Ulster Rugby vs Exeter Chiefs

Alastair Ross MLA, Chair of the All Party Assembly Group on Rugby, hosted a Breakfast Briefing Reception in Parliament Buildings on Tuesday morning to provide an update on its progress over the past five years. ALL PARTY ASSEMBLY GROUP ON RUGBY

Ulster Rugby Chief Executive, Shane Logan, highlighted the valuable contribution made by the All Party Group to date, and discussed its importance for the continued growth of rugby in Ulster, including the hosting of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Belfast next August and the potential benefits of Ireland hosting the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The event at Stormont was attended by 17 MLAs, in addition to First Minister, Arlene Foster, and Ulster Rugby players Chris Henry, Darren Cave and Stuart McCloskey. Speaking at the briefing, Alastair Ross MLA said, “It is vitally important to work in partnership and hopefully the All Party Group will continue to play a positive role in developing the game of rugby across Ulster. “We also recognise that sporting organisations are often better placed than statutory agencies to deliver important programmes in the community and Ulster Rugby has successfully done just that with many Department for Communities’ social strategies. “The ambition is to get more people playing rugby. We want to help Ulster Rugby to grow the game in non-traditional areas, to grow female and disability rugby, and to support clubs and schools in terms of improving their infrastructure. “We want to make sure there is adequate investment in terms of grassroots rugby and we need to make sure the levels of investment in rugby are at the same levels as football and GAA. “It is important to help the professional game in Ulster to be competitive and we have been

delighted to see the progress the senior Ulster side has made over the past five or six years. “We have successfully supported bids for Kingspan Stadium to host the 2015 PRO12 Final and the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup. It is also important to acknowledge that the current bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup is another massive opportunity for us in many ways.” Shane Logan said he was delighted with the impact the All Party Working Group has made to date and is excited about what it can deliver for rugby in the future. “The Working Group, chaired by Alastair, has helped us to deliver on practical issues and has allowed us to make an impact both within the community and in the professional game. “Over the past few years, with the support of the Northern Ireland Executive, we have had 20,000 people from some of the most deprived backgrounds taking part in rugby programmes. Female rugby and disability rugby have grown significantly in that time also, and we have a world class facility at Kingspan Stadium, which the entire community can benefit from. “While there is still a long way to go, particularly to ensure that our clubs receive greater investment in their facilities, it’s reassuring to know that the All Party Working Group is committed to helping us achieve this. The opportunities around the Rugby World Cup events in 2017 and 2023 are huge, and it’s important that we capitalise on these.”

BIG OPPORTUNITIES IN THE YEARS AHEAD

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