In six months’ time, the first International Tag Federation World Cup to ever take place in the northern hemisphere finally kicks off in Limerick after a two-year delay.
Starting on Wednesday 2nd August, the four-day event will see 2,000 tag rugby players and their entourage from 20 nations descend on the City.
The international tournament is expected to be worth between €4M and €5M to the local economy over the bank holiday weekend. Visitor numbers to the city will be boosted further by tag players and supporters from all over Ireland and abroad wanting to watch the world’s best tag players in action.
360 matches will be played between Wednesday 2nd and Saturday 5th of August and, with some games taking place under floodlights, it will undoubtedly add to the atmosphere of what is the biggest and most exciting tournament in the Tag Rugby world calendar.
“It’s full steam ahead with preparations at the moment and we’re delighted with how our plans are developing,” said Peadar Niland, Tournament Director at the Irish Tag Rugby Association.
“The facilities at UL mean that this will be the first World Cup to have a ‘Tag Village’ where the fields, accommodation, gym and all facilities required are within walking distance for players, referees and officials. This is a huge advantage in terms of logistics and delivering a world-class atmosphere.”
“There is a huge contingent travelling from the Southern Hemisphere and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Irish public to see the best taggers in the world compete,” added Simon Bewley, International Tag Federation Board Member.
Over 100 men’s, women’s and mixed teams will compete under various aged and open categories with Ireland entering teams across all 13 categories.
Limerick’s success in winning the bid was first announced in 2019. The World Cup was due to take place in 2021 but was delayed due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.
The joint bid was led by the UL Conference and Sports Campus and the Irish Tag Rugby Association with the support of Limerick Council, Failte Ireland and the Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau.
This will be the first time a northern hemisphere country will host the Tag Rugby World Cup. The three previous International Tag Federation World Cups were held in New Zealand (2012) and Australia (2015, 2018).
