A Connacht Rugby E-Newsletter January 2019 Stronger in Green

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STRONGER IN GREEN

A CONNACHT RUGBY E-NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2019 STRONGER IN GREEN

13. DATES FOR THE DIARY Some of the important games coming up at The Sportsground 03. CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS 06. PRO TEAM RESULTS until the end of March. A message from Liam Rattigan, The season so far. Chairman of the Board of Connacht Rugby. 07. SPORTSGROUND REDEVELOPMENT All the latest on the redevelopment of The Sportsground.

11. PLAYER AMBASSADOR 04. PROGRAMME 26 clubs learned who their pro PRO TEAM player ambassadors are at last UPDATE week's launch. Head Coach Andy Friend 12. MATCH DISCOUNTS reflects on his first six New discounts are now months in the role and looks available to Connacht Clubs & ahead to a crucial period in Schools. the season. 09. 2 CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS

It gives me great pleasure to plans from people throughout the launch the inaugural Connacht Rugby province and indeed from public rep- E-Newsletter. This quarterly publica- resentatives throughout the country. tion is an opportunity to update peo- There is still a journey ahead to realise ple in the wider Connacht Rugby family, our ambition and the Board of Connacht on key developments in areas like gov- Rugby, along with the CEO and his senior ernance, grassroots rugby, operations management team will continue to work and the professional team. It will be an tirelessly to deliver this project for the opportunity to highlight some of the key entire region. events and activities that have taken place in Connacht Rugby over the past Throughout the past few months it’s few months and take a little look for- hard not to be impressed by the cul- ward at what is to come in the months ture, values and passion that charac- ahead. terises the game in Connacht, espe- cially the hard work and dedication of As Chairman of the Board of Connacht the staff of Connacht Rugby and vol- Rugby, I am privileged to oversee the unteers throughout every corner of the beat all other three provinces on their modernisation of governance in the province. The voluntary ethos of every- march to victory. I would like to con- organisation during a truly historic period one associated with rugby in Connacht is gratulate all the players and coaches in of great change. Two of the key priori- the lifeblood of the organisation. I would delivering these historic achievements. ties embodied in the Vision for Connacht personally like to take this opportunity to The other historic achievement has been Rugby Grassroots to Green Shirts, are thank all those who continually volunteer the emergence of Beibhinn Parsons from to deliver a fit for purpose governance their time, whether it be players, coaches, Ballinasloe RFC. In November, Beibhinn structure and to deliver facilities that club officials, referees, stewards, par- became the youngest player ever capped match our ambition. ents, teachers, committee members, for Ireland at the age of just 16. An incred- supporters and a whole range of oth- ible achievement for her, her family and Over the past eighteen months we ers who give of their time. Your efforts everyone involved with the promotion of have now implemented an entire new do not go unnoticed and you represent rugby in Ballinasloe. governance structure for the organi- everything that is good about Connacht sation which has brought the responsi- Rugby. Finally, I would like to wish you all a bility and management of the domestic successful 2019 both on and off the field. and professional game under the one On the field, we also had two out- umbrella. This is a historic first among standing successes in 2018 that point the four provinces in implementing this to a bright future for the province when change and it is ensuring a closer align- the Boys Under 18 and Girls Under 18 Liam Rattigan ment and coordination of the good work teams both won their respective inter- Chairman of the being done at all levels. Another historic provincial competitions. Both teams Board of Connacht Rugby occasion has been the election of election of Ann Heneghan as the first female Junior Vice President of Connacht Rugby in 2018. ABOUT THE BOARD In embarking on a necessary jour- • Connacht Rugby is governed by a board of suitably qualified individuals with re- ney to deliver facilities that match our sponsibilities in areas such as Club and Community Rugby, Finance, Operations, ambition, the key development over the past few months has been the announce- Professional Rugby and Commercial Activity. ment of the redevelopment plans for the • Individual board members chair a range of committees under their areas of re- Sportsground. The announcement has sponsibility. been the culmination of a huge amount • The new governance structures in Connacht Rugby mean that the board is re- of work going on behind the scenes over sponsible for both professional rugby and the grassroots game, a number of years. Since the announce- ensuring greater co-ordination and co-operation throughout all areas of rugby in ment was made in October, we have the province. received widespread support for the

3 In July I had the honour of being appointed Head Coach of Connacht "THE DIFFERENCE Rugby. I can honestly say it’s a journey I have being enjoying every minute of. Over the past seven months or so that I IS THE PEOPLE" have been here, people have constantly asked me, what is it that makes Connacht different? And my response is the same now as it was on day one – it’s the peo- AFTER SIX MONTHS IN THE ROLE OF ple! From the day that I met Willie Ruane HEAD COACH, ANDY FRIEND HAS and members of the Board of Connacht Rugby I was immediately struck by the BEEN LOOKING BACK ON HIS TIME ambition and passion that they had for SO FAR IN THE WEST OF IRELAND rugby and for the West of Ireland. When I met the players and staff, that ambition was just as strong.

I said from the start that I don’t see my job being to radically change any- thing. There is such a good group of players and coaches here, so I see that my role is to provide guidance and support so that players and coaches can flourish, and we can deliver performances on the pitch that everyone can be proud of.

The other major factor in our progress this season has been the role of our supporters for both home and away games. When we travelled to South Africa a group of about 80 made their way over for the two games and made themselves heard – thankfully we delivered back to back wins to send them home happy.

As for the home support, what can I say. The atmosphere in the Sportsground has been absolutely incredible. Particularly over the Christmas inter- pro games people voted with their feet and the stadium was sold out for three weeks in a row. That support has a huge impact on what happens out on the pitch as it is obvious that the community is fully behind this team. Every team that comes to the Sportsground arrives here with a strong side expecting a difficult game, and the home support acts as a genuine 16th man for us.

In terms of highlights so far there has been a few. Of course the victories stand out, but it’s the manner of some of those victories that I’m most proud of. At different stages in the season we have placed trust in our younger less experi- enced players, some of whom are still in the Academy, and they have delivered for 4 us every time. Going to Perpignan and coming away with a bonus point win was an example of the depth we now have in the squad and some of the younger players really shone for us that night.

Off the field, the trips we have had out into the community were real stand out occasions. We have visited Ballina and Gort so far this season with more trips to come. We have also launched the Club Ambassador Programme where all the 26 clubs in the province have been assigned at least two players. Depending on the needs of the club, the players will help out throughout the season. This ensures that link with our players & grassroots rugby is alive and well throughout the province.

Our aim is to continue to improve game after game after game and be involved at the business end of the season in both competitions. At the half way point in the season we are on course to do that, but the job is only half done.

"There is such a good group of players and coaches around the group, my role is to provide guidance and support so that the players and coaches can flourish."

5 THE SEASON SO FAR ATET QUOSA EARIO NEQUASP ERIBUSDAE. SATURDAY 1st SEPTEMBER CONNACHT 26-27 GLASGOW @ THE SPORTSGROUND

SATURDAY 8th SEPTEMBER CONNACHT 32-12 ZEBRE @ THE SPORTSGROUND

FRIDAY 15th SEPTEMBER EDINBURGH 17-10 CONNACHT @ MURRAYFIELD

SATURDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER CONNACHT 33-20 SCARLETS @ THE SPORTSGROUND

SATURDAY 29tH SEPTEMBER CONNACHT 3-20 LEINSTER @ THE SPORTSGROUND

FRIDAY 5th OCTOBER ULSTER 15-22 CONNACHT @ KINGSPAN STADIUM

SATURDAY 13th OCTOBER CONNACHT 22-10 BORDEAUX @ THE SPORTSGROUND

SATURDAY 20th OCTOBER SALE SHARKS 34-13 CONNACHT @ AJ BELL STADIUM

FRIDAY 26th OCTOBER OSPREYS 22-17 CONNACHT @ BREWERY FIELD

SATURDAY 3rd NOVEMBER CONNACHT 33-12 DRAGONS @ THE SPORTSGROUND

SUNDAY 25th NOVEMBER SOUTHERN KINGS 14-31 CONNACHT @ MADIBAZ STADIUM

SATURDAY 1st DECEMBER CHEETAHS 17-21 CONNACHT @ TOYOTA STADIUM

SATURDAY 8th DECEMBER CONNACHT 22-10 PERPIGNAN @ THE SPORTSGROUND

FRIDAY 14th DECEMBER PERPIGNAN 21-36 CONNACHT @ STADE AIME GIRAL

SATURDAY 22nd DECEMBER LEINSTER 33-29 CONNACHT @ RDS ARENA

FRIDAY 28th DECEMBER CONNACHT 21-12 ULSTER @ THE SPORTSGROUND

SATURDAY 5th JANUARY CONNACHT 24-31 MUNSTER @ THE SPORTSGROUND

SATURDAY 12th JANUARY CONNACHT 20-18 SALE SHARKS @ THE SPORTSGROUND 6 FACILITIES TO MATCH OUR AMBITION

"A stadium that the people of the West of Ireland can be immensely proud of.”

7 In October Connacht Rugby Infrastructure Fund, and private funding. announced historic re-development plans for the Sportsground. By The arrangement with the Irish €30m December, a formal planning application Greyhound Board will ensure that rugby The total cost of was submitted to Galway City Council. fixtures and greyhound racing events the project Since the project has been announced, will continue to be staged at the venue. it has been met with widespread support The multi-use facility will also be made particularly during the public consul- available for the hosting of other sporting tation process where members of the fixtures and events where such demand public had the opportunity to view the arises. plans and make submissions and sug- €34.4m gestions on the proposals. When completed, the development Connacht Rugby's annual will provide a strategic benefit not just contribution to the local The project will deliver a modern, fit to Connacht Rugby but to the entire economy for purpose rugby stadium in addition to region explains CEO of Connacht Rugby, a new high-performance training centre Willie Ruane; “A key pillar of the vision for for Connacht Rugby while also retaining Connacht Rugby, Grassroots to Green existing greyhound racing facilities. The Shirts, is to deliver facilities that match redevelopment plan has been made pos- our ambition. The plans for the stadium 130 The number of people sible following an arrangement reached redevelopment include a high-perfor- employed through between the Irish Greyhound Board and mance training centre to provide both Connacht Rugby the freehold owners of the Sportsground, our existing professional players as the Galway Agricultural and Sports well as our emerging talent access to Society, with respect to a shared vision appropriate facilities to enable them to for the future of the Sportsground. fulfil their potential and go on to per- form at the highest level. Independent The project was launched following economic research carried out in 2016, a rigorous process to identify the opti- found that Connacht Rugby contributes mum location, composition and design €34.4 million to the regional economy. of the proposed new re-development in The delivery of this project will increase addition to an independent cost benefit that contribution and provide a beacon analysis. The development will cost in the for regional development in the West of region of €30m and will have a capacity Ireland. Our vision is to ensure that the It is envisaged that games will con- of 12,000 spectators. It is intended that province has a stadium which future gen- tinue to be played in the Sportsground the development will be funded through erations of sports stars, supporters and while construction takes place, as the a combination of public funds, most all the people of the West of Ireland can project will be completed on a phased notably through the Large Scale Sports be immensely proud of.” basis.

8 PHOTO GALLERY

It's been a busy period for Connacht Rugby both on and off the field. Here's our favourite selection of pictures that best sum up the last few months.

9 10 The Ambassador Programme is an the professional players and the 26 clubs initiative where every member of the is central to our core purpose. professional squad is appointed as an ambassador to a club throughout the From the players perspective, it province. For the 26 clubs in the prov- also allows individuals to strengthen ince they then have at least two and in their connections with different areas some cases three players to work with in the province. In the case of Eoghan them throughout the year. Masterson he will continue his family links with Westport as he is appointed Each ambassador will visit their club ambassador with Westport RFC. “My for a range of specialist coaching ses- family are from Westport and I have a sions and seminars throughout the sea- huge connection with the area, so I am son depending on the needs of each indi- delighted to be giving something back. I vidual club. The purpose of last week's The link between the clubs and the pro launch was to formally introduce play- team is really important and it is a mutual ers to their respective clubs and make benefit. plans for visits throughout the remain- der of the season.

At the launch on Tuesday night, Head of Club and Community Joe Gorham spoke of the importance for the programme for the clubs and for player development; “We are delighted to be getting this initiative off the ground again this season. The core purpose of our Grassroots to Green Shirts vision is to inspire the community through rugby success. Getting professional players out into the community and strengthening the link between PLAYER AMBASSADOR AMBASSADOR PLAYER 2018/19 LAUNCH

11 12 DATES FOR THE DIARY

SATURDAY 10th FEBRUARY WOMEN'S LEAGUE FINAL

TUESDAY 12tH FEBRUARY (TBC) CONNACHT RUGBY PROZONE: SCRUMS

SATURDAY 16th FEBRUARY CONNACHT V CHEETAHS

W/E 2nd/3rd MARCH JUNIOR 1A/1B/1c LEAGUE FINAL ROUNDS

SATURDAY 2nd MARCH CONNACHT V OSPREYS

SUNDAY 3rd MARCH (TBC) U14, U16 & U18 GIRLS CUP FINALS

TOP OIL SCHOOLS SENIOR DEVELOPMENT, SENIOR A & JU- WEDNESDAY 13th MARCH (TBC) NIOR A CUP FINALS

TOP OIL SCHOOLS JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT, SENIOR EMERG- WEDNESDAY 20th MARCH (TBC) ING AND JUNIOR EMERGING CUP FINALS

W/E 22nd/23rd/24th MARCH CONNACHT V BENETTON

SUNDAY 24th MARCH (TBC) JUNIOR CUP AND JUNIOR PLATE FINALS

SUNDAY 31st MARCH (TBC) WOMEN'S CUP and WOMEN'S PLATE FINALS

SUNDAY 7th APRIL U14, U16, U18.5 BOYS CUP FINALS

SATURDAY 13th APRIL CONNACHT RUGBY AWARDS BALL

SUNDAY 14th APRIL U13, U15 & U17 BOYS CUP FINALS

MON 15th - FRI 26th APRIL TOTAL HEALTH CONNACHT RUGBY EASTER CAMPS