Connacht Rugby have stated their intention to have a fully professional women’s team within the next five years, while they also intend to use their new facilities at Dexcom Stadium to delve beyond their traditional rugby base and deeper into the province’s wider community.
These are among the ambitions laid out in the province’s new 10-year plan entitled One Connacht: Vision & Strategy. The plan is the result of extensive collaboration and consultation with hundreds of rugby stakeholders in the province, including clubs, schools, volunteers, staff members, players and supporters.
In addition, Connacht have also developed a detailed five-year plan setting out the specific objectives, enablers and targets for every area of the organisation which will be released next week.
The province believe their ambitions and aspirations will be facilitated by the development of a new high performance centre, half-sized indoor pitch and offices – to be completed by March or April next year – and new north stand, to be completed by the end of 2025.
The new facilities will be one of the biggest indoor arenas of its kind in the west of Ireland, which Connacht envisage being a conference venue fit for events such as Expo, graduations and exams, while also accommodating a women’s professional team in addition to its men’s equivalent and academy.
To maximise its potential, Connacht intend to create a new department in their organisation to oversee the running of their new facilities.
The full document, which can be viewed at connachtrugby.ie/OneConnacht, “lays out a unified approach to Connacht Rugby’s purpose, vision and values”:
- Our Purpose: To Unite, Inspire and Represent Our Community
- Our Vision: One Connacht, From Grassroots To Green Shirts
- Our Values: Ambition, Belief, and Community
The document also highlights four key strategic priorities “to bring our purpose and vision to life, both on and off the pitch”:
- Identity and Community
- Experiences and Connections
- Diversity and Development
- Performance and Success
Willie Ruane, CEO of Connacht Rugby, said: “Today’s public release of our new vision and strategy is the culmination of a long process, to help provide clarity and alignment in Connacht Rugby’s strategic approach for the next 10 years.
“By engaging and listening to our stakeholders across all levels, we have been able to take stock, reflect on our past and present, and try and anticipate the opportunities and challenges of the future.
“In building this strategy we have taken two distinct approaches – ‘Present Forward’ and ‘Future Back’. In looking at Connacht Rugby from the ‘Present Forward’, we are seeking to build on and improve everything we already do, and explore how can we further develop and evolve across every area as a result. In tandem with this approach, we are also seeking to work from the ‘Future Back’, trying to reimagine tomorrow, and what opportunities might exist if we go beyond the established way of how we do things today.
“I want to thank the hundreds of people from across Connacht who have engaged in this process, and I invite everyone associated with Connacht Rugby and rugby in Connacht to view the document and help contribute to a truly collective effort to unite, inspire and represent our community.”
