MUNSTER ACADEMY MANAGER Ian Costello will assume a newly-created role at the southern province, taking on the post of ‘Head of Rugby Operations’ at the end of this season.
Costello, who has been working with the academy since April 2021, will now take on greater responsibility within the province, with Munster saying his new role will involve “overseeing the long-term strategic development of the elite player pathway and succession planning.”
Costello, who has coached in England with Nottingham and Wasps, will also “provide recruitment support for developing, retaining, and recruiting players in conjunction with the head coach,” currently Graham Rowntree.
“We are delighted that Ian will step into this newly-created role,” Munster Rugby CEO Ian Flanagan said.
“This has been a work in progress in the background for some time as we look to align our resource support with the IRFU and other provinces.
“When Ian returned to the province as academy manager he was identified as the ideal candidate for this role when incorporating his previous coaching experience, managerial skill-set, and strategic abilities for aligning and developing our player pathway.”
🗞 Academy & Pathway Manager Ian Costello will change roles this summer as he takes on the newly created Head of Rugby Operations role.
— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) January 26, 2023
More details ⤵#MunsterStartsHere #SUAF 🔴
“I’m delighted to have someone of Cossie’s calibre taking on this role,” Rowntree added.
“We work very closely as it is through his academy role, and from my own personal point of view it has been a really positive working relationship. Ian and his academy team play a key role in everything we are trying to achieve each week.
“It’s great to have a dedicated resource to driving long-term succession planning and coordinate recruitment operations, and I believe it will be of huge benefit to not only me and our coaching team, but to Munster Rugby.”
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