested in WRWC17, funding to the women's programme increased by 25% this season from over €1.7m to in excess of €2.1m.  A further 25% increase in funding for the women's programme has been budgeted for the 2017/18 season.
 
The WRWC17 will take place in August with the Pool Stages taking place in UCD, Dublin and the knock-out games taking place at both Queens University and Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.  Tickets for the UCD venue are almost sold out with strong sales also recorded for both Belfast venues.   
 
The IRFU have put a financial package in place for the Ireland Women's WRWC17 squad to compensate them for out of pocket expenses during the tournament which unlike the 6 Nations will be played mid-week and at weekends.
 
Kevin Potts, the IRFU's Chief Operating Officer, said,
 
'The successful delivery of the Women's Rugby World Cup is of huge importance for the future growth of the game in Ireland.  There has been fantastic engagement all across the Island with the trophy tour and the infrastructure and resources that are being put in place will ensure the tournament is a huge success and the most memorable Women's Rugby World Cup in history.
 
The IRFU is committed to increasing funding to the women's game and supporting its growth by creating a legacy from WRWC17.â€Â