| <span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'>TheIrish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) today outlined its strategicobjectives to grow and develop the women’s game over the nextfive years with the launch of its <b style='outline:none'><i style='outline:none'>Women in Rugby Action Play 2018-2023</i></b> whichis a pillar component of the overall IRFU<b style='outline:none'><i style='outline:none'>Strategic Plan2018-2023</i></b>– <i style='outline:none'>Irish Rugby:"Building successtogether"</i>. </span></span></span></span> <span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><b style='outline:none'><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'><span style='font-size:15.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:#0b6121'>HeadlineTargets</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span><span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><b style='outline:none; text-decoration:inherit'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:#0b6121'><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>GROWTH</span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span><span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>5,000Adult players</span></span></span></span><br><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>300Women’s Girls teams</span></span></span></span><br><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>150secondary schools </span></span></span></span><br><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>6,500youth players</span></span></span></span><br><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>1,0003rd level players</span></span></span></span><br><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>300female coaches</span></span></span></span><br><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>80femalereferees</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br><span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><b style='outline:none'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:#0b6121'><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>PERFORMANCE</span></span></span></span></span></span></b><br><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>WRWC21qualification & Top 6 finish</span></span></span></span><br><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>One6 Nations title (Top 3 otherwise)</span></span></span></span><br><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>Qualificationfor 2020 Olympics 7s</span></span></span></span><br><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>Qualificationfor 2022 7s World Cup</span></span></span></span><br><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>Wintwo 7s World Series tournaments</span></span></span></span><br><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>ConsistentTop 6 finish 7s World Series</span></span></span></span><br><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>o </span></span></span></span><span style='color:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>ConsistentTop 2 finish U18 Europe7s</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'>The IRFUestablished an Independent review group in November 2017,co-chaired by Mary Quinn and Su Carty, to evaluate and discern thestrategic focus for the development of the women’s game inIreland.</span></span></span></span> <span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'>The planoutlined in the Women in Rugby Action Plan 2018-2023 aims toachieve the following over the course of the next fiveyears.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'>-</span></span></span> <span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'>To be a sport of equal opportunity and accessfor all</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>-</span></span></span></span><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>Tooptimise the quality of experience provided for female age-graderugbyplayers</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>-</span></span></span></span><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>Todrive a performance system that demands and supports developmentand competitiveexcellence</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>-</span></span></span></span><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'>Toincrease female participation to 20%, or more, across the game,including players, coaches, referees, volunteers andcommittees</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><b style='outline:none'><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'><span style='font-size:13.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:#0b6121'>…on the Women in Rugby Action Plan2018-2023</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span> <span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><b style='outline:none'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'>PhilipBrowne,</span></span></b> <span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'>IRFUChief Executive commented: </span></span><i style='outline:none'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'>"Toachieve our objectives for female rugby we recognise the need tobuild from grassroots to create a sustainable model for the game.This entails attracting more adult and young female players intothe game and providing sustainable and accessible opportunities toplay the game through both XVs andSevens."</span></span></i></span></span> <span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><b style='outline:none'><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'><span style='font-size:13.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:#0b6121'>…on the creation of female playerpathway</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span> <span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><b style='outline:none'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'>MaryQuinn,</span></span></b> <span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'>IRFUUnion Committee commented: </span></span><i style='outline:none'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'>"We aimto create a structured pathway which attracts young female playersto club rugby where they can progress their rugby careers throughUnder-14, Under-16 and Under-18 levels towards the seniorwomen’s game. In schools we are committed tocreating opportunities for female students to experience rugbythrough an XRugby7s and Sevenspathway. </span></span></i></span></span> <span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><i style='outline:none'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'>Increased participation through a quality playerdevelopment pathway that enables players to achieve their fullpotential. This in turn, will support an increased flow of talentthrough the Women’s AIL and provincial panels into nationalsquads."</span></span></i></span></span> <span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><b style='outline:none'><span style='font-size:inherit'><span style='font-weight:inherit'><span style='line-height:inherit'><span style='text-decoration:inherit'><span style='font-size:13.0pt'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:#0b6121'>…on driving competition at representativelevel &<br>growing female participation in Volunteerism & GameAdministration</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span> <span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><b style='outline:none'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'>SuCarty,</span></span></b> <span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'>IRFUWorld Rugby Representative, commented: "<i style='outline:none'>We aim to build depth to drive greater competitionfor representative places which will propel Ireland’srepresentative sides towards consistently strong performance levelson the international stage.</i></span></span></span></span> <span style='font-size:12pt'><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><i style='outline:none'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><span style='color:black'>We wantto grow the number of female volunteers working in support of theseprogrammes as coaches, referees, managers and administrators.Furthermore, we want this growth reflected in the governance of thegame at club, provincial and nationallevel."</span></span></i></span></span> |
