(Reuters) -The Irish Men's Sevens team will be disbanded at the end of the 2024/25 season as part of a significant shift in strategic priorities, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) said on Wednesday.
The announcement comes in the wake of the IRFU’s financial results released last November, which revealed an 18 million euro ($20.13 million) deficit for the 2023/24 season.
IRFU's internal review also concluded that the men’s sevens programme does not serve as a meaningful development pathway for the 15-a-side game.
"While the decision to end the men’s sevens programme is a difficult one, it is necessary in order to ensure that our resources are focused on the areas that will have the greatest impact on the future of the game in Ireland," IRFU high performance director David Humphreys said in a statement.
The IRFU also confirmed that the women’s sevens programme will continue to operate as a progression route for the women’s 15s.
($1 = 0.8944 euros)
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk)
