Westport Rugby appoint new president

Westport Rugby Club has a new president as plans are being finalised to celebrate a century of the game by Clew Bay. John Ryan has taken up the leadership role after Liz Brady completed a very successful two-year stint. The historic club is on the verge of its centenary, having been founded in 1925, and Ryan is excited about his new role.

A native of Tipperary, John began his rugby journey with his local Clanwilliam club before moving to Westport in 1994 to take up a position in Allergan. He played five seasons in the Westport pack before retiring in the 2000 season. On the pitch, he was a key member of the Westport team captained by Eddie Walsh which ended the season as league champions.

Subsequently, John was active in coaching throughout the club and enjoyed passing on his experience to the younger players.

John is married to Aisling and they have three children, Eoin, Darragh and Kate, with both boys playing underage with the club. Aisling hails from the Walsh family, who have strong connections with Westport RFC. Her father, Cathal and his brothers all wore the blue jersey with Stephen arguably the most notable of the clan, filling the roles of both club captain and president.

John said he's hugely excited about taking up the role. “This is a great club and there is great energy all through the ranks. We have three adult teams, nine youth teams and almost 200 Mini Rugby players across both boys and girls. Playing numbers are increasing every year with huge growth over the last few years at all levels. We're very excited by this but it also represets a challenge to the club in terms of providing playing facilities, changing facilities and ensuring we have everything in place to make the club a comfortable, welcoming environment.

“In order to meet this challenge, we have invested significantly in the pitches to make sure they're available in all weather, right through the winter. Further investment will take place in the changing rooms to ensure everyone is corretly catered for.

“The increased numbers has also driven a requirement for increased coaching support because rugby is so popular now that young people see the details the professional sides are going through and they, of course, want to emulate those standards.

“That requires the coaching population of the club to be ideally drawn from recently-retired players who are familiar with modren technical adaption. I am confident we will meet the needs of the players, especially with Betty White's appointment as Dircetor of Rugby for the Coach, ensuring the correct resources are available to all teams.

“I'm honoured to be appointed as president, especially in such a special year for the club. We're looking forward to hosting a number of special events over the course of the centenary season, including a youth festival in September; launching our book looking back on 100 years of rugby in Westport in October; a Galway versus Mayo challenge match later in the season before finishing off the year with a black-tie ball.”

It promises to be an exciting season for Westport RFC.