Notice of the upcoming Hockey Ireland Annual General Meeting has been circulated as follows:

Date: 25th May 2019

Time: 11.30am

Venue: The Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan

Agenda and details for nominations can be found below:

Notice of Hockey Ireland AGM 2019.docx

Nomination Form for Election to Board 2019.docx

Notice of the upcoming Hockey Ireland Annual General Meeting has been circulated as follows:

Date: 25th May 2019

Time: 11.30am

Venue: The Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan

Agenda and details for nominations can be found below:

Notice of Hockey Ireland AGM 2019.docx

Nomination Form for Election to Board 2019.docx

HEAD COACH

IRELAND WOMEN’S HOCKEY NATIONAL TEAM

Hockey Ireland is seeking to appoint a senior women’s full-time Head Coach to lead the Irish Women’s Hockey National Team towards achieving its strategic objectives, namely to compete for medals at World and Olympic level tournaments.

About Hockey Ireland

Hockey Ireland is the National Governing Body for the sport of field hockey in Ireland. Governing the 32 counties of Ireland, the Association is responsible for the management and overall development of all areas of the sport.

Role Summary

Reporting to the Performance Director, the Head Coach will be responsible for providing world-class leadership and coaching to the Irish Women’s Hockey National Team

The Head Coach is required to work closely with key performance staff and will be specifically responsible for the assistant and specialist hockey coaches

Key responsibilities

  • Coach the senior national women’s team using modern coaching techniques, tactics and trends
  • Provide regular written reports to the Performance Director following all international events, while also providing programme reports as required
  • Monitor and evaluate senior player performance for team selection using relevant data
    Utilise and coordinate coaches (hockey specific and other, e.g. strength and conditioning) to assist with development of playersA
  • Alongside the Performance Director, develop and manage the programme and budget of the senior squad
  • Communicate effectively with staff, players and relevant stakeholders
  • Develop positive and constructive relationships within Irish Hockey (club coaches, administrators and dignitaries)
  • Provide leadership, support and technical direction to Head Coaches of other Irish National Junior Age Grade Female Hockey Squads
  • When required deliver coach education workshops and assist in mentoring and development of ‘home grown coaches’
  • Be a key participant in the submission of government funding agency applications
  • Utilise the Hockey Ireland Long-Term Player Development programme to maximise the potential of future international athletes
  • Plan and implement a realistic programme to maximise use of resources and senior player availability
  • Be a main contributor in the senior leadership team, contributing to long-term development of the wider performance programme, including but not limited to high performance
  • Drive a positive high performance culture for players based both in Ireland and overseas
  • Commitment to on-going personal development for the benefit of self and the programme
  • Conduct other duties as requested by Performance Director or Chief Executive Officer

The required candidate

The successful candidate will be an experienced, driven, detail-focused and disciplined self-starter who is committed to bringing team success to the national team and developing the best of Ireland’s elite talent.

Experience and credentials:

The below experiences and credentials are not intended to be inclusive or exhaustive and may be amended over time due to the changing needs of the organisation.

  • Proven record of success in international hockey
  • Experience of world-class tournaments at the highest level (World Cup and Olympic level competition) in a coaching capacity
  • Experience in planning, organising and implementing a comprehensive international coaching programme
  • Ability to apply the principles of coaching, sport science, medicine and technology within a high performance programme
  • Efficient and organised, with exceptional interpersonal, oral and written communication skills
  • Level 3 and/or FIH coaching qualifications or equivalent (or working towards them)
  • Proven methodologies in the development of elite talent and performance
  • Exceptional people skills, with an emphasis on the management of player and coach personnel
  • A competent knowledge of the latest coaching software systems
  • A full driving licence
  • Capacity to travel domestically and overseas for extended periods

Term

The contract role is through the Olympic cycle of 2020, with annual reviews. Shorter-term applications will also be considered.

Reporting to:

The process of reporting will be as determined by the Performance Director.

Remuneration Package

This is a full time position with a remuneration that will be commensurate with experience. It is conditional that the successful applicant must be able to live and work in Ireland.

Application Process

Candidates wishing to apply for this position should email CV with covering letter to adam.grainger@hockey.ie

Application deadline is Thursday 28th March 2019 at 5pm

The business end of the season is finally upon us and we can look forward to the Irish cup finals beginning next month! Thank you to both Pembroke Wanderers Hockey Club and Three Rock Rovers Hockey Club for facilitating Hockey Ireland by hosting these finals. Matches will be live tweeted and match reports will be posted here following the conclusion of each match. The best of luck to all the teams involved.

Saturday 13th April – Pembroke Wanderers Hockey Club

12:45 Irish Hockey Challenge (Women): Dromore LHC vs Clonmel LHC.

14:45 Irish Hockey Challenge (Men): Ballynahinch HC vs Limerick HC.

16:45 Irish Hockey Trophy (Women): Cork Church of Ireland vs Greenfields.

Sunday 14th April – Three Rock Rovers Hockey Club

14.00 Irish Junior Cup (Women): UCD LHC vs Railway Union LHC

15:00 Irish Hockey Trophy (Men): NICS HC vs Waterford HC

16:00 Irish Junior Cup (Men): Three Rock Rovers HC vs Instonians HC.

Hockey Ireland today announced that the women’s FIH Series Finals (June 8th-16th), originally expected to be held in Dublin, will now be held at Banbridge Hockey Club. While work has commenced on two new top-class hockey pitches in Dublin, the National Sports Campus and UCD, neither will be completed in time to accommodate the required pre-tournament training on the match surface by the Green Army. Banbridge Hockey Club have laid a new pitch in recent months and the club grounds offer Hockey Ireland the appropriate amount of space to accommodate all that is required with an international tournament of this calibre.

Speaking about the announcement, Performance Director Adam Grainger said “While our preference was to hold the tournament in Dublin, it was not possible for the pitches to be completed within our time frame. We are confident that both pitches will be worth the wait and will only add to the sport of hockey in the future. It is important we get the pitch correct at the National Sports Campus as it will be our base going forward. Banbridge Hockey Club and the surrounding community have proven themselves to be highly enthusiastic when holding tournaments before and we are looking forward to working with them once again”.

Ticket information will follow in the coming weeks. To view the full match schedule, please click here.

Hockey Ireland has today accepted the resignation of senior women’s head coach Graham Shaw as he takes up the position of head coach of New Zealand’s senior international women. Shaw has long since been a member of the Hockey Ireland family both as a senior international player and as part of the coaching set up since 2010. He was assistant coach to Darren Smith before taking the head coach role in the summer of 2015 prior to the Eurohockey Championships II in Prague.

After nearly 4 years at the helm of the Green Army Graham is moving to New Zealand to take up the role with the world number 6, the Blacksticks offer an exciting challenge as they compete in the Pro League and have their sights firmly set on Tokyo 2020.

Speaking about the move, Shaw said “It was an honour to coach my country and I am very grateful for the opportunity. We have had some incredible times together that I will never forget. I have worked with an outstanding staff over many years; your professionalism, honesty and friendship will stay with me forever.

I would like to thank Hockey Ireland, Sport Ireland, SINI and Sport Northern Ireland for your unwavering support over the past years and long may it continue. I’d also like to recognise the staff of Hockey Ireland for all their work behind the scenes and their friendships over the past several years.

To the players I would like to say a massive thank you. Your drive, dedication and loyalty has been relentless and it has been an absolute pleasure to lead the program over the past 4 years. I would like to wish the squad all the best for the future. I hope you continue on this journey, inspiring the next generation of hockey players in Ireland and I hope to see you in Tokyo”.

The Green Army have gone from 16th to 8th in the world during Shaw’s tenure and qualified for their first World Cup since 2002. The recent 2018 World Cup is perhaps what Shaw will be most recognised for as he led the squad to an historic silver medal and a first ever World Cup final for any Irish team sport.

Jerome Pels, Hockey Ireland CEO, was quick to praise the legacy that Shaw leaves behind “We would like to thank Graham for all he has done for the senior women’s programme over the last several years. Graham has given a huge amount to Irish hockey over the last 2 decades both as a high-performance athlete and a coach. We wish Graham all the very best with this new opportunity with Hockey New Zealand”.

Performance Director Adam Grainger echoed Pels’ sentiment “Graham has undoubtedly left the Green Army programme in a better place and has put the building blocks in place for the squad to continue with this cycle successfully, with the primary goal being Olympic qualification. Graham’s commitment to the programme, both on and off the pitch, is a testament to his character and we wish him every success in the future”.

Green Army captain, Katie Mullan, also hailed Shaw’s influence “On behalf of the Green Army I would like to thank Graham for all that he has given to our team. He led us to a moment none of us will ever forget at the World Cup and the Blacksticks are very lucky to have him, we wish him all the best with this new adventure”.