Unions resisted women’s rugby until grassroots & public pressure forced change
Rather than build for a different game & demographic, they replicated the men’s model
A model that loses money
Negative for growth of women’s rugby & a threat to all Union’s economic viability
On the positive side, the Irish Times & GT now know there’s a Women’s AIL… 😉😝😬
Seán O’Brien handed 10-week suspension by IRFU after verbally abusing official at Women’s AIL match dlvr.it/TVTGFp
The Govt’s 40% mandate confused diversity with inclusion
More women on boards is diversity
Giving women’s sport a real voice is inclusion
Too many NGBs exploited that distinction & ticked the gender box with handpicks
Whilst keeping genuine advocates for the women’s game out
Mary McAleese: "I hate to say this but I suspect that there are people who are not entirely happy about the idea of including women in decision making at the top level of Gaelic sports."
Nine of 19 in the #GAA Management Committee room are female.
Wait til I tells ya how we are organising Irish women’s rugby on how the English King James I carved up Ireland in 1610 ☺️
And we’ve a greenfield site too 🤯
‘Why are we so wedded to the county system – a British system?’: Pat Gilroy on the GAA’s future dlvr.it/TVDKrb
A Limerick win, video calls from friends & family in Croker, and a morning walk & swim on the beach
Not the worst Sunday!
10 yrs from hosting a WC, €9.5m pa spend & still completely irrelevant as a competitor for athletes
Olympics, WS, 6N & WC to offer
These 44 athletes alone would push for medals
15+ yrs of same people & same IRFU domestic structure
Utter unaccountable institutional failure
‘They talk down to them and that must change’ — Mick Bohan calls for more respect in ladies football buff.ly/3z6LCy6
This is excellent by BJ
DH’s comments on the future of Irish women’s rugby are also revealing
Not because of what they propose
Because they expose a fundamental difference between how the IRFU leadership views the women’s game & how many involved in it experience it
Annual chat with David Humphreys raises more questions than answers for Irish rugby independent.ie/sport/bernard…
We’ve increased the spend on women’s rugby from just over €1m to €9.5m
But it hasn’t gone to clubs, volunteers or players
Where’s it being spent? Is this value for money?
How much more do we spend with pro provinces? Has DH costed this?
Where will these train & play?
Desperately sad to hear this
I was only talking to him at the Scotland game in the Aviva
He gave so much to women’s rugby when it wasn’t fashionable or funded
Sadly, he wasn’t always treated with the respect he deserved
If I can indulge, this is my favourite Goose story…
We are all deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former Ireland Women’s Head Coach Philip ‘Goose’ Doyle.
Philip was a pioneering and transformative coach in the women’s game in Ireland, most memorably guiding us to a famous Grand Slam in 2013.
Everyone at Irish Rugby is thinking of Philip’s family and friends at this sad time.
Goose got back into the car for Gorey & started ringing
No answer
So he rang again
And again
He told me he rang solid for 90 minutes in traffic until the phone was finally answered, at which point he called the chap out on his bs