IRB Begins Investment In Tier 3 Unions

[Polynesian Warrior]

IRB begins investment in Tier 3 unions

20 APRIL 2006

The International Rugby Board (IRB) today announced the details of High Performance investments for Tier 3 Unions that is part of the £30 million global strategic investment programme announced last year. Georgia, Portugal, Tunisia and Russia have been identified as key Tier 3 Unions for investment over the next three years.
“The IRB is committed to investing £1.5 million in Tier 3 High Performance initiatives as part of the strategic investment programme over the next three years. The programme is designed to increase the competitiveness of international rugby,” explained International Rugby Board Chairman Syd Millar.
“The implementation of strategic investment initiatives within our Tier 1 and 2 Unions, including high performance programmes, infrastructure projects and new tournaments is now well underway. Now we are turning our attention to developing Tier 3 Unions that have the potential to become Tier 2 Unions.”
Significant investment
“Following a recent in depth review of nine Tier 3 Unions, £900,000 will be invested in Georgia, Portugal and Tunisia. Based on the review and differing requirements Georgia and Portugal will both receive £360,000 and Tunisia £180,000 over three years. In addition Russia will receive a one-off payment of £40,000 for special project funding and we will meet with the Union this month to discuss the future development of Rugby in the country,” added Millar.
The investment comes on top of the annual development grants which the Tier 3 Unions currently receive from the IRB. The investments will be used to develop high performance strategies in terms of player and coaching programmes and to improve Union management and playing infrastructures.
“Georgia, Portugal and Russia all compete in Division 1 of the European Nations Cup that is managed by FIRA-AER (the IRB European Regional Association) in which the IRB has invested £340,000 this year in the form of a grant. Tunisia is currently attempting to qualify for the Rugby World Cup finals for the first time via Round 2 of African zone qualification.”
“The balance of the Tier 3 funding programme, which is approximately £600,000, will be invested in creating more inter-region competitions between Tier 3 Unions over the next three years. This funding is also additional to the £1.85 million that the IRB is already investing in the implementation of inter-regional competitions, providing a very important platform for the development of these Unions,” said Millar.
IRB Global Strategic Investment Programme
“This initial investment in the Tier 3 Unions is part of the £30 million, global IRB strategic investment programme that was launched last August. It further highlights the IRB’s ongoing commitment to develop the Game through a significant number of high performance initiatives across the world,” added Millar.

 

[fieldo]

The above shows why League is so far behind...

A far better game but with no eye on the future.

 

[Timbo]

Bloody good show IRB.

In my opinion, however, a certain amount of money needs to be spent in the Pacific Islands, and other top level unions, to help them compete with other sports, mainly soccer. Scotland, for example, is drowning in debt.

 

[Twizzle]

that is some significant forward planning

 

[fieldo]

Soccer is building stadiums thru out the Pacific......I know the company who is building some of them......thats a big investment.

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

Soccer is building stadiums thru out the Pacific......I know the company who is building some of them......thats a big investment.

I know ! And already they have use it for the Pacific Cup Rugby tournament while the Chinese goverment rebuilts all the Rugby stadiums for free .
Its a way for the Chinese to say thanks for the Pacific Nations not having any ties with Taiwan .


Timbo ! This is the tier 3 countries and the IRB have already invested ten of millions of dollars to the tier two nations Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, USA, Canada and Romania last year .

 

[Timbo]

Oh I appreciate that.

But something I read recently, about Scottish rugby debt, made me wonder if the IRB shouldn't be paying closer attention to tier 1 teams that are struggling.

 

[bayrep]

Scotland had a pretty good 6N's this year that put some dollars back into the coffers. With a young team on the rise give them a couple of years they will recover if they can repeat what they did this year.

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

Oh I appreciate that.

But something I read recently, about Scottish rugby debt, made me wonder if the IRB shouldn't be paying closer attention to tier 1 teams that are struggling.

Scotland Rugby just do what they like to do without even consulting their clubs, fans and sponsors which is the reason why they are in this mess .
A few years ago they decided to set up only two professional teams to compete in the Heineken cup and Celtic league without even consulting the clubs .
Club rugby in Scotland was very strong and to this day is still attracting more fans to its game than the three pro teams .
Clubs like Melrose, Watsonia, Hawick, Herriot's and Hawk's still gets over 10,000 fans to its games now and then while the 3 pro teams only manage between 1000 and 4000 .
Scotland Rugby thought that folowing Ireland's lead to provincial clubs is the way. But Ireland's provincial teams has been around for a while playing not only the touring international teams but against each other .
So thats why the Irish province clubs are the best supported teams in European Rugby .
Wales also went the same way and most didn't support it first but two of the most famous clubs in Waels (Llanelli Scarlets, Cardiff Blues) kept their own identity .

Scotland has now open the door for their three clubs to be run and own by any business or sugar daddy's .
There is now rumours that a few Sugardaddy's are trying to buy Watsonia and Melrose rugby club and enter them into the Celtic League .

 

[bayrep]

How do you know all this stuff PW ? you seem to have knowledge on most countires to the point you know what they are doing at club level.

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

When I played rugby & league at school in Auckland NZ I knew just about everything that was happening in club rugby/league in Auckland and then later the whole of NZ .
I played rugby and league after I left school and then I just start reading about all the competitions in NZ, Australia, Europe and South Africa .
I also played overseas in different clubs/teams and I just kept reading about how they are going and so on now that Im semi retire .
When Im not in NZ I also read all articals about schools, clubs, provincial rugby/league and see how my old school is doing at rugby, league, touch etc .
The internet help alot and I also travel to the pacific islands alot where they show rugby from the around the glode on their TV .

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

Im also doing my level 2 coaching course so I can go and coach oversees . Im thinking of travelling to Europe for three years and take on the role of an IRB development officer . There are over 100 Australian and Kiwi's development officers working for the IRB doing development work in the whole of Europe alone.
After that I would take that knowledge and go back to the Pacific Islands and help them out .
There's alot of oppotinuty in the Pacific Islands . You can take a team (U18, 19, 21, 7s, women, Schools 1stXV) anywhere in the world to compete while getting paid by the Samoan RFU, IRB and Samoan Goverment .
There are over 7000 register rugby players from Australia/NZ playing rugby in Europe .

 

[The Observer]

Scotland Rugby just do what they like to do without even consulting their clubs, fans and sponsors which is the reason why they are in this mess .
A few years ago they decided to set up only two professional teams to compete in the Heineken cup and Celtic league without even consulting the clubs .
Club rugby in Scotland was very strong and to this day is still attracting more fans to its game than the three pro teams .
Clubs like Melrose, Watsonia, Hawick, Herriot's and Hawk's still gets over 10,000 fans to its games now and then while the 3 pro teams only manage between 1000 and 4000 .
Scotland Rugby thought that folowing Ireland's lead to provincial clubs is the way. But Ireland's provincial teams has been around for a while playing not only the touring international teams but against each other .
So thats why the Irish province clubs are the best supported teams in European Rugby .
Wales also went the same way and most didn't support it first but two of the most famous clubs in Waels (Llanelli Scarlets, Cardiff Blues) kept their own identity .

Much to the anger of people in the rest of South Wales.

Scotland has now open the door for their three clubs to be run and own by any business or sugar daddy's .
There is now rumours that a few Sugardaddy's are trying to buy Watsonia and Melrose rugby club and enter them into the Celtic League .

I can't possibly see how club teams like Melrose will do better than the districts like Glasgow and Edinburgh. Seems like the SRU should allow private investment in the 3 district teams.

 

[roughyed8]

Club rugby in Scotland was very strong and to this day is still attracting more fans to its game than the three pro teams .
Clubs like Melrose, Watsonia, Hawick, Herriot's and Hawk's still gets over 10,000 fans to its games now and then while the 3 pro teams only manage between 1000 and 4000 ..

So what happened at the BT scottish cup final? if Watsonans etc pull 10,000 crowds for club games hoe come the crowd for this game Currie v Watsonions was only 4,726:?
www.sru.org.

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

roughhead8, this are local derby between clubs who has been around for over 100 years .
Much like the league derby between Leeds and Bradford . If your a small town in Scotland with nothing else to do I guest the local derby against your neibours is where to go and hangout .;-)