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A PACKED attendance gathered to hear IRFU official Olly Hodges outline Ireland’s bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup at a briefing in Killarney last Tuesday evening.

And Killarney’s Fitzgerald Stadium is among Ireland’s top contenders, or would rank at present at around number seven of the twelve venues shortlisted to host matches if Ireland was selected to host the event.

The open business meeting, organised by the Killarney Chamber of Tourism & Commerce, saw Mr Hodges, who is the bid manager for the Rugby World Cup in 2023, detail the current status of the bid and what inclusion as a venue could mean for Killarney, including the enormous publicity and marketing opportunities it would guarantee.

Mr Hodges has been working closely on the project with the Chamber as well as Kerry County Council, the Kerry County Board and the Fitzgerald Stadium Committee.
There is no room for complacency, the gathering heard, with Ireland facing stiff competition from the other contenders, South Africa and France – both of which have previously held Rugby World Cup and other global sporting events.

There are currently 12 potential Irish venues, and if Ireland is successful, then the number of towns may be reduced to between 8 and 10, according to Mr Hodges.

Mr Hodges added that Fitzgerald Stadium would potentially rank among the top nine Irish venues which would mean up to five matches being played in Fitzgerald Stadium with a capacity crowd of 35,000 fans at each game. “The challenge for Killarney is to dispel the perception that it is too small, that a town of just 14,000 people can’t host four matches at 35,000 capacity,” he said.

Above: Tom O'Leary, Kerry GAA, Conor Hennigan, Project Co-Ordinator, Paul O'Neill, President, Killarey Chamber of Tourism & Commerce, Olly Hodges, IRFU, bid manager, and Charlie O'Sullivan, Kerry County Council. PICTURE: DON MACMONAGLE