The IRFU has officially launched its 150th anniversary celebrations, which will run throughout the 2024/25 campaign.
The 150th anniversary of Ireland’s inaugural men’s international rugby match, which took place between Ireland and England on 15th February 1875, will be marked with a calendar of events to celebrate the game of rugby in Ireland.
A new crest for the year was unveiled at the IRFU’s headquarters in Dublin yesterday by IRFU President Declan Madden and Chair of the 150 Working Party Paul Dean, alongside youth representatives from each of the four provinces.
There will be two 150th Internationals this season. The Wallaroos travel to face Ireland Women in Kingspan Stadium in Belfast on Saturday, 14th September. This game will also mark an important step in Scott Bemand’s side’s WXV 1 preparations.
Andy Farrell’s Men’s team will face the Wallabies in Aviva Stadium on Saturday, 30th November.
Both Ireland teams will wear specially produced one-off jerseys in association with Canterbury to mark these two fixtures. The jerseys will be unveiled on the eve of the Women’s 150th international celebration match against the Wallaroos.
This limited edition Canterbury jersey will be released on 13th September, available exclusively from Intersport Elverys.
Gilbert will also release a range of commemorative balls, which will be available soon from Intersport Elverys and GilbertRugby.com.
Together Standing Tall – the story of the history of rugby in Ireland, told by the people at the heart of the teams who have worn the green jersey, is published this week.
Beautifully illustrated with over 150 photographs from our friends at INPHO photographic agency, it captures the richness of the story of Irish rugby: an epic tale of guts, grit and glory. It will be available in bookshops nationwide from 5 September.
A ‘Magic Moments’ series showcasing iconic moments from the history of Irish Rugby has launched today on the IRFU’s Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube channels and will continue each week throughout the season.
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Celebrations
A Gala dinner celebrating the achievements of Ireland’s Grand Slam successes will take place in the RDS, Dublin, on the eve of the Men’s international against the Wallabies and is a 1,600 sell-out with proceeds on the night and throughout the year, going to the IRFU Charitable Trust.
A ‘Services to Rugby’ medal will pay tribute to those who help grow the game at the grassroots level. One of the flagship events will be the inaugural ‘Rugby in Ireland Day’ in Spring 2025. It will showcase Clubs and encourage them to open their doors to existing and new members within their communities through a comprehensive online guide.
The IRFU 150 will help showcase the work of the ‘Spirit of Rugby’ department through a number of exciting initiatives, including support around Disability Festivals, highlighting the development of the Youth Council, and hosting a series of webinars across a range of topics reflecting the changing face of the game in Ireland. The season will also include an LGBTQI+ Pride Tournament in the summer of 2025.
The IRFU and An Post have also collaborated to produce a special postmark that will launch this October. This will set the scene for the issue of two commemorative postage stamps in 2025.
The 150th celebrations will conclude with the British & Irish Lions facing Argentina in Aviva Stadium for the first time on Irish soil on Friday, June 20th 2025.
A number of other exciting partnerships and initiatives will take place over the coming months, with more exciting announcements to follow. Some of these will involve Sport for Business and our membership.
Heritage
“The IRFU is proud of its heritage and its standing in Clubs, Schools and Provinces across the island over the last 150 years,” said Declan Madden, IRFU President.
“The story of rugby in Ireland is one of overcoming adversity and thriving at all levels and we are proud to be a part of a modern, inclusive and diverse organisation for men and women, boys and girls.”
“Our values of respect, inclusivity, excellence and fun underpin all of our work. The 150 Working Group, chaired by Paul Dean, has worked hard over the last two years to create an engaging calendar of events to help remember our proud past and inspire future generations to the game. We have received huge backing from our brilliant partners including Vodafone, Canterbury, Guinness and Gilbert and we are grateful to them and all our partners for their support.”
“While the game of rugby has been played for more than 150 years, this season we are marking Ireland’s first international match, which was against England in February 1875.”
“Our objectives are as follows: to celebrate the past, frame the present and look to the future of Irish rugby. In creating a calendar of events that brings together the Irish Rugby community we are aiming to deliver world-class, memorable and inclusive occasions for all and inspire future generations to participate at all levels of the Game.”
Awareness
“We have an exciting calendar of events to drive awareness throughout the season,” added Paul Dean, Chair of the 150 Working Group.
“On September 14th we are proud to welcome the Wallaroos to Belfast to face Ireland Women in a mouth-watering game which will whet the appetite for supporters in Ireland.”
“The team will wear a specially commissioned Canterbury jersey which will be worn in this game and in the Ireland Men’s game against Australia in November. ‘Together Standing Tall’, a book telling the story of Ireland’s 150 Years, hits the shelves this month, while in November we will be hosting a Gala ball which will be a 1,600 sell out in the RDS on the eve of the Men’s 150 game.”
“Our ‘Magic Moments’ series kicks off today across the IRFU’s social media channels, where we remember some iconic moments from the story of Irish rugby to engage with supporters of all ages, while we are also proud to partner with the IRFU Charitable Trust this year across a number of our initiatives.”
“We will be engaging with the community game with our Services to Rugby medals and through the Rugby in Ireland Day next Spring, and we will work with the Spirit of Rugby department around specially themed festivals for Disability rugby.”
“The 150th celebrations will conclude with the British & Irish Lions facing Argentina in Aviva Stadium for the first time on Irish soil on Friday, June 20th 2025. This will be a memorable occasion for everyone connected with Irish rugby. There will be a few more surprises still to come over the coming months which we look forward to sharing in due course, but it all shapes up to be a memorable season for Irish rugby.”
Sport for Business Context
Sport is so often about looking forward. It is a virtue to focus on the next ball, the next game, and the next opportunity to shine.
But looking backwards allows us to realise the value of sport in so many ways and in so many areas of our lives.
It is the memories of moments past that inspire us to keep on going, remind us of the why behind what we do, and create the foundation of what inspires others to follow in our footsteps.
This promises to be a great programme of events to mark the 150th anniversary of Rugby in Ireland.
Sport for Business, in partnership with Allianz, will hold the 2024 Sport for Business Sport for Social Good Conference on Thursday, October 24th. This is one of ten events currently planned for the remainder of 2024.
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