THE IRISH MEN’S and women’s sevens teams have centralised their training programmes by moving into the IRFU’s new high-performance facility at the Sport Ireland Campus in Abbotstown.
The IRFU has invested €6 million in the new facility, which was last week opened as part of phase two of the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena.
Previously based at the IRFU sevens headquarters on Lansdowne Road, both the men’s and women’s squads will avail of the three outdoor pitches, a three-quarter length indoor pitch, medical rooms and state-of-the-art strength and conditioning facilities on campus.
As well as the sevens athletes, the campus will be home to IRFU support staff working across the sevens and women’s programmes on a full-time basis.
The facility will play an important part in the continued development of the sevens squads, with the men having recently qualified for the World Sevens Series circuit for next season, while both are bidding to reach the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“We are delighted to see our sevens team move into these world-class facilities at the Sport Ireland Campus,” IRFU chief executive Philip Browne said.
“The entire campus will only benefit sport in the long term and I must commend and thank the government and Sport Ireland for the vision and determination that has made it a reality.
“The IRFU has invested over six million euro in fitting out the facility to the specifications we need.
“This is an important period in the development of our high-performance teams, with the sevens squads seeking qualification for the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. Competition for places is high, but this new home will ensure the teams’ preparation will be the best it can be.”
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