Limerick wins bid to host Tag World Cup
The 2021 tournament is expected to generate €5m for the local economy
Limerick has been selected as the host of the 2021 Tag World Cup. The event is set to take place in August 2021, and it will be the first time the tournament has been hosted in the northern hemisphere.
The successful bid was led by the UL Conference and Sports Campus and the Irish Tag rugby Association, with support from Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, Fáilte Ireland and Limerick City and County Council.
The four-day event will see over 3,000 tag rugby players from over 20 countries travel to Limerick with an expected boost of €5m to the local economy as well as up to 20,000 bed nights.
The year-long bid originated with Barry Keane and Shane Landers of the Tag Rugby Ireland management team, who brought their pitch to the UL Conference and Sports Campus and eventually managed to fend off stiff competition to secure the event for Limerick.
The last three International Tag Federation World Cups have taken place in Australia (2018, 2015) and New Zealand (2012) where the sport is most popular. The last decade or so has seen a surge of interest in tag rugby in Ireland and the UK and as such the decision to host the tournament outside the southern hemisphere for the first time is an acknowledgement of the sport’s increasingly global fanbase.
At the official launch in Plassey House, UL yesterday, Mayor of Limerick James Collins remarked “We have an excellent track record in terms of hosting major events here, the 2013 Rugby League World Cup among them. We congratulate all involved in the successful bid and will now set about making sure that Limerick will deliver an experience for players and supporters alike that will raise the bar again for the tournament.”
Also present was Simon Bewley of the Irish Tag Rugby Association who said, “The Irish Tag Rugby Association are delighted to be chosen as the host nation for the 2021 Tag World Cup. As the founders of Tag in Ireland, we are celebrating 20 years of running national and international Tag events. We look forward to partnering with University of Limerick & the ITF to host and run the biggest and most exciting International Tag event in Europe.”
