The Irish Rugby Football Union, the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive have announced today the appointment of a Chairman, Vice Chairman and a number of board members to the Oversight Board for Ireland's 2023 Rugby World Cup Bid. They have also named the Bid Ambassador.
The Oversight Board will approve bid strategy, oversee progress, liaise with the IRFU and both Governments, and ensure the delivery of a 'world class' bid for RWC 2023 in 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, has been appointed 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 will serve on the Board. Hugo is a former Irish rugby international with a successful career in business.
Philip Browne, Chief Executives of the IRFU will be a member of the board.
Páraic Duffy, Director General, GAA, will be a member of the board.
Shane Logan, CEO Ulster Rugby, will be a member of the board.
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 2 years, with final presentations being made to the World Rugby Council in May 2017.
Ireland's intention to bid to host RWC 2023 was announced at a ceremony in Armagh last November in the presence of the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, The Tanaiste, Joan Burton TD, The First Minister Peter Robinson and the deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness.
Commenting on the new board appointments and Ireland's bid Philip Browne, Chief Executive, IRFU 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 Ulster Rugby and Hugo MacNeill, who chaired the initial assessment grouping so professionally, to the RWC 2023 Bid team. They bring an extraordinary array of talent and experience to the project and we very much look forward to working with them."
"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 Donohoe and Ring and Ministers Foster and 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.”
Former Irish international and Off the Ball guest presenter Brian O'Driscoll voiced his happiness to the announcement on twitter:
Delighted to be part of Ireland's 2023 RWC Bid Board. Hopefully a great opportunity to showcase the best of Ireland.
— Brian O'Driscoll (@BrianODriscoll) May 14, 2015
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