Billy has been working for Leinster Rugby since 2011 where he came on board the Community Rugby Department in a CCRO capacity in the Finglas and Glasnevin area and later moving onto a CCRO role with Balbriggan RFC.
April 2013 saw him take up a role as the sole Community Rugby Officer for the Dublin City Council region, an area that currently now has four CRO’s after a recent expansion in the partnership with DCC. This expansion has allowed a greater interaction with the clubs, colleges, schools and community groups across the city.
At present the clubs and colleges that Billy assists are Lansdowne, Clontarf, Dublin University, DCU and BGF Ravens. The schools and community groups that he works with are all based in the North Central and Central areas of the city council. His aim as the CRO for the area and his client clubs is to plan and implement a structured programme to clubs, schools and community groups with coaching support, talent identification and the promotion of participation in rugby with adult male and females and all children through the existing club and school networks.
These would include assisting the clubs with participation levels and coaching requirements through running local school programmes and delivery of Stage 1 and 2 coaching courses and subsequent workshops and seminars. In working closely with Dublin City Council many programmes and initiatives are developed at both primary and secondary school level. Some examples of these are the regular primary school blitzes that are held across the city on completion of six week introduction programmes and the running of the Dublin City Cup at U15 and U17 level for non-rugby playing schools.
The U15 programme has been a huge success over the past three years with the start-up of a Dublin City team for non-club players who now compete annually against the other council areas across Dublin. Some of the players involved with these teams have gone on to even represent Leinster at age grade rugby with most joining up their local club. This year also saw the launch of the Dublin City Sports and Wellbeing partnership which will see a strengthening of co-operation, learning and leverage between the key stakeholders involved in delivering sports across Dublin City of which Leinster Rugby is proud to be part of helping to provide a new and positive experience of rugby to all participants young and old.
Rugby within the Dublin City Council area continues to go from strength to strength and with the addition of a greater workforce now more and more boys, girls, men and women are taking up the game for the first time or continuing in rugby through the experiences they have in the many programmes that he runs. Also, as part of his role, Billy manages and coordinates the Leinster Rugby Summer Camps across the province which saw a record breaking 2,200 boys and girls enjoy a rugby filled summer in one of the 23 club venues. It is hoped that 2016 will be bigger and better with the addition of more camps with 27 venues confirmed and all 12 counties involved.
Outside rugby, Billy has an interest in all sports with golf and football to the fore. He enjoys all aspects of the outdoor pursuits which has been curtailed of late since the arrival of his 1 year old daughter. He can now be seen in his spare time shopping for all things pink in many of the city’s department stores.
