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Excitement Builds as Countdown to 2025 Atlantic Youth Touch Cup Begins

Excitement Builds as Countdown to 2025 Atlantic Youth Touch Cup Begins

The Official Launch of the 2025 Atlantic Youth Cup took place recently at the University of Limerick Arena. The competition which is organised by the Federation of International Touch (FIT) in conjunction with the Ireland Touch Association (ITA), will feature national underage teams competing across seven grades from U-15 to U-20. This will be the largest international Touch Rugby tournament ever held in Ireland.

The Launch was attended by several dignitaries such as Mayor of Limerick John Moran, FIT Directors Chris Simon and Michael Abromowitz, Munster Rugby President Brendan Foley as well as representatives from the ITA, UL Events, UL Sport and the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau.

Touch Rugby is a fast-paced, non-contact version of rugby that prioritises skill, speed, and spatial awareness and is growing in popularity across Ireland. The game is widely recognised in Australia and New Zealand for its role in developing young rugby players. Locally the sport is governed by the ITA with teams such as Munster Touch Rugby Club in Limerick and clubs in Dublin, Galway, Belfast, Athlone, Wicklow and Portlaoise. On the international stage, Ireland entered 7 teams in last year’s Touch World Cup while our underage teams have competed at every Junior European Championships since 2014 and entered the inaugural Atlantic Youth Touch Cup in Nottingham in 2023.

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Scheduled to run from 31st July to 3rd August, it is expected that this prestigious underage Touch Rugby competition will attract more than 30 teams from up to a dozen nations to the world-class facilities at UL. The event will also be a major boost to the local economy and to sports tourism in Limerick.

Speaking at the Official Launch, Michelle Mulcahy, Director of the Ireland Touch Association (ITA), said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been selected to host the Atlantic Youth Touch Cup in Limerick. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our renowned Irish hospitality to visiting teams from Europe, South Africa, and the USA. It’s not only about the sport – we also want to highlight Ireland’s beautiful Wild Atlantic Way and create lasting memories for everyone involved.”

University of Limerick worked with Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau on the bid to attract the event to the region, with the support of Failte Ireland and Limerick City Council.

David Ward, UL Events, University of Limerick said: “The state-of-the-art sports campus at UL Sport will provide an ideal setting for the competition, offering convenient access to pitches, accommodation, and facilities for players, referees, and supporters. In recent years we’ve hosted World & European Championships for a wide variety of sports including Flag Football, Archery, Lacrosse, Chess and many more. With the addition of the Atlantic Youth Touch Cup, UL is reinforcing its reputation as a go-to destination for major international tournaments.

For more information about the event and about Touch Rugby in Ireland, click here, or follow on Ireland Touch Rugby Facebook and Instagram pages.