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Replying To ThePowerhouse:  "Ok. I fail to see the issue. Evidently, lots of others don't see it as an issue either as all of the clubs mentioned are doing well at various levels. The whole parish thing is a moot point. It's irrelevant in rugby. It's a huge part of the GAA identity but there's no harm in broadening one's horizon beyond the parish pump."
There is no issue. The only context here is the challenges that Rugby and even hurlibg(depending on geography) face in comparison to GF and soccer. The lesser point being that both sports would be more accessible if the demand was there. Unfortunately it isnt everywhere. As a hurling man with more than a passing interest in Rugby living in South roscommon I found that quite frustrating and it took a while to get used to those challenges both as a coach and a parent.

Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 37 - 24/02/2026 14:50:09    2658376

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Replying To zinny:  "As of July 2024, there were around 370,000 individuals in Ireland who had played rugby in some form in the past year. Among these were approximately 90,000 players registered by the Irish Rugby Football Union, of whom 75,000 were male. Meanwhile, roughly 280,000 individuals took part in sessions held by community rugby officers between May 2023 and May 2024.

The only number I can find for boxing is 18K members. Its hard to find data on boxing participation.

Anyone who thinks that rugby hasn't got challanges in expansion outside its hinterlands is in dreamland but equally to say that it has not become more popular is also wrong. There are plenty of kids and adults in Ireland who need more sport. A kid they should play as many sports available to them and then let them find their path and keep them at it. Even within the GAA we cannot seem to accept that concept and some GAA people will only want their kids to play one or the other for no other reason than just pure stubbornness."
Those stats are interesting, I would never have guessed that 7.2% of Republic of Ireland's population played Rugby last year, does that includes "Give it a try" initiative days where large work or school groups are invited along for a open day type thing? IRFU/Ulster Rugby had been at that up here, to try n recruit more to the men and women's teams and its definitely growing.

Although Donegal is probably an outlier compared to the rest of ROI based on your stats, as while Ulster Rugby has started investing more heavily in the last 3 years to grow participation in the North West, constant participation is still extremely low outside of a few secondary schools when compared to GAA and Soccer, like miles behind.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1626 - 24/02/2026 15:48:04    2658392

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