Women's rugby gets €3.5m cash injection ahead of inaugural Lions tour

16 APR, 2024 - 06:00
Simon Lewis- Irish Examiner

The IRFU invest its portion of the funds to develop a “Coach Accelerator Scholarship Programme” and host additional women’s U18 and U20 camps and training matches.

Women’s rugby has received a massive €3.5m cash injection from the founding partner of the inaugural British & Irish Lions Women’s team, designed to bolster both elite player development and the grassroots game across Ireland and the UK.

Insurance and investment company Royal London, which funded the feasibility study that concluded a Women’s tour was possible, has announced it was ploughing its cash, to be divided by the four constituent Lions nations of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, into supporting the long-term growth of the game ahead of a historic first tour to New Zealand in 2027.

In conjunction with its Lions funding announcement, Royal London also unveiled Ireland player Aoibheann Reilly as its new brand ambassador.

The scrum-half, who starred in her country’s first victory of the 2024 Women’s Six Nations last Saturday, a 36-5 win over Wales in Cork, said: “I’m delighted to announce that I’ve become an ambassador for Royal London and Royal London Ireland.

“From my experience playing at club level, and now international level, I know first-hand the investment needed in the women’s game to nurture and develop talent, and it’s fantastic to see Royal London stepping up and supporting its long-term growth across the four nations.”

The €3.5m grant, entitled the “Levelling The Playing Field” programme will see the IRFU invest its portion of the funds to develop a “Coach Accelerator Scholarship Programme” and host additional women’s U18 and U20 camps and training matches. The Irish governing body for the game said it would also “work with universities to identify future talent and unearth potential high-performance players”.

The IRFU explained its “Coach Accelerator Scholarship Program” will accelerate coach capability and long-term career progression with a specific emphasis on removing gender-related career barriers. Coaches will be supported by high-performance mentors throughout the scholarship program. The IRFU will also work with universities to identify future talent and unearth potential high-performance players.

The inaugural Lions Women’s Tour to New Zealand begins in September 2027 and will include three Tests against the 2024 world champion Black Ferns as well as pre-Test fixtures.

British & Irish Lions chief executive Ben Calveley said: “Supporting the growth of the women’s game is a key strategic priority for The British & Irish Lions as it is for each of our constituent Unions.

“Royal London’s 'Levelling the Playing Field’ grant represents a significant investment into the women’s game in the four Unions and will make a positive impact on women’s rugby. Royal London are an outstanding partner to The British & Irish Lions and a consistent advocate both for the Lions Women’s Tour and for the women’s game. We look forward to working closely with them over the coming years as we build towards this historic Tour in 2027.”