THIS week Limerick was named as a host venue for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. After submitting a strong bid, Limerick beat off stiff competition from rival applications across Europe to stage matches in the 14-nation tournament in two years’ time.
Ireland have been drawn in a group with Fiji, England and Australia. The possible ties that could be played in Thomond Park Stadium are the Fiji or Australia games.
With the fixtures not being announced until the new year, Rugby League Ireland’s Gordon Matthews is looking forward to preparing for the World cup in Limerick.
“This is something that we have been working for now for over a year. We are looking at an October date for this game and it will be an exciting time to be part of Rugby League. There was a total of 34 bids for the games and we are so lucky to have secured this marquee event for Limerick and of course for Ireland. The work done by Shannon Development and the Sports bureau cannot be underestimated”
With the World Cup now two years away, the time is now for building the game in Limerick. A city synonymous with Irish rugby league. Gordon agrees.
“We are trying to grow Rugby League slowly over the time. We have had a few false dawns in the past, we are not trying to build on the 20 clubs we have at present and move on from there”
The Limerick bid organisers, Adam Skerritt, of Shannon Development and Karen Brosnahan, of the Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau spoke this week of their delight at receiving the good news.
“This is a fantastic day for Limerick, the Shannon Region, Thomond Park, Rugby League Ireland and the Irish sporting public. Today’s announcement by the RFL is the ideal conclusion to an intensive 12 month campaign that was built on showcasing Limerick’s superb sporting infrastructure and our superbly passionate sporting people” commented Karen.
Adam Skerritt added, “For Shannon Development, the Bureau and Rugby League Ireland to secure Limerick host venue status for a global event the size and scale of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup is massive coup. It also a major endorsement of Limerick’s ever growing reputation as a world class sporting destination. We now look forward to working with all our regional partners to deliver a host city experience to remember for players and spectators alike in 2013.”
This weeks announcement outlines 18 different venues which will stage matches and reveals six other venues which will host teams during the tournament. Details of host fixtures and venues for the opening ceremony, the semi-finals and the final will be confirmed early in the New Year.
A total of 34 bids, comprising 30 stadia, 47 team training sites and 87 team base camps, were submitted to the RFL. Each of the bidding hosts underwent a detailed inspection from a 2013 team to examine the various sites venue specifications, as well as evaluating the enthusiasm and commitment of each bidding host.
Upwards of half a million people are expected to watch the 28 matches live over a six-week period in the autumn of 2013 with a further 20 million viewers from 120 countries tuning in around the world.
