Social Affairs

Limerick wins bid to host 2021 Tag Rugby World Cup

Event is expected to attract up to 3,500 international participants to the region

From left to right: Ellen O’Sullivan, Women’s Irish tag rugby team, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr James Collins, Lesley Walsh, Women’s Irish tag rugby team and Paul Clinch, Men’s over 50s Irish tag rugby team at the University of Limerick to launch the 2021 Tag Rugby World Cup which will take place in Limerick Photograph: Oisin McHugh/True Media
Aine McMahon
Wed Feb 06 2019 - 20:17

Limerick has won the bid to become the first northern hemisphere host of the Tag Rugby World Cup.

A joint bid led by the University of Limerick Conference and Sports Campus and the Irish Tag Rugby Association landed the event for Limerick which will host up to 3,500 tag rugby players and their followers from more than 20 countries in August 2021.

The event is expected to deliver a €5 million boost for the Limerick economy and 20,000 bed nights.

The event will be held across four days but organisers said with many participants travelling from the southern hemisphere, teams are expected to travel in advance of the competition.

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The three previous International Tag Federation World Cups were held in New Zealand (2012) and Australia (2015, 2018) but organisers decided to take the next edition to the northern hemisphere and have been won over by the Limerick bid.

Welcoming the announcement, Minister for Sport Shane Ross said: “This is good news for Limerick, good news for tourism and good news for sport. I would like to congratulate all involved on this successful bid, which highlights both the value of collaboration towards a common goal and also the harmony between sport and tourism.”

Minister of State for Sport Brendan Griffin said Limerick’s hosting of the competition “will have manifold benefits locally and nationally.”

“Irish spectators will have a unique chance to see world-class athletes in action, and indeed might be inspired to take up tag-rugby or a similar sport and get active,” said Mr Griffin.