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Ireland Women hold Belgium to a draw in Hockey Olympic Qualifier Opener

IRELAND 0 BELGIUM 0

Ireland who are World ranked #13, began their Olympic qualification Pool A campaign with a defiant ‘backs to the wall’ performance against the European Silver medallists from 2023 and World Ranked #4 Belgium.

Charlotte Engelbert forced a penalty corner after only 20 seconds. It was the first of nine such corners awarded against Ireland in the first half. But the Irish defense marshalled by Lena Neill, Hannah McLoughlin and Roisín Upton and backstopped by player of the match Ayeisha McFerren were able to hold out not only in quarter one but quarter’s two and three as well.

Ireland were up against it for most of the first half.  It was scoreless at half-time. McFerren made several saves including a double save from a penalty corner to keep Ireland in the match.

The third quarter saw Ireland gain a fair bit of possession, but they seemed to be unable to carve out too many clear-cut opportunities turning over the ball at times. It wasn’t until the fortieth minute that the first penalty corner for Ireland was awarded but Belgian substitute goalkeeper Elode Picard wasn’t troubled by Chloe Watkins’ effort nor Beth Harper’s attempt on the rebound.

Ireland had made good use of video referrals early on in the game getting two penalty corner awards overturned in the process. Neither side seemed capable of captilising on having an extra player. Belgium had one player green carded in the thirty fourth minute and Ireland had three players green carded at different stages in the second quarter.

The drama didn’t end there. In the final six seconds Belgium looked for a video referral as they claimed the ball hit an Irish foot inside the semi-circle. The video referral was inconclusive so Belgium had to face a free out and lost their video referral. The final blew soon afterwards and the score stood as it had at the first whistle, Ireland 0 Belgium 0.

This point which must be looked at as a bonus at this stage, is an excellent start and must be followed up strongly by a win on Monday morning against Ukraine. Then there will be the final pool match against Japan but a point against the pre-tournament favourites is a very good start indeed but must be followed up on.

Sean Dancer Ireland Head Coach said after the game:

“Belgium dominated the game, particularly the first half and are an excellent team. But we came into it a bit more in the third quarter and created a few chances. Ireland performed better in the second half.”

The final match of the day was the second Pool A game between Korea and Ukraine. Elsewhere in Pool A Great Britain defeated Canada 2-0 and Spain had a comfortable win over Malaysia by 7-0.

IRELAND:  Ayeisha Mc Ferren, Bethany Harper, Elena Neill, Hannah McLoughlin, Katie McKee, Sarah Hawkshaw, Charlotte Beggs, Katie Mullan (c), Deirdre Duke, Naomi Carroll SUBS USED: Niamh Carey (3 mins), Chloe Watkins (3 mins), Sarah McAuley (4 mins), Michelle Carey (7 mins),  Sarah Torrans (7 mins), Róisín Upton (7 mins)

BELGIUM: Aisling D’Hooghe, Justine Rasir, Alix Gerniers, Judith Vandermeiren, Emma Puvrez, Louise Versavel, Vanessa Blockmans, Michelle Struijk, Héléne Brasseur, Stephanie Vandenborre, Charlotte Engelbert, SUBS USED: Elodie Picard (GK) [31 mins], Ambre Ballenghen (3 mins), Barbara Nelen, Camille Belis (4 mins), Lien Hillewaart (5 mins). Abi Raye (5 mins)

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Ireland players in Valencia as Hockey Olympic Qualifiers about to begin.

First game starts Jan 13 as IRL Women take on world ranked #4 Belgium

Ireland’s International Hockey Men and Women are now in Valencia ahead of the start of their Olympic Qualifications. With games starting Jan 13, this is the last chance for both sides to qualify for the Paris Olympics this summer.

 

IRELAND WOMEN’S TEAM

Katie Mullan, Ireland Women’s Captain

 

In the women’s competition, Ireland (World Ranked #13) are drawn in Pool A alongside Belgium (#4) whom they play on January 13th (start time is 5.30PM IRL). Also in the pool are Ukraine (#28) and Korea (#12).

Belgium are the highest ranked team in the pool, currently placed 4th in the world rankings. Their performances over the past year in the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup and the FIH Hockey Pro League have been outstanding, which makes them the favourites to progress out of the pool.

Korea and Ireland are neck-and-neck in the world rankings in12th and 13th positions respectively, and the head-to-head matchup between the two sides might end up being crucial in deciding who qualifies for the semi-finals.

Ukraine’s star has been on the rise in international hockey over the past couple of years and it’ll come as no surprise to see them get the better of their higher ranked opponents and finish in the top-2 positions in Pool A.

A second placed group finish is essential to proceed further and then a further win in the knockout stages either in the semi-final (both finalists qualify automatically for Paris) or a win in the 3rd place play off will be required to get to the Olympic Games themselves in the summer.

The Belgians present a real challenge for the Irish as they are one of the strongest teams in the World who have not already qualified for the Summer Olympic games. Their key players include captain Barbara Mallen, Astrid Bonami, Stephanie Van Den Boore, Charlotte Engelbert and goalkeeper Aisling De Hooghe who has played at two World Cups and FIH Pro League.

 

The matches are available to view on TNT Sports and also online on watch.hockey and for fans based in Northern Ireland BBCNI Sport i-Player will have coverage online.

 

IRELAND MEN’S TEAM

Sean Murray, Ireland Men’s Captain

 

In the men’s competition, Ireland (World Ranked #13) are drawn in Pool A alongside Ukraine (#28), Belgium (#2) and Japan (#15). They open their campaign against Ukraine on Sunday January 14th at 7:45pm IRL.

Ukraine are familiar opposition to Ireland as they played each other twice at last summer’s B Europeans, facing each other once in the pool stage and also in the finals at the Sport Ireland Campus last July. On both occasions Ireland won.

As we know from that tournament, Ukraine tend to start tournaments slowly and improve as the tournament wears on. So, to have Ukraine in the first match is probably ideal.

A second placed group finish is essential to proceed further and then a further win in the knockout stages either in the semi-final (both finalists qualify automatically for Paris) or a win in the 3rd place play off will be required to get to the Olympic Games themselves in the summer.

Ukraine’s standout players from the B European’s last summer included drag flicker Viacheslav Paziuk, Andrii Koshelenko, Maksym Onofiiuk, Oleksii Popov, and Oleksandr Boiko (who scored in the final match against Ireland.)

 

The matches are available to view on TNT Sports and also online on watch.hockey and for fans based in Northern Ireland BBCNI Sport i -Player will have coverage online.

 

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Last home training session with the Ireland Men’s Hockey squad ahead of Olympic Qualifiers

Following the announcement of the 18-player squad in December, the Ireland Men’s Hockey team had their last training session yesterday evening at Lisnagarvey Hockey Club in Hillsborough, Co. Down before they leave for Spain this Sunday ahead of their Olympic Qualification tournament later this month.

The tournament which will take place between January 13th and 21st will be in Valencia, Spain and is the final opportunity for nations to reach the Summer Olympic Hockey Tournament in Paris. Eight nations from all over the world have reached this qualification tournament in Valencia. They will be joined in Valencia by the Ireland Women’s Hockey team who are also seeking qualification to this summer’s Paris Olympics.

Ireland (World Ranked #13) are drawn in Pool A alongside Ukraine (#29) whom they open their campaign against on Sunday January 14 at 7:45p.m. local time. Next up is Belgium (#2) whom they play on Monday January 15 with a 6:15 p.m. start, and they finish the Pool A phase against Japan (#15) on Wednesday January 17 with a 6:15p.m. start.

In Pool B, hosts Spain (#8), are in with Korea(#10), Austria (#19), and Egypt (#20). There are only 3 qualification places available from this tournament, so it is essential Ireland finish second at least in the pool and preferably win their semi-final to ensure a spot in Paris next summer. A place could still be secured by the losing semi-finalists were they to win the 3rd place play-off.

QUOTES FROM PLAYERS:

SEAN MURRAY (Captain) 

“With the other three teams in Pool A, Ukraine, Belgium and Japan, Belgium are probably the tournament favourites. Japan we don’t know too much about. We’d be confident we can get the group off to a good start with a win against Ukraine. We will treat the Japan game as a must-win game. We know that they are experienced. If we do manage to qualify for the Olympic games, we then have 10 days at home before we head to India for the first of our FIH Pro League series of games. Those games will be ideal preparation for the challenge of playing at the summer Olympics if we manage to get one of the three spots on offer in Valencia. But the first thing is to get through this qualification tournament and get one of the three places available.”

 

JOHNNY MCKEE (Player) 

“If we had been able to write the schedule of matches for ourselves in Pool A, that is the pattern we would have chosen. Ukraine improve as the tournament wears on so it’s best to play them first. We’ll be asking the players who play in Belgium (or who have previously played there), with and against those Belgian internationals for any information on the opponents. We are primarily concentrating on getting out of the group. You then have to win one of your remaining two games to get to Paris. Either win the semi-final or the third place play off if you lose the semi-final. The priority is the first game against Ukraine. We played them in the European B Championships last summer in Dublin. We won’t underestimate them in any way. Japan have had a bit of funding since they hosted the last Olympics and they have been progressing so none of these games will be easy.”

 

MARK TUMILTY (Head Coach) 

On the 1st game v Ukraine:

“I’m pleased with the way that the fixtures worked out for ourselves. We played Ukraine twice in the B Europeans last summer in Dublin and they were much more difficult opponents in the final than they had been during the Pool game so it’s best to get them early as they grow into tournaments. Hopefully we can get a bit of confidence from that going into our next game against Belgium.”

On the 2nd  game v Belgium:

“Belgium offer a significant challenge and from our point of view it’s better to have played a game before we face that challenge. They are World Ranked #2 for a reason as they are former Olympic and World Champions. It’s a game I look forward to. We’ll be able to measure our progress over the past 12 months by how we perform against Belgium. Hopefully it sets us up for the Japan game. Given that the game is the last one on the day we go in knowing what we need to do as the other games scheduled on the same day will have been completed.”

On the 3rd game v Japan:

“I think Japan will be a very tough game. They reached the final of the Asian Games recently losing 1-5 to India. Asian teams offer a different type of hockey to what we are used to in Europe. We played them in a friendly tournament in South Africa. Our game against them could come down to how we execute our set plays.”

On trying to make the semi-finals and potential Olympic Qualification:

“I think if you look at the tournament, how it’s setup, Belgium and Spain are most people’s favourites to qualify. Any of the other six nations will feel if they can produce a good week’s hockey, they could secure that 3rd qualification spot for the Olympic Games. We played Spain in a three game series last month. We were competitive in the first two games, and they were by far the better team in the third.

“We have played Austria in the not too distant past and they will present a challenge should they come out of the other pool. Egypt had a good African Nations Cup only losing out to South Africa at the final stage. Korea would be an interesting challenge. It’s definitely a tournament that offers a stiff competition. No route to an Olympics was ever going to be easy, but we are delighted to be travelling to Spain as we were there last month, it is familiar enough for our group of players and it will be within reach for our supporters too.”

On the importance of the FIH Pro League with regard to preparation for future World Cup and Olympic Qualification cycles:

“Should we manage to make the Olympic Games, playing the in the FIH Pro League against the top 8 World Ranked Nations can only be hugely beneficial for our group in terms of preparation for the games themselves and future challenges such as World Cup Qualification for 2026 and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.  Every game we play will be against teams with higher World Rankings than ourselves and realistically we cannot look at that as anything other than a massive challenge.”

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No Stones Unturned – Last Home Training Session With The Ireland Women’s Hockey Squad Ahead Of Olympic Qualifiers

 

Dublin, January 3: Following the announcement of the 18-player squad in late December, the Ireland Women’s Hockey team had their last training session today at the Sport Ireland Campus before they leave for Spain this Saturday ahead of their Olympic Qualification tournament later this month.

The tournament, which will take place between January13th and 21st will be in Valencia, Spain and is the final opportunity for nations to reach the Summer Olympic Hockey Tournament in Paris.

Eight nations from all over the world have reached this qualification tournament in Valencia.

Ireland (World Ranked #13) are drawn in Pool A alongside Belgium (World Ranked #  4) whom they play on January 13th (local start time is 5.30 p.m.).

Ukraine (World Ranked #28) whom they play on January 15th (start time12 Noon) and Korea (World Ranked #12) whom they will play on January 16th (start time 6:15 p.m.).

In Pool B hosts Spain (World Ranked #8) are in with Great Britain* (*England are World Ranked #7), Canada (World Ranked #16) and Malaysia (World ranked #18).

There are only 3 qualification places available from this tournament, so it is essential Ireland finish second at least in the pool and preferably win their semi-final to ensure a spot in Paris next summer. A place could still be secured by the losing semi-finalists were they to win the 3rd place play-off.

 

QUOTES FROM PLAYERS:

Chloe Watkins:

“Valencia is a very familiar place. We were there in December most recently, but we have travelled to the venue many times before for warm weather training. If you can prepare as best you can, off the pitch in terms of accommodation, travel and so on, and as we know the venue and the places to stay etc., it’s almost like having the comforts of home. We’re lucky that the tournament is in Valencia as we are comfortable there.”

Katie Mullan [captain]:

“We’re very much focused on ourselves and taking one game at a time. Our eyes are focused on the Belgium opener and it’s going to be a fantastic game. There’s a real good buzz and atmosphere around the team and you are going to see that whenever you watch the team play in the tournament. Sharing learnings experiences from previous tournaments is important for the younger players, but it’s equally important for the older players to feed off the freshness and excitement that the younger girls bring. I think the blend is something very special and it stands to you in crucial moments. We left no stone unturned; our preparation has been second to none.”

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Ireland Senior Women Squad Announced for Olympic Qualifiers

Dublin, Dec 29: Ireland Senior Women’s National Team Head Coach  Sean  Dancer has announced the Women’s squad which will contest the Olympic Qualifiers next month.

The tournament which will take place between January 13th  and 21st will be in Valencia,  Spain and is the final opportunity for nations to reach the Summer Olympic Hockey Tournament in Paris. Eight nations from all over the world have reached this qualification tournament in Valencia.

Ireland (World Ranked #13) are drawn in Pool A alongside Belgium (#4) whom they play on January 13 at 5.30pm, Ukraine (#28) whom they play on January 15 at 12 noon and Korea (#12) whom they will play on  January 16 at 6:15 p.m.

In Pool B hosts Spain (World Ranked #8) are in with Great Britain* (*England are World Ranked #7), Canada (#16), and Malaysia (#18).

There are only 3 qualification places available from this tournament so it is essential Ireland finish second at least in the pool and preferably win their semi-final to ensure a spot in Paris next summer. A place could still be secured by the losing semi-finalists were they to win the 3rd place play-off.

Commenting on his selection Ireland Senior Women’s Head Coach Sean Dancer said:

“As a whole group we have used September to December to prepare differently. Trying to use development opportunities to make specific gains for individuals. This has not only provided a change of stimulus, but also helped challenge the group in different ways.”

“We have seen an increase in competition for places, which is credit to the group’s progress and individuals’ determination to succeed.”

“We are excited to have Beth Harper and Chloe Watkins back with us, after extended time away for injury and work. They join seven other players that where part of the team that qualified for the Olympics in 2019. They add valuable experience that we will need.”

“We have done all the hard work, and we are now ready to go and compete.”

“We are extremely grateful to all our sponsors and especially Sport Ireland, for providing us with everything needed to compete at the elite level of International sport.”

Also commenting was Hockey Ireland High Performance Director Lisa Jacob who said:

“There has been steady and consistent preparation over several years for this tournament, significantly supported by Sport Ireland. As a result, the 18 selected players will represent the squad that is now demonstrating high competition for places. Olympic Qualification is an exciting opportunity, and the team are very well prepared to perform when it matters most.”

The Hockey Ireland Senior Men will complete in January’s Olympic Qualifiers, also in Spain. The squad has previously been released and their first game starts January 14 at 7.45pm against Ukraine.

 

Squad Selection: 

Qualifier Valencia Spain January 2024

 

18 Player Selection
PLAYER Shirt # Region Position CAPS
MURPHY, Elizabeth #2 Leinster Goal Keeper 26
McFERRAN, Ayeisha #1 Ulster Goal Keeper 126
NEILL, Elena #12 Leinster Defender 142
UPTON, Róisín (VC) #6 Munster Defender 109
McAULEY, Sarah #3 Leinster Defender 29
CURRAN, Ellen #14 Leinster Defender 47
HARPER, Bethany #31 Ulster Defender 22
McLOUGHLIN, Hannah #10 Leinster Defender 46
McKEE, Katie #21 Ulster Midfielder 14
HAWKSHAW, Sarah #8 Leinster Midfielder 66
WATKINS, Chloe #20 Leinster Midfielder 237
BEGGS, Charlotte #16 Ulster Midfielder 19
CAREY, Michelle #5 Leinster Midfielder 30
TORRANS, Sarah #11 Leinster MF / Striker 52
MULLAN, Kathryn (C) #9 Ulster Striker 226
DUKE, Deirdre #28 Leinster Striker 168
CARROLL, Naomi #13 Munster Striker 140
CAREY, Niamh #7 Leinster Striker 18

 

 

 

 

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Indoor Kathea Energy Nkosi Cup Report

Kathea Energy Nkosi Cup


The  Ireland Women’s Indoor International Hockey team are returning home on Wednesday from participating in the inaugural Kathea Energy Nkosi Cup which was held in Wynberg, South Africa.

The format of the Women’s competition was that Ireland, South Africa and Namibia would play each other twice with the top two qualifying for the final on Tuesday.

The tournament began on Friday December 15th with the Group phase completed on Monday 18th December 2023.

 

DAY 1

IRELAND 4  SOUTH AFRICA 5 

Indoor World Cup semi-finalists South Africa were the first opponents for Ireland in the Kathea Energy Nkosi Cup at Wynberg. Cailynn Den Bakker gave the hosts the lead.

Edith Molikoe increased their lead to make it 2-0 and a minute later it was 3-0 thanks to a goal from Bonolo Moabi. Before the half-time  break it was 4 -0, Jess Lordant firing home from a penalty corner.  The Irish got on the score board through Mikayla Power. South Africa made  it 5-1 when Cailynn Den Bakker reacted quickest to a rebound when Malikah Hamza’s effort was saved and rebounded back into play.  Laura Graham scored following a penalty corner to make  the score 5-2. The Irish reduced the deficit to a single goal following two goals in a minute. Chloe Brown popped up on the right to make it 5-3 and then Jenna McCarlie scored on her debut for Ireland indoor to make  the final score 5-4.

 

DAY 2

IRELAND 3 NAMIBIA  5

On the  second day of the Kathea Energy Nkosi Cup Ireland took on Nambia. lt was Namibia who opened the scoring through Kiana Cormack from a penalty corner. Ireland pulled level in the second quarter through Sarah Patton. Kiana Cormack got her second of the game to make it 2-1 to Namibia. And she completed her hat-trick to leave the half-time score 3-1 to Namibia. Kiana Cormack made it 4-1. Ireland pulled a goal back through a penalty corner converted by Orla Patton. Ireland pulled another goal back through Mikayla Power to set up a grandstand finish. Ireland failed to find the leveller and in searching for it were caught on the break with Namibia  finding a late goal through Azaylee Philander while Ireland pulled their goalkeeper in favour of another attacker. It finished 5-3 to Namibia.

The first of the two games between Namibia and South Africa ended in a 3-1 win for South Africa, meaning that two wins for Ireland and a second win for South Africa over Namibia would have made  it possible for Ireland to reach the final

 

DAY 3

lRELAND 3  SOUTH AFRICA 4

Ireland took on the hosts for the second and final time in the group on Sunday which was the third day of the Kathea Energy Nkosi Cup in Wynberg. Nothing less than a win for Ireland would be enough to get them into Tuesday’s final. On the other side of the equation a victory for South Africa would secure a spot in Tuesdays final with a game to spare, but they knew they would face another tough battle against the Irish. Ireland took the lead when Sarah Patton scored first from a penalty corner. South Africa’s Edith Molikoe restored parity before the end of the first quarter. Her second goal of the game came in the 16th minute finishing a pass from Fourie. Her hat-trick goal came before half-time from another Tegan Fourie assist, this time at a penalty corner. 3-1 at the half-time break. Ireland came roaring back in the third quarter Chloe Brown pulled one back in the opening minute of the half with a brilliant penalty corner and the scores were levelled when Milla Fulton got her first international goal finishing coolly. The game was destined for the first draw of the Nkosi Cup when Molikoe scored to seal a victory for the hosts.

 

DAY 4  

NAMIBIA 2 IRELAND  1

Namibia, the current African Indoor  champions, knew a victory would secure their place in the final without having to worry about their match against South Africa later on Monday.

The challenge facing them was a tough one early on when Lily Lloyd opened the scoring picking up the rebound and firing home. Namibia would level in the 15th minute through a Kiana Cormack penalty stroke.  The game was tense and frenetic and needed and  Namibia needed  some inspiration and it came from  Kiana Cormack who got her second of the game and it turned out to be the winner in the final quarter.  This confirmed Namibia’s place in Tuesday’s final meaning their final pool match on Monday with South Africa was a dress rehearsal of the final.

 

In that final pool match South Africa raced into a 3-0 lead. Tegan Fourie with a penalty stroke put them 1-0 up. South Africa extended their lead to 2-0 in the third quarter through Kayla de Waal and made it 3-0 with 6 minutes remaining from a Malikah Hamza penalty corner. But as the South Africans were cantering towards victory Kiana Cormack fired home a quick double to put a big finish on the cards, but the hosts held on to make it four from four. Final score  NAMIBIA 2 SOUTH AFRICA 3 

Namibia and South Africa also qualified  for the Men’s final.

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Ireland Men’s Hockey team for January’s Olympic Qualifiers.

Head Coach Mark Tumilty names Ireland Men’s Hockey team for January’s Olympic Qualifiers

 

Dublin, Dec 18: Ireland Men’s Hockey Team Head Coach, Mark Tumilty, has announced his squad which will contest the Olympic Qualifiers next month. The tournament which will take place between January 13th and 21st in Valencia, Spain is the final opportunity for nations to reach the Summer Olympic Hockey Tournament in Paris. Eight nations from all over the world have reached this qualification tournament in Valencia.

Ireland ( World Ranked #13) are drawn in Pool A alongside Belgium (WR #2), Japan ( WR #15) and Ukraine (WR #29). In Pool B hosts Spain (WR #8), are in with Korea (WR #10), Austria (WR #19), and Egypt ( WR #20). There are only 3 qualification places available from this tournament, so it is essential Ireland finish at least second in the pool and preferably win their semi-final to ensure a spot in Paris next summer. A place could still be secured by the losing semi-finalists were they to win the 3rd place play-off.

Commenting on the squad announcement, Ireland Men’s Hockey Team Head Coach, Mark Tumilty said:

“It has been a tough selection process, and I feel for those players that have not been selected.”

“I am very pleased with the squad selected and feel that if we can produce our best hockey we have an opportunity to achieve our objectives. This is the most experienced squad selected in recent years and I feel that experience will be vital in Valencia. I look forward to finalising our preparation over the next few weeks, before flying to Valencia for a week’s training before the tournament starts. It is a great challenge for this group of players but one I look forward to seeing them embrace.”

Adding comment Hockey Ireland’s High-Performance Director, Lisa Jacob, said:

“There has been steady and consistent preparation over several years for this tournament. As a result, the 18 selected players will represent the squad that is now demonstrating great strength and depth, with high competition for places. Olympic Qualification is an exciting opportunity, and the team are very well prepared to perform when it matters most.”

The Ireland Women’s Hockey Team will also compete at the Olympic Qualifiers in January in Valencia, with the squad planned for announcement end December. All games can be viewed on FIH’s streaming platform Watch.Hockey.

 

Number Olympic Qualifier Position
1 David Harte GK
2 Jaime Carr GK
3 Tim Cross OB
4 Lee Cole OB
5 Peter McKibbin OB
6 Shane O’Donoghue CB
7 Kyle Marshall CB
8 Luke Madeley CB
9 Sean Murray P
10 Michael Robson P
11 Jonny Lynch P
12 Sam Hyland OM
13 Nick Page OM
14 Daragh Walsh FWD
15 Johnny McKee FWD
16 Jeremy Duncan FWD
17 Ben Walker FWD
18 Matty Nelson FWD
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Hockey Ireland launches The Big Ask

Hockey Ireland launches The Big Ask, a survey giving the hockey community their say as the new strategic plan gets underway

 

Dublin, Dec 15: As part of the preparation of its new strategic plan, Hockey Ireland today launched its ‘Big Ask’ hockey survey. Issued to all registered members as well as participants in Ireland’s wider hockey community, this survey is designed to give voice to all involved in hockey.

Through this initial short questionnaire, Hockey Ireland will build important learnings that will form the basis of its new strategic plan intended to cover the period 2024-2030 and planned for launch end Q1 2024. The survey will be followed by further consultation via online focus groups and additional questionnaires for specialist areas.

Commenting on the survey launch, Anne McCormack, Hockey Ireland CEO said:

“We would really like to hear what the hockey community thinks and would ask them to complete our survey and participate in our online focus groups. Their input will provide us with invaluable information as we develop our new strategic plan, setting our direction for 2024 onwards.”

Sue Haslam, Community and Participation Director added:

“We want to hear from as many constituents as possible, the hockey community is wide and varied and it’s important everyone feels they have a voice.”

 

Getting involved in the Big Ask is easy.

Link to the survey is here: The Big Ask Survey

 

Online focus groups will be held on (details and links to follow):

    • Tuesday 9th January (7-9pm)
    • Thursday 11th January (7-9pm)
    • Monday 15th January (7-9pm)
    • Wednesday 17th January (7-9pm)

 

Anyone can register their interest in being part of the focus groups by emailing: info@hockey.ie

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Hockey Ireland and Ulster Hockey launch newly designed Clubmark Programme

Dublin, Dec 12: Following a review process, Hockey Ireland and Ulster Hockey are pleased to announce the launch of the newly designed ‘Clubmark’ programme.

The coordination between Ulster Hockey and Hockey Ireland ensures that there are common standards across Clubs around Ireland, with the goal being to maintain the standards of the programme while making it as user-friendly as possible for Clubs.

This initial phase sees the ‘Bronze’ level launched, the ‘Silver’ level is due to be announced in early January, with ‘Gold’ to follow before the end of the season.

 

‘ACHIEVING CLUBMARK SIGNALS THAT YOUR CLUB PROVIDES A QUALITY SPORTING EXPERIENCE, OPEN TO ALL AND DELIVERED IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT, ADMINISTERED BY AN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT COMMITTEE.’   (Sue Haslam, Community and Participation Director, Hockey Ireland)

 

Clubmark aims to identify, develop, accredit and recognise leading Hockey Clubs and the contribution that they make to the development of the game across the island of Ireland. It values the essential and significant role that Clubs play in the development of hockey, through participation, talent development and community engagement.

Hockey’s Clubmark Programme is designed to provide Clubs with the resources to develop a Club Development Strategy that will:

  • Support the Club management and administration to provide the best service to its members
  • Develop and deliver new and existing programmes to provide opportunities for members
  • Attract new Club members whilst retaining current members
  • Guarantee a ‘quality standard’ in specific areas of the Club such as governance and safeguarding

For more information on the programme and how to apply, please click here – https://hockey.ie/my-hockey/clubmark-new/

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