As part of Women in Sport Week, Hockey Ireland launched the #StickTogether campaign, encouraging clubs across the country to create welcoming opportunities for women and girls to connect — or reconnect — with hockey.
At the heart of the campaign is a simple idea: invite the women already connected to your club community. Clubs were encouraged to ask players to bring along their mothers, aunts, sisters, cousins or friends to take part in a Stick Together session, creating a relaxed and supportive environment where everyone could enjoy the sport together. To recognise their commitment to growing the women’s game, participating clubs were awarded a small grant in appreciation of their involvement.
Clubs from across all four provinces embraced the campaign, designing sessions that prioritised fun, social connection and accessibility for participants of all abilities. From introductory pitch sessions to social gatherings around major international matches, the initiative has highlighted the many ways clubs can create welcoming spaces for women to get involved in the sport.
Skerries Hockey Club launched a six-week Stick Together programme designed to give women a welcoming introduction to the game. The initiative provides a relaxed and social setting where participants can pick up a stick for the first time, rediscover their love of hockey after time away, or simply enjoy being active alongside friends. By focusing on confidence-building and enjoyment on the pitch, the programme has created an inclusive environment that celebrates participation at every level.
Meanwhile, Cork Harlequins delivered a fantastic series of activities that combined both on-pitch action and off-pitch community engagement. On 4 March, the club hosted a pitch session aimed at reintroducing hockey to women who had not played in years, offering a friendly and supportive way to rediscover the sport. The following evening, members gathered in the clubhouse to watch the Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers, creating a vibrant social atmosphere while celebrating women’s hockey on the international stage.
Initiatives like these perfectly capture the spirit of the #StickTogether campaign — encouraging clubs to create opportunities for women to connect through hockey, whether that means returning to the pitch, trying the sport for the first time, or simply coming together to support the women’s game.
Hockey Ireland would like to thank all the clubs who have already taken part and shared their activities. With clubs from across the four provinces already involved — and many more planning to run their own #StickTogether sessions in the coming weeks — the campaign continues to highlight the fantastic work being done across the hockey community to grow and celebrate the women’s game.
If your club would like to get invovled and run a #StickTogether campaign, contact our development team at development@hockey.ie for more information