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World Rugby to stump up €1 Million of IRFU's World Cup bill

The tournament is set to cost a total of €2.5 Million, but the Union can now start seeking revenue sources beyond the grant.

IRFU CHIEF EXECUTIVE Philip Browne says hosting Women’s World Cup will cost in the region of €2.5 Million with the sport’s governing body set to pay a considerable portion of that bill.

Speaking at today’s announcement that Ireland will host the 2017 tournament, Browne briefly outlined the money involved in the dual location event which would earn the Union a grant of €1 million from World Rugby (formerly the IRB).

“There’s no financial benefit for us in this. There’s a significant financial cost,” Browne said in Ballsbridge today.

“We get a grant of a million from World Rugby and the balancing cost is about €1.5 million.”

Two years out from the tournament to be held in UCD, Queen’s University and Kingspan Stadium, there is clearly ample time to attract different revenue streams, including the potential of funding from two host governments.

“We’re obviously talking to sponsors, talking to the government in the North and down here, but at the end of the day we regard it as an investment in women’s rugby and an investment in Irish rugby.”

Meanwhile, with Ireland hoping to win another major tournament from the governing body before the 2017 WRWC kicks off, Browne feels that the organisation of the tournament will be under close scrutiny before the hosts of the senior men’s 2023 Rugby World Cup are unveiled in May 2017.

“I have no doubt that we’ll be watched very carefully in how we perform in terms of putting this together and making it work.

“It’s obviously in the back of our minds that we have to make it work if we want to be successful in the 2023 bid.

“It was important that this was a tournament that was not only hosted in Dublin, but in Belfast. We’re a 32-county sport, we always have been and it gives us a great opportunity to showcase what we can do as an organisation.”

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Ireland will host the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2017

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Sean Farrell
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