Hot on the heels of winning the bid to host the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2017 the IRFU moved yesterday to give heft and authority to the bid to land the Men’s version, the third largest sporting event in the world, for 2023.
It has announced the first six members of an Oversight Board which will approve bid strategy, oversee progress, liaise with the IRFU and the Governments of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and ensure the delivery of a ‘world class’ bid to host RWC 2023 on the island of Ireland.
Dick Spring, former Tánaiste and Irish rugby international, has been appointed Chairman of the Board.
Dr. David Dobbin, Group Chief Executive, Dale Farm and Chairman of the Management Committee of the Ulster Branch IRFU, will be Vice-Chairman of the Board.
Brian O’Driscoll, the world’s most capped international rugby player, has been appointed to the board with the title of Bid Ambassador.
Hugo MacNeill, who was Chair of the joint RWC Working Group, is now carrying that work through as a member of this Board. His experience in the business world, his very close connection to Rugby leaders around the world and his experience of collaboration and action through the Ireland Funds will be invaluable as part of the team.
The appointment of Paraic Duffy can be seen as a real statement of intent that this will be an inclusive bid focused on getting things done. Detailed negotiation will have to take place between the two sporting authorities on the facilities that will be at the heart of the bid and it makes perfect sense, though might not have happened in traditional ways of thinking, to have the GAA at the heart of the process rather than just a service provider.
Philip Browne, Chief Executive of the IRFU and Shane Logan, CEO of Ulster Rugby and fresh from a double success of winning the Guinness Pro12 Final and the Women’s Rugby World Cup final for Kingspan Stadium are the other two board members announced today.
Further appointments including individuals with sporting, business and major events experience will be made in the coming weeks.
Initial preparations for Ireland’s bid process are well advanced with tenders already issued by the IRFU’s Bid Team for work on a number of areas such as finance, logistics, stadia selection, ticketing and marketing.
World Rugby will formally launch the RWC 2023 Host Selection process with a briefing for interested member Unions in Twickenham in June. The bid tender process will last some two years, with final presentations being made to the World Rugby Council in May 2017.
Commenting on the new board appointments and Ireland’s bid, IRFU Chief Executive Philip Browne said: “I would like to welcome our Chairman Dick Spring, Vice Chairman David Dobbin, Bid Ambassador Brian O’Driscoll, Páraic Duffy, Director General of the GAA, Shane Logan, CEO of Ulster Rugby, and Hugo MacNeill, who chaired the initial assessment grouping so professionally, to the RWC 2023 Bid team.
“This Board brings an extraordinary array of talent and experience to the project and we very much look forward to working with them,” said Philip Browne.
“This is a very exciting opportunity for Ireland and while competition will be fierce for what is one of the most prized events in world sport, we will leave no stone unturned in putting together a world class case for Ireland to host what would be a hugely successful Rugby World Cup in 2023.
“We already have unqualified support from every quarter, with both Governments fully behind the bid. At this juncture I would like to thank Ministers Paschal Donohoe and Michael Ring and Ministers Arlene Foster and Carál Ní Chuilín for their unstinting support to date. I also look forward to working with Minister Jonathan Bell in the coming years.”
“Ireland’s record in supporting international events and fixtures shows that we could look forward to full stadia throughout the tournament with the perfect mix of stadia in place, from intimate venues suitable for pool matches, right up to Croke Park with its 82,000 capacity, and all within easy travelling distance of one another.”
“As a well established international tourism destination, we can comfortably handle significant numbers of travelling supporters, providing them with ease of access and a mix of accommodation to meet every visitor’s needs.”
“Finally, given our proximity to major rugby markets, timeline location and the array of major international firms with European bases here I believe Ireland would deliver a highly successful commercial event.”
“Since we launched our bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023, the hard work has begun in earnest,” added Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD.
“Today marks another stage in a journey that will hopefully end with a successful bid.”
Minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment in the Northern Ireland Assembly, Jonathan Bell concluded “It is important that we have a strong team to deliver a winning bid for 2023 and I am sure both Dick Spring and David Dobbin will oversee and guide the bid process in an exceptionally professional manner.”
