IRB appoint Women's Development Manager
The International Rugby Board has announced the appointment of its first ever Women’s Development Manager in the person of Susan Carty, the former President of the IRFU Women’s Rugby Committee.
“One of the key recommendations from the historic 2007 Conference on the Women’s Game was the appointment of a dedicated Development Manager for Women’s Rugby to provide the impetus for the continued growth of the Women’s Game at all levels,” said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.
“Susan will be working closely with our 116 Member Unions and six Regional Associations to ensure that the key goals of the IRB Women’s Strategic Plan are implemented and in particular to provide assistance to developing Unions in enabling them to make the Women’s Game in their country.”
Women’s Rugby is a major growth sport. Played by over 200,000 registered players worldwide across six global regions, the Women’s Game has taken a significant step forward in the past five years. Tournaments such as Women’s Rugby World Cup, which in Canada in 2006 smashed all previous broadcast and attendance records, and the inaugural Women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens, which will be hosted by Dubai next year, have highlighted the competitiveness of Women’s Rugby at International level.
“The appointment comes at a time when the Women’s Game is experiencing phenomenal global growth and interest, growth that is clearly highlighted by the 83 Unions who participated in the qualifying process for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 in Dubai,” added Lapasset.
“Competitiveness in the Women’s Game at international level is a strong feature in both fifteens and Sevens. Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010 in London promises to be the most competitive yet and is eagerly awaited within the Rugby community.
“The qualifying process for Women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 in Dubai was closely fought and illustrated how widespread the Women's Game is today with Brazil qualifying at the expense of Argentina, Thailand defeated hot favourites Kazakhstan in the Asia qualifiers.”
Thirty-one year old Carty is well qualified for the requirements of this dynamic job in one of the fastest growing sports in the world, having previously been responsible for development with particular emphasis on integration of the Women’s Game within the structures of the Irish Rugby Football Union.
“I started about six years ago, and my main interest has been development and the governance of the game,” explained Carty.
“Once we achieved integration at provincial level, then we moved to national level and with the national team being taken over by the IRFU our resources grew exponentially. If before, our numbers in the provinces at Under 13 and Under 18 levels were stagnant, after the integration, the numbers skyrocketed and the youth structures went from strength to strength,” she said. |
