UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: OWEN TARRANT.

University of Limerick graduate, Owen Tarrant, who studied BSc in Sport and Exercise Sciences in the Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences (PESS).

Owen’s career in rugby has seen him work with Chiefs in New Zealand, the Kobelco Steelers in Japan and Munster Rugby. He has since moved into the fitness industry, co-founding Matchbox Fitness and YourLife, formerly Matchbox Life, where his mission is to inspire and support others in achieving their fitness and wellness goals.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m proud to be from Kilrush, County Clare and went to Kilrush Primary School and Kilrush Community School. Sport was my main interest growing up – I played soccer, rugby, and Gaelic football.

Why did you choose to study Sport and Exercise Sciences at UL? 

I knew I wanted to do something sports related, and in the area of sports science. I was aware of UL’s reputation for courses in the area of sport and for the calibre of its sports facilities.  

What did you enjoy most about the course?

My Co-op work placement was my favourite aspect of the course. 

I knew from my first year in UL where I wanted to do my Co-op. I actually went into the Co-op office that year and said I wanted to go to New Zealand to work with the Chiefs rugby team. I was always a fan of them and used to get up early on a Saturday morning to watch their games on TV. 

When my third year came around in September 2013, I got the opportunity to apply for an internship with the Chiefs. In January 2014, I moved to New Zealand and started the eight-month internship. 

I started out setting up training and gym sessions where I was involved in strength and conditioning programmes with the players. I progressed to assisting in the creation of the Chief’s online GPS database and data analysis system. 

While I was there, the Chiefs won the Super Rugby title, which would be the equivalent of the Champions Cup or the Heineken Cup. The squad at the time was one of the strongest coaching groups in World Rugby and included current All Blacks coach Dave Rennie, Wayne Smith, Andrew Strawbridge and Tom Coventry.

When the internship finished, I was offered a two-year contract with the Chiefs. I deferred my course, continued my work for another year but had to leave the country in September 2015 when my visa had expired. I returned home to Ireland and finished my course at UL.

How did your course prepare you for entering the workplace upon graduating?

The BSc in Sport and Exercise Sciences is an unbelievable programme. Going from secondary school to university is a big transition. 

I benefited massively from working in a team setting with people I didn’t know. I learned how to develop strategies and deliver presentations in front of people who are experts in their field. That’s what you do every day in a real-world sporting or rugby environment. That experience I gained on the course has really stood to me.

Tell us about your own career journey so far.

I came back to Ireland in 2015 and finished my degree. After graduating, I spent three years with the Munster Rugby Academy as their strength and conditioning coach. I worked with a lot of the players that are now coming through to the senior team, such as Craig Casey, Diarmuid Barron and Fineen Wycherley. 

In 2019, I had the opportunity to work with the Kobelco Steelers rugby team in Japan as their Head of Performance. I was lucky to work with the best of the best in Japan – players such as Dan Carter, Brodie Retallick and Ben Smith. I did three years with them, and we won all the Japanese titles. During this time, I also won titles while working as a consultant with the Japanese women’s rugby team, a Japanese university rugby team, and Rugby New York. 

After three years in Japan, I came home to Ireland in 2022 and did some work with the Mayo Gaelie football team and we won the league that year. I did some work with the Clare Gaelic football team as well. 

I recently worked with Eire Óg hurlers in the area of performance coaching. They won their first title in 35 years and went on to the Munster final, and that was the first time I had done anything in hurling.

When I returned to Ireland, I bumped into a friend of mine who was looking to open a gym in Limerick. I felt that this was a great opportunity, and I decided to get involved. We opened Matchbox Fitness on the Ballysimon Road in Limerick. 

After about 18 months, we saw a gap in the market for a gym catering to the over 40s. We did some research and found that intimidation is one of the biggest factors for those outside of traditional gym-going age in signing up and staying in the gym. We started looking at what they do in Europe, and how boutique-style gyms that lead with the medical side of things were much more popular for that age group.

This led us to open Matchbox Life in 2024. We call it an ‘active life centre’ and set about changing the nature of routine exercise for the over 40s. At Matchbox Life, customers receive a wellness screening and a tailor-made exercise programme. They can scan in and follow the circuit set out for them by the workout machines, which keep track of their progress. We have centres in Corbally and Jetland in Limerick, and Deansgrange in Dublin. 

We work closely with UL and take on Co-op students every year. We also work with UL’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics who work with us on data taken from our centres for analysis projects with the students. We also provide a community placement for UL’s MSc in Physiotherapy. 

What advice would you offer to students considering studying the BSc in Sport and Exercise Sciences at UL?

If you work hard and you show an appetite for growth and development, you’ll succeed at any role, be it in sports science or in business.

When you go into sports science, you assume you’ll work with a team, but it can be difficult to get into a team and stay with a team. Life in professional sport is brilliant, but continuing a life in professional sport can be difficult – the hours are long, there can be travel involved, and it can take over your life. 

However, there are lots of other career avenues to explore. Sport science is a good stepping stone to physiotherapy, psychology, or teaching. The principles in terms of work ethic, innovation and personal development make it transferable to any industry. 

What are your hopes and plans for the future?

We’d like a nationwide presence with our Matchbox Life locations. We’d like to integrate with GPs and physiotherapists locally with a referral system for ‘prescribed exercise’. We’d like to be a community hub for resistance training. We’d like to develop a concept where physical activity is measured and rewarded by health insurers. 

At UL we encourage our students to Stay Curious. What keeps you curious?

Constant drive for innovation keeps me curious. I get bored doing the same thing all the time – I like to keep myself under pressure by staying informed, sharing information and collaborating with other partners in my work.

This content was originally posted as part of the Alumni Spotlight series

If you are interested in studying the BSc in Sport and Exercise Sciences in UL, or require further information contact

Dr John Noone

Course Director

Email: John.Noone@ul.ie