The IRFU have apologised for their failings to the Irish women's rugby team after finishing their internal report on the running of women's rugby in Ireland.
The IRFU have promised to put €1 million towards the women's game as well, increasing the budget to €4 million in total. This news comes the day after the resignation of Anthony Eddy as the IRFU director of sevens rugby and women's rugby with immediate effect. Eddy has come under fire in the last six months after Ireland failed to qualify to the World Rugby taking place this year, especially after his comments that the IRFU weren't neglecting the women's game.
IRFU Apology to Women's Team
Following receiving the independent report IRFU Chief Executive Officer Kevin Potts apologised to the players while also leaving a lengthy statement.
Rugby is a values-based sport and the IRFU is a values-based organisation. Our vision for Irish Rugby, as set out in our Strategic Plan 2018 – 2023, is based on ‘Building success together’. We have fallen short of this aspiration in our women’s game. However, we are committed to putting this right and we regard the recommendations of this independent review as a solid basis from which to reignite the long-term development of women’s rugby in Ireland.
Potts also confirmed that they will create new roles in the IRFU including Head of Women's Performance along with many other designed to help fix the women's game.
We have already agreed a number of actions informed by the review and are taking additional steps over and above those outlined in the report, to support the Women’s game. Today we are announcing two major appointments: firstly, the immediate recruitment of a full time Women’s XV National Team Programme Manager and, secondly, the recruitment of a new Head of Women’s Performance and Pathways position to oversee the Women’s XVs and Sevens Performance Pathways and teams. The performance role will be advertised in the coming days. We will provide further updates in due course.
You can read the rest of the statement on the IRFU website.
The full report wasn't published as the IRFU said it would be last year but they have released the 30 recomendations from Amanda Bennett's report.
See Also: Ireland's 2016 U20 World Championship Finalists: Where Are They Now?
