The 2022/23 women's Energia All-Ireland League and Cup will be played out between nine instead of 10 teams following Malone RFC's 'reluctant' withdrawal.
In a blow to the League ahead of the start of the new campaign, with teams that were due to play Malone on the fixture list now forced to have a bye week instead.
Railway Union were due to kick off their season against Malone at Energia Park on Saturday, but that game is now cancelled.
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In a statement, the IRFU said that Malone will have the "ongoing support" of the Union and Ulster Rugby to ensure "the needs of their players are met throughout the season."
Malone first entered the All-Ireland League in 2019. They were then among the 10 teams to be included in the expanded format for the 2020/21 season having submitted a development plan detailing operating standards across governance, finance, player development and player welfare.
They finished 10th in the 2021/22 Women’s Division but capped off their season with a 53-0 win over Cavan in the final of the Energia All-Ireland Shield. Their men’s team compete in Men’s Division 1B of the Energia All-Ireland League.
Reacting to the development, IRFU Women’s Development Manager Amanda Greensmith said: “We engaged with all participating AIL Women’s Division clubs throughout the 2021/22 season and we could see real potential in Malone’s setup for women and girls, particularly in their age-grade structures.
"There are almost 100 females registered in the club and we saw a number of players come through to feature for Ulster in this season’s U18 Girls Interprovincial Series.
"The announcement is disappointing to all stakeholders, but we accept the 11th-hour nature of the decision was due to efforts being made to take their place in the AIL as expected.
"They have our full support as they continue to develop their rugby programmes for women and girls in Belfast.”
Malone RFC vice chairperson Michael Kearney commented: “This decision was made with the utmost reluctance.
"We had made a particular effort to bolster the set up for our women and girls over the summer with a new committee, new coaches and improved sponsorship arrangements in place.
“We are confident that the club will see the results of this work over time. The structures are in place and there is a strong commitment from our executive to see us return to All-Ireland competition as soon as we can. We’ll keep pressing ahead.”
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