Suttonians Host Sports Council Visit
Bud Light Tag night in Suttonians RFC had some VIP visitors last week when Irish Sports Council Chief Executive John Treacy paid a visit to see how the the game is developing at grassroots level and bringing rugby to a wider audience.
The Irish Sports Council last week announced €;3.09 million in funding for the IRFU. The grants are designed to support programmes that are based on a shared ethos of developing the grassroots of the games, growing participation numbers and embracing communities outside of the traditional base of the sport.
Bud Light Tag rugby ticks all those boxes. Tag rugby has seen huge growth in Ireland in recent seasons, and has been hugely successful in meeting the requirements set out.
The mixed social and non-contact nature of the game has brought more women into the game as well as encouraging players from non rugby backgrounds to try the game.
The 2010 Sports Council funding includes specific funding for Women in Sport and the IRFU sees Tag rugby as a key tool in the recruitment of women of all ages into the game of rugby.
Working in conjunction with community-based clubs such as Suttonians, Bud Light Tag has expanded the income streams for those clubs as well as widening their membership base to a new target market.
John Treacy, Chief Executive of the Irish Sports Council, paid a visit to one of the fast growing Bud Light Tag venues at Suttonians.
Accompanied by Scott Walker, IRFU Domestic Game Manager, and Stephen Hilditch, Chairman of the IRFU’s Domestic Game Committee, he was able to see first hand how Tag rugby is growing and how it is bringing a whole new group of people into contact with rugby clubs, as well as allowing those clubs to maximise revenue by being open in the off-season.
Related Links –
Irish Sports Council Funding Announced
Bud Light Tag All-Ireland Qualification