A new era for Connacht

STEPHEN GLENNON

NEGOTIATIONS with Connacht players on one-year contracts will begin this week after the province was finally brought in from the cold in terms of funding and structures.

CEO of Connacht Rugby, Gerry Kelly, is hoping to have “some positive news” on these players’ futures, possibly before Christmas, following a red-letter day in the the province’s professional history last Friday.

An extensive development plan for Connacht has been unveiled for the next three years, and Kelly pointed out that the Branch now had the green light to start renewing and offering more substantial contracts.

“I mean, after this announcement, we are only starting down the road of that process,” Kelly told Sentinel Sport. “Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks there will be some positive news there.

“As you can appreciate, though, it is very hard to develop if you are planning in one-year cycles. But now, we have a definitive of three years and it is not that anyone is expecting miracles in three years, but it does give us a window of opportunity to plan properly for the future. The hope would be after the three years that we would have a structure, and a strategy, in place that would be there for forever.”

As part of the immediate process, it was also announced that Connacht Coach Eric Elwood has had his contract renewed for another two years, a move which, no doubt, will be welcomed by local supporters.

The new structure for the professional game in Connacht is specifically aimed at elevating the levels of performance for the province, both on and off the pitch. To achieve this, a new independent Professional Game Board (PGB) has been set up and this will oversee all aspects of the pro game in the province.

Charged with chairing the Board is founding partner of Elvery’s Sports, Jimmy Staunton and he will be joined by a blend of experience from both the business and sports worlds.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.