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The Tom Maynard Trust Agrees New Partnership with IRUPA

The Tom Maynard Trust and the Rugby Players Ireland have announced an exciting new partnership, with the Trust agreeing to support Rugby Players Ireland’s provincial Player Development Programmes for the next three years.
The funding will be split between the four provinces – Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster – and the National Women’s 7s and 15s sides. They will determine the most effective way of investing the funding each year based on priorities at the time.
The sponsorship will be used to support Rugby Players Ireland’s player development aims, which include the promotion of life-sport balance, the establishment of coping strategies to deal with challenges associated with achieving balance, the development of flexible learning opportunities, and the development of practical skills that reflect the needs of professional rugby players, helping them to be more independent and resourceful.
Mike Fatkin, on behalf of the Tom Maynard Trust, said:
“We’re really excited to be extending our support for player education and development into rugby union in Ireland.  Unlike their counterparts in England, Rudon’t run central induction programmes so we have agreed a more flexible partnership which will enable each of the four provinces and the women’s teams to determine annually how best to invest the funding we give them, based on their immediate needs.
The principle behind our agreement is very much the same though. All any youngster coming into professional sport wants to do is play the game; they aren’t thinking about anything like financial planning, dealing with the media, self-sufficiency or lifestyle – they are only thinking about playing. Any support we can provide which helps young sportspeople as they start out fits perfectly with our objects and our ethos as a charity.”
Omar Hassanein, CEO of Rugby Players Ireland added:
“Our structure is different to that of the RPA in England but the aims of our Player Development Programme are very similar and we are delighted to have found such an effective and practical way of being able to support the growth and personal development of our young and emerging players across the whole of Ireland.
Rugby Players Ireland is here to help players receive the right information and be given the right tools to make a success of their careers, both on and off the pitch.  We have a responsibility to educate the young men and women coming into our sport and to support them as they grow in the spotlight and develop into role models and ambassadors.  This new partnership with the Tom Maynard Trust will be of enormous benefit to us as we continue to do so.”