Irish Examiner view: An overdue boost for women's sport

Ireland is the last of the Six Nations Rugby countries to offer professional contracts to its female players

The professional contracts for Ireland's female rugby stars is welcome in a good week for women in sport from international soccer to this weekend's Gaelic Football finals. File picture: Darren Staples/Sportsfile

The future for women’s sport — professional and amateur — has never been brighter and this weekend will highlight the very best on offer in a variety of codes, while the news that the IRFU is set to give professional contracts to our female 15-a-side internationals finally rubber stamps something that should have been done a long time ago.

The Irish women’s rugby team has posted some fantastic results in recent years, but its shock exit from the qualification process for the World Cup in New Zealand later this year prompted a player revolt, followed by an independent review into the women’s game here. 

The findings of that review led the IRFU to accept every one of the resulting report’s recommendations and, in turn, to yesterday’s announcement that the union will confirm 40-plus professional contracts for the Ireland women’s and sevens squads. 

Previously, only sevens players were contracted.

Ireland is the last of the Women’s Six Nations countries to offer professional contracts to its players and the move is necessary if the game is to thrive here. It is long overdue.

Together standing tall 

Women’s sport is on a high right now and one of the great sporting successes of the summer has been the 2022 Uefa European Women’s Championships in England, which has attracted huge crowds and television audiences. 

In footballing terms, Sunday’s final between England and Germany will not only reignite memories of the England men’s success in the 1966 World Cup, when they beat Germany 4-2, but will show a huge incongruity if England win. 

‘Football’s coming home’ has been a cliche for years as the English men’s teams have struggled to win a major championship and there would be something deliciously ironic if they are beaten to that achievement by their female counterparts on Sunday.

Sunday also sees final action for junior, intermediate, and senior players in the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Championships at Croke Park, with Antrim taking on Fermanagh in the junior, Laois meeting Wexford in the intermediate, and Kerry facing Meath in the senior. A good week for women’s sport.