High Performance Centre Update

Munster Team Manager Niall O’Donovan gives us an update on Munster’s new High Performance Centre which is nearing completion on the University of Limerick campus.

In adapting to meet the ever increasing needs of professional rugby, next season the full Munster squad and team management will operate from the new High Performance Centre.
 
Located adjacent to the existing UL Arena, the €;9.5m centre will also house the Greencore Munster Academy and North Munster Domestic game operations, while Munster Rugby administration and South Munster Domestic Game operations will continue to be based in Cork.
 
O’Donovan details what remains to be done with the project now in its final stages of construction.
 
“The windows are now in, the building is pretty much sealed and the scaffolding is now beginning to come down.  On the inside we have electricians and carpenters working on the first and second fixes and all going well we should start to move in at the beginning of August.
 
“At that stage we will kit out the offices, gymnasium, medical rooms, video analysis rooms, etc.  All our relevant departments are ready to go.  They have been planning and consulting with architects and builders during the construction process so now it’s just a matter of moving things in at the start of August.”
 
Upon its completion, Munster Rugby will boast a world class 2,636m² facility, encompassing all that’s required for players and management alike in one location.
 
“Up until now we’ve had everything we needed but it was located in different places, whereas now we have everything under one roof.  The new gymnasium will be exclusively ours and kitted out specifically for our needs.  Our new auditorium will hold up to 70 people, our medical and physiotherapy rooms can treat up to six players at any one time, hopefully we won’t need that, and there will be a consultant’s room also where doctors can deal with guys on an individual basis.
 
“Our new video analysis facility will have up to 20 workstations where players can analyse opposition and this is a marked improvement on what we had previously with just three or four workstations in each centre.  Importantly, we also will have a recreational area where players can relax and a kitchen where they can prepare food.”
 
“You then have the added facilities alongside us which really were the key selling point for UL.  A 50 metre and new 25 metre swimming pool adjacent to us for player recovery, direct access into the main UL Arena for indoor training, and of course, on our doorstep we have the existing rugby pitches, with plans for more, including 4G.”
 
In professional sport, where the smallest of margins can make the biggest of differences, O’Donovan elaborates further on the rewards Munster Rugby will hope to reap from the province’s first single training base.
 
“The idea of the new High Performance Centre is to get players training together more than twice a week.  It had been working for us to a certain degree but when you are up against the standard of teams that you have nowadays, we have to see where we can make any adjustments to improve on-field performances.
 
“I believe it will help the group dynamic further with players spending more time together, the competitive edge will be enhanced and will add to training sessions.  The time spent on commuting will be reduced significantly with a more productive workload achievable during those previously factored in travel-times.”
 
Despite the relocation of operations to Limerick, O’Donovan reiterates the importance of the club game to Munster and maintains that squad members will not need to transfer to a Limerick club.
 
“We’re working very hard to make sure that as many players who have previously been based in Cork continue to play with their Cork club teams.  It’s essential to Munster Rugby that we have a strong club game across the province so players can remain with the clubs to whom they are already affiliated and that’s a priority for us all to work towards.”
 
“The main reason for locating to one base is to get the squad training together and where they live beyond that really doesn’t matter similar to other sports teams.  Schedules will be mindful of players who are still based outside of Limerick, and no different to current practice, each week’s schedule will differ depending on when and where we are playing.”

With last CIT session complete, read the latest update on our High Performance Centre in UL https://t.co/I8Y9OLNs0y pic.twitter.com/4DLdEVJeR7

— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) May 24, 2016