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Online Webinar: Tuesday 13th April @ 19:00
Sporting Pride, the association tasked with getting the LGBTQ+ community active, have partnered with Dublin Pride, and the Emerald Warriors Rugby Football Club to continue its successful Standing Proud in Irish Sport webinar series with a group discussion involving some of Ireland’s most prominent rugby representatives
Joy Neville - current Rugby Union referee / former Ireland Women’s Rugby Union International.
Ruth O’Reilly - former Ireland Women’s Rugby Union International.
Nora Stapleton - current Sport Ireland Women in Sport Lead / former Ireland Women’s Rugby Union International.
Taking place on Tuesday, April 13th 2021 at 19:00, the live discussion is the fourth in a series of events that focus on LGBTQ+ Women in Sport. Each event will feature LGBTQ+ female athletes talking openly and honestly about their personal experiences. This in particular discussion will focus on three key areas:
Participation in rugby as an LGBTQ+ athlete, and policies for inclusion (both for women and LGBTQ+ athletes)
Professionalism - women as professional athletes
Parenting - impact on participation in sports related activities & LGBTQ+ parenting specific considerations
The experienced broadcaster Anna Nolan will once again host the interview, taking the panel through their rugby careers and discussing the important role rugby has played in their lives, as well as their thoughts on the future of women in rugby and sports in general.
Towards the end of the live interview, viewers will have the opportunity to ask the panel questions via the forum, a unique offering that enables rugby fans to interact directly with the participants.
Karina Murray, the Events Coordinator of Sporting Pride, says
“We are delighted to promote the visibility of LGBTQ+ women via our fourth Women in Sports webinar with this amazing panel of experienced athletes representing the sport of rugby. We are looking forward to hearing about their life experiences as both female athletes and LGBTQ+ parents, still fighting for their rights in many ways, on and off the field.”
To watch this ground-breaking free webinar, go to the live streaming links below on Tuesday, April 13th at 19:00
About the Panel
Anna Nolan – Presenter / Basketball
Anna Nolan is a television producer, broadcaster and opinion columnist. She began her television career when she stepped inside the very first Big Brother house, back in 2000. From there she worked at the BBC for two years. She moved back to Ireland and worked on the RTE documentary series, “Would You Believe”.
Over the last 20 years, she has produced some of the most-watched television programmes on Irish television, including Room to Improve, Operation Transformation and is now Head of Development at COCO Television.
Anna started playing basketball at the age of 13, representing her school, Loreto Crumlin, and club, Naomh Mhuire, in national and international tournaments. In 1989, Anna won the U19 National Cup with Naomh Mhuire, was named Tournament MVP and was called up to play with the first team, who went on to win the Senior Women’s National Cup that year.
Joy Neville - Rugby
Joy Neville is a former Ireland women's rugby union international and a current rugby union referee. As a player, Neville represented Ireland at both the 2006 and 2010 Women's Rugby World Cups. In 2009 Neville captained the first Ireland team to defeat France. In 2013 she was also a member of the first Ireland women's team to win the Six Nations, Grand Slam and Triple Crown titles.
After retiring as a player, Neville became a referee. She has taken charge of matches in the Women's Six Nations Championship, the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series and the Women's Rugby World Cup, including the 2017 final. Neville has also achieved a number of firsts as a female referee in the men's game. In 2017 Neville was named World Rugby Referee of the Year.
Ruth O’Reilly - Rugby
Ruth O'Reilly is also a former Ireland women’s rugby union international and has been involved in the women’s game for over 20 years. Over that time Ruth has played at various levels of the game from college, club, province and country. She was a member of the Ireland team that won the Six Nations Championship in 2015 and captained her club Galwegians to All Ireland Cup victory in 2014.
Since retiring from international rugby Ruth has extended her involvement in the game beyond the pitch, sitting on various committees and working groups at club and provincial level. Most recently Ruth has been appointed as Director of Women’s Rugby for Galwegians RFC.
Nora Stapleton - Rugby
Nora Stapleton is a former Ireland women's rugby union international and current Sport Ireland Women in Sport Lead. She represented Ireland at the 2010, 2014, and 2017 Women's Rugby World Cups. She was also a member of the Ireland teams that won the 2013 and 2015 Women's Six Nations Championships. Nora was a member of the first Ireland teams to defeat both England and New Zealand and made 50 appearances for Ireland during her rugby career.
Having worked for the IRFU for a number of years, Nora now works for Sport Ireland tasked with leading out on and implementing the Sport Ireland Policy on Women In Sport. The policy aims to increase female involvement across all areas of sport with four key target areas; Leadership and Governance, Coaching and Officiating, Active Participation and Visibility.
About the Hosts
Sporting Pride
Founded in 2018, Sporting Pride is Ireland’s sport, fitness and exercise body, tasked with inspiring the LGBTQ+ community to get active. Research shows that 55% of LGBT men and 56% of LGBT women are not active enough to maintain good health, compared with 33% and 45% respectively of the general public. As a member of the EGLSF and the Federation of Gay Games, Sporting Pride also offers LGBTQ+ sportspeople the opportunity to represent Ireland in international competitions. For more: www.sportingpride.ie
Dublin Pride
Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Festival & Parade happens every year in June and celebrates respect, inclusion, diversity, and equality. Dublin Pride is one of the biggest people's parades and festivals in Ireland now, Pride is 365 days not just for one day. Dublin Pride runs events, workshops, and talks throughout the year and has hosted successful Winter Pride and Pride at Work events in recent times. Find out more here: www.dublinpride.ie
The Emerald Warriors
The Emerald Warriors are an LGBTQ+ inclusive rugby football club based in Dublin. Founded in 2003, they have excelled both on and off the field. In recent years they have hosted one of rugby’s most inclusive rugby tournaments, The Union Cup, which included a women’s tournament for the first time ever. They also offer support to their club members through their Folláine Wellbeing programme. Find out more at www.ewrfc.ie
Sporting Pride Events Contact
Karina Murray: karina.murray@sportingpride.ie