British & Irish Lions Women name three senior staff to lead inaugural 2027 tour

The British & Irish Lions Women have appointed Charlie Hayter as general manager of high performance, Josie Symonds as head of athletic performance, and Eimear Flannery as head of operations, bolstering the senior leadership team ahead of the organisation’s first-ever Women’s Tour in 2027.

Hayter arrives on secondment from the Rugby Football Union, where he has served as head of women’s performance since 2023. In that role, the former England Sevens head coach oversaw back-to-back Guinness Women’s Six Nations titles and a Women’s Rugby World Cup triumph in 2025. He joins the Lions immediately on a part-time basis, moves into the Lions Executive team in January, and takes up the position full-time from March. Beyond the 2027 Women’s Tour, Hayter will also begin laying groundwork for the men’s tour in 2029.

“It is a privilege to work for the BIL and a tremendous opportunity which I don’t take lightly,” Hayter said. “I recognise the significance and responsibility of delivering an extraordinary tour in 2027 and will have an immediate focus on shaping the success on the ground.”

Symonds joins on secondment from Scottish Rugby, where she currently holds the position of head of women’s athletic performance. She will design and oversee the athletic performance programme for the tour, helping players meet the physical demands of a Lions schedule, and will join full-time in January.

Flannery rounds out the core leadership group, bringing experience as women’s national team manager and sevens programme manager at the Irish Rugby Football Union, as well as a stint as rugby operations programme manager at Edinburgh Rugby. As head of operations, she will lead the logistical and operational delivery of the Women’s Tour.

Head coach Jo Yapp welcomed the trio, saying: “They will bring a unique skill set and invaluable expertise to what we are creating ahead of next year’s Lions Women’s Tour. Their wealth of experience in the game will lay a fantastic foundation for what we want to deliver as a staff group over the next 12 months.”

The three appointments represent a significant step in building the infrastructure for a historic tour, with the Lions Women’s programme entering its most intensive planning phase to date.