Hockey Ireland is excited to launch our new E-learning platform. The “Hockey Ireland Hub” aims to offer support to all aspects of the hockey community via courses, helpful downloads and articles. The launch of the Hockey Ireland Hub will see the new “Online Rules Test” being rolled out. The test is the pre-requisite to our umpiring pathway courses, but is also a great way to learn more about hockey as a player, coach, parent or hockey fan!

To access the Hockey Ireland Hub please go to: https://hockeyirelandhub.ie/. This link is also available in several areas of the Hockey Ireland website. You will need to create an account to access the resources on the Hub. All aspects of the site will be updated on continuous basis.

Online rules test

Learn about the rules of hockey and earn a certificate by taking the new ‘Online Rules Test’. The test is the pre-requisite to our umpiring pathway courses, but is also a great way to learn more about hockey as a player, coach, parent or hockey fan! Click here to access the test under the umpiring section. It costs €10 and is valid for 2 years from completion. You have 1 year to complete the course once you have paid. If you require assistance with navigating the e-learning course, please click here.

This test has been developed in partnership with all provincial umpire associations and the IHUA. It has been funded by the Sport Ireland Women in Sport programme. For more information on where the rules test fits into the overall pathway for umpiring, please click here. Please be aware that this is currently a draft form, with further details to come in the coming weeks.

As of midnight, on Wednesday 21st October, the Republic of Ireland is moving to Level 5 COVID-19 restrictions. These restrictions will remain in place for a period of 6 weeks. The effect of these restrictions on Hockey activity have been highlighted below.

These restrictions will apply to all Clubs in the Republic of Ireland.

Under Level 5, individual training only is permitted, and no matches are to take place. The exemptions to this are:

  1. Non-contact training can continue for school-aged children, outdoors in pods of 15. This means that at no point during the session should a player come within 2m of another player. Exercises involving tackling (such as 1v1s), marking or match play should not be undertaken.
  1. Elite sports* are permitted to continue behind closed doors – For Hockey this has been defined as the National Senior Men’s and Women’s Programmes. They are permitted to train and play behind closed doors.

*Please note: This category has been defined by the ‘Return to Sport Expert Group’ which has been established by the ROI government to provide guidance to Ireland’s sporting bodies to prepare for the phased return to sporting activity.

Facilities & Travel:

It is permitted to open outdoor sports facilities for training sessions and scheduled matches for the exempted categories of sport, i.e. high performance.  It will also be permitted to open outdoor sports facilities for structured training sessions by school aged children, i.e. those aged 18 years and younger, in pods of no more than 15, under the supervision of designated coaches and in compliance with approved COVID-19 protocols and all relevant public health guidance.

During these training sessions, it will only be permitted for participants and relevant coaching and support personnel to be present. In the case of children’s sport, parents will be permitted to attend for child safeguarding purposes, however they will be required to comply with social distancing and other public health advice.

Under Level 5, while domestic travel restrictions do not allow movement outside of a 5-kilometre radius of home, it is permitted to take school-aged children to club training sessions. Club coaches may also travel to training sessions.

Northern Ireland

Ulster Hockey has advised that all hockey club training is suspended until 14 November 2020.  This coincides with the timing of the NI Executive’s current restrictions. Please check the Ulster Hockey website for the latest guidance.

Hockey Ireland will continue to follow the developments and will respond as soon as possible to any changes in the situation. Hockey Ireland would like to thank all branches and clubs that worked hard to get hockey competition back under the strict protocols.  We hope we will be back again as soon as possible.

The Hockey Ireland Return to Play and Competition Protocol will be updated shortly and available at https://hockey.ie/covid-19/

Please see below for current clarification on Level 5.

 

Hockey Ireland is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Tumilty as Head Coach for the Irish Senior Men. The appointment comes as the squad looks ahead to the European Championships next August.

Tumilty was initially appointed to the Head Coach role for the Irish Senior Men’s squad on a short term basis as they faced into their final weeks of preparation for their Olympic Qualifier against Canada last October. However, the position was extended into 2020 in line with a normal Olympic cycle. With European Championships scheduled for August 2021 and the World Cup qualification process getting underway in early 2022, Tumilty has used the past year to widen the Men’s panel and provide some younger players with the opportunity to step up, with the aim of making the squad more competitive.

Speaking on the announcement, Head Coach Mark Tumilty said, “It is an honour and privilege to be given the opportunity to coach the Irelands Senior Men’s team. I am really excited by the players we have available and look forward to developing those players over the next period. I want to develop an attacking style of hockey and to create an environment for all players to fulfil their potential during our preparation for the 2021 European Championships.”

Hockey Ireland Performance Director, Adam Grainger, had this to say on the announcement, “Hockey Ireland High Performance is delighted to reappoint Mark Tumilty as Senior Men’s Head Coach. Despite the disappointment of the unsuccessful qualification for Tokyo 2020, it was very clear from existing players and staff feedback that the leadership of Mark was well received leading into Vancouver qualifiers and subsequently. To date, 2020 has not allowed regular programme activity for the Senior Men, yet Hockey Ireland is very much looking forward to working with Mark, his Management Team and the players as they move forward towards their 2021 European Championships and beyond”.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given of the Annual General Meeting of
Irish Hockey Company Limited by Guarantee “Hockey Ireland”
on 26th November 2020

This AGM will take place online and registered delegates will receive a link prior to the meeting.

Full details can be found here: HI AGM Notice 20 Oct 2020

On Wednesday 14 October, the Irish government announced the removal of the exemption for senior club championship to be played in Level 3 of the Living with Covid-19 plan. 

Following this change, the Board of Hockey Ireland has decided to postpone all hockey competition on an all-Ireland basis until further notice.  Training can proceed subject to Hockey Ireland protocols and restrictions and any restrictions that may apply locally.

This also means that the Interprovincial Competitions scheduled for the end of October are postponed. Hockey Ireland recognises the time and energy the Interprovincial Working Group and the provincial teams have put into the preparations for these games. Suitable dates for the running of the competitions will be considered.

Elite hockey activity can proceed, and this applies to the Irish Senior Men and Irish Senior Women’s teams only.

Hockey Ireland would like to acknowledge the work of the clubs that has gone into hosting games over the last few weeks.  The support of volunteers to follow the protocols and keep our players safe has been phenomenal.  We must endeavour to keep club hockey activity going whilst we continue to observe Covid-19 guidelines and hopefully, we can resume competition soon.

Congratulations to two of our umpires Amy Jones and Victoria Johnston both of which are mentees on our Elite Umpire Development Programme funded by Women in Sport. Having joined their Provincial Panel before Lockdown in March 2020 both Girls have been awarded a place on the EHF Umpire 4 Nations (U4N) one year programme finshing with the Push Tournament in Breda from 20th-22nd August 2021. The programme includes mentoring, observational learning and practical appointments. They Join Richard McNabb who had a place on the programme last year which was interupted by Covid-19.

In the photo attached (L-R) Victoria Johnston, Kim Collins (IHUA), Amy Jones.

Hockey Ireland would like to congratulate former Irish Hockey Union President and Ulster Branch IHU Bobby Howard (at the age of 91 years) for being awarded a BEM for Voluntary Services to Sport (Hockey & Golf). Bobby is pictured above in the 60th anniversary year of Lisnagavery Hockey Club, second from the left in the back row.

A club Patron and long time servant of Lisnagarvey Hockey Club, the award recognised Bobby’s service to both hockey and golf.

Bobby joined Lisnagarvey HC in Sept 1944 (3 months after ‘D Day’!) as a 15 year old and has therefore been a member for a mere 76 years. He first played for the 1st X1 in 1946 and was capped for Ulster in 1948. He captained the 1st X1 and holds 6 Irish Senior Cup Medals. He was in attendance at the club just a few weeks back at the Irish Cup Finals and was doubtlessly delighted to see the current team lift the cup again.

Off the field he has given distinguished service to the Lisnagarvey HC serving on many Committees to include as Club Chairman as well as Club President. He is the only Lisnagarvey Member to have been elected as both President of the Ulster Branch IHU (1978) and subsequently President of the Irish Hockey Union(1989-91).

Bobby was elected as the Lisnagarvey Club Patron a number of years ago and still attends most home matches to support his beloved ‘Garvey’.

Bobby’s career/service in Golf may not be as widely known within the Ulster Hockey Family, but he is Lisburn Golf Club’s longest active playing Member having joined the Club in 1951 all of 69 years ago when it was located on the Longstone. Bobby has served Lisburn Golf Club well in both in a playing capacity (Club teams including Ulster Cup) as well as serving on its Council to include being elected Captain in 1981 & President in 2000-01 and now enjoys the distinguished status of being one of the few Honorary Members. He is still playing around twice per week and is still (at 91) captaining some of the Club’s Veteran sides.

Hockey Ireland is delighted with the news that Sport Ireland, through the Dormant Accounts Funding, is investing in our Hockey4All disability and inclusion programme.

Our Hockey4All programme aims to offer young people with disabilities an opportunity to become part of the local hockey community, to keep healthy (socially, mentally and physically) and have fun in a team sport.

In 2021, we are seeking to engage with clubs to set up Hockey4All sections. Support will include:

  • Coach and umpire training
  • Equipment to support programme delivery
  • Taster sessions in local schools / community groups
  • Competition opportunities
  • Other supports as required

If you, or your club would be interested in finding out more about this programme, please fill in the following form. https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=p9R9iRJpqUakYa2lfUqiV93xNr8oaMxOs6iv7x9-vCdUMlZVU0dKVjE1MzJISTlJNkg1NUlVQlFLUi4u

YMCA’s incredible start to the season continued apace as they held off Banbridge at Havelock Park to take a surprise share of top spot with Lisnagarvey after three rounds of the men’s EY Hockey League.

Pre-lockdown, they sat in the relegation places before the season was voided but this year they look in no such danger as Ross Henderson, Grant Glutz and Peabo Lembethe helped them run up a 3-0 lead.

Bann did get back in the mix via Eugene Magee and Eddie Rowe but, like last week against UCD, YM’s penalty corner defence withstood a late barrage to record a big away win.

They sit on nine points now alongside Lisnagarvey who were much too strong for Corinthian who slumped to a third successive loss, falling 6-0. Troy Chambers was the star man, scoring twice and having a hand in a couple of the other goals.

Monkstown’s perfect record was broken by UCD in a 4-4 thriller at the Merrion Fleet Arena in a game where the lead changed hands four times. Town led 1-0 and 3-2 by half-time but also trailed 2-1 and 4-3 late in the game as they struggled to contain Mark Samuel’s roving efforts down the right. Davy Carson, however, popped up with the equaliser to share the spoils.

Pembroke landed their first points of the season with a 2-1 win in a bruising encounter against Glenanne at Serpentine Avenue. Shane O’Donoghue put the Glens in front but fellow Olympian Alan Sothern equalised before half-time and the winner arrived in the fourth quarter from Cian Murphy from Julian Dale’s assist.

Three Rock Rovers, meanwhile, were far too strong for Annadale, recording a 10-0 victory at Grange Road with Ben Johnson bringing his tally to six goals in three games to date.

Dale’s cause was not helped by injury to goalkeeper Sam Hamill at 6-0 with 22 minutes to go. With no recognised goalkeeper on the bench, they decided against padding up an outfielder with the additional complication of having to sanitise the full kit.

Men’s EYHL – day three results: Banbridge 2 (E Magee, E Rowe) YMCA 3 (G Glutz, R Henderson, P Lembethe); Lisnagarvey 6 (T Chambers 2, J Lynch, A Williamson, B Nelson, M Aughey) Corinthian 0; Monkstown 4 (D Carson 2, S Cole, R Nichols) UCD 4 (S Walker 2, G Sarratt, P Lynch); Pembroke 2 (A Sothern, C Murphy) Glenanne 1 (S O’Donoghue); Three Rock Rovers 10 (B Johnson 3, B Walker 2, L Adams, J Walker, H Morris, A Haughton, R Canning) Annadale 0

Saturday, October 17th: UCD v Three Rock Rovers, Belfield, 1pm; Monkstown v Banbridge, Merrion Fleet Arena, 2.15pm; Glenanne v Lisnagarvey, St Andrew’s, 3pm; Annadale v Corinthian, Lagan College, 3.30pm; YMCA v Pembroke, Wesley College, 4pm

Day three – extended reports

Pembroke 2 (A Sothern, C Murphy) Glenanne 1 (S O’Donoghue)

Pembroke came from a goal down to record their first win of the season from a bruising affair at Serpentine Avenue. Eric Foy was shown a yellow card just a couple of minutes in for swinging out at a Glens’ player off the ball following a tangle and the visitors went on to have the best of a tight first quarter but two corners pushed wide was the sum of the chances.

From corner three, however, Shane O’Donoghue found his bearings and planted a drag-flick in the bottom right corner for 1-0. Pembroke woke up from there and were the side the ascendancy; they saw Iain Walker punch away Alan Sothern’s drag and had another effort saved at the left post while Nick Burns reversed wide.

The goal was certainly coming and it arrived before half-time from a neat variation, the stopper sliding the ball left to open an angle for Sothern to flick home. Harry Spain kept it level with a save off the line on the half-time whistle from Glenanne’s fourth corner.

Pembroke continued in the ascendancy in the second half with Fionn O’Leary and Julian Dale going very close from big chances. They went in front early in the fourth quarter when Sothern picked up Foy’s long pass in the corner and cut inside to shoot. He took contact in that phase but the ball fell to Dale on the baseline who got the ball back to Cian Murphy to flick into an open goal.

Glenanne fought back, requiring Richard Sweetnam to put his body on the line to deny Richard Couse – taking a nasty blow to the hand into the bargain – and Mark Ingram pull out all the stops to keep out Couse and two more O’Donoghue corner attempts.

Monkstown 4 (D Carson 2, S Cole, R Nichols) UCD 4 (S Walker 2, G Sarratt, P Lynch)

Monkstown and UCD shared an eight-goal battle which saw the lead swap four times at the Merrion Fleet Arena. The tempo was set from the very outset with Peter Lynch’s spectacular volley fizzing wide with barely a couple of seconds on the clock. Monkstown had the lead in the second minute when Ryan Spencer’s shot hit Sam Walker’s foot on the line, Stephen Cole converting from the spot.

UCD quickly turned things around with Mark Samuel rampant down the right flank for the students and was the game’s most influential performer. He won a corner which Conor Empey slipped into the path of Walker who chipped over Dave Fitzgerald for 1-1.

Samuel was bundled over for a third UCD corner which Guy Sarratt skapped home at the second attempt from mid-circle. UCD were the side on top for most of the half and could have been further in front but for a huge Fitzgerald save from Ewan Ramsay but they found themselves trailing 3-2 at the big break.

First, Rory Nichols whipped in a high drag-flick and, within seconds, Davy Carson got his first of the day, guiding in a Keith Kenning push after a sustained wave of attacks.

It remained that way through the third quarter before UCD went back into the lead. First, from an unstopped corner, Town vacated the area in front of the goalkeeper where the ball was returned to the waiting Peter Lynch to bash in to control and bash in from close range.

Then Samuel ghosted around the back to the baseline and crossed for Walker to sweep in for 4-3. The lead did not last long, however, as Nichols got to the endline and picked out Carson to finish off.

Banbridge 2 (E Magee, E Rowe) YMCA 3 (G Glutz, R Henderson, P Lembethe)

YMCA continued their excellent run of form to start the men’s EY Hockey League and they now have almost as many wins as they managed in the whole of the 2019/20 campaign after just three weeks. It was built on a remarkable opening phase with Ross Henderson opening the scoring in the 12th minute, dragging the ball onto his reverse before slipping it through Luke Roleston.

Grant Glutz got his fourth of the season soon after when he powered home from mid circle and he played an instrumental in the third goal from a corner which Peabo Lembethe got a vital finish on.

Bann got a foothold in the game when Luke Witherow weaves his way to the backline and passed for Eugene Magee to score. The Co Down side held most of the play in the second half but found clear chances tough to come by.

They were right back in it, though, when Philip Brown went on a gallop before assisting Eddie Rowe to score his third goal in two games. Bann had four corners in the final quarter but YMCA’s defensive unit was immaculate once again to keep each of them out and preserve the points.

Lisnagarvey 6 (T Chambers 2, J Lynch, A Williamson, B Nelson, M Aughey) Corinthian 0

Lisnagarvey made it three wins from three with a comfortable win over Corinthian at Comber Road. The reds held them at bay until just before the end of the first quarter when great work from Daniel Nelson, driving into the circle, created the chance for Johnny Lynch to slot in.

From the restart, they almost instantly doubled the advantage when Harry Morris picked up the ball and strode forward and while the goalkeeper got a block, Troy Chambers pounced to lift the ball in. Andy Williamson dragged in the third from a corner for 3-0 after 25 minutes.

Ben Nelson’s sweet reverse-stick strike from James Corry’s assist started the second half scoring and it was 5-0 before the end of the third quarter courtesy of Matthew Aughey, finishing off from Chambers’ assist. Chambers then closed out the win with his second goal in the final quarter.

Three Rock Rovers 10 (B Johnson 3, B Walker 2, L Adams, J Walker, H Morris, A Haughton, R Canning) Annadale 0

Nine second half goals saw Three Rock Rovers race clear of Annadale to record their second win of the campaign with Ben Johnson’s hat trick making it six goals in three games. The first half saw plenty of pressure for Rovers but the only breakthrough came in the second quarter when Ross Canning’s through ball was touched in by Luke Adams.

But six goals in the third quarter saw the game quickly change complexion. Johnson’s corner started the run before Daragh Walsh set up Ben Walker for 3-0.

Johnson added the fourth with a backhand shot before completing his hat trick from a brilliant diving effort following Adams and Evan Jennings’ excellent approach work. James Walker’s wonder strike stretched the lead to six and Dale endured further pain when goalkeeper Sam Hamill was forced off injured with a hamstring problem.

With no recognised replacement on the bench, they considered putting an outfielder in the pads but decided against it with the requirement to sanitise the equipment. With no keeper in place, Harry Morris tapped in for 7-0 at the three quarter break and Ali Haughton, Ben Walker and a Ross Canning stroke completed the win.