#JobFairy – Hockey Ireland is recruiting a High-Performance Administrator to join our dynamic High-Performance Team.
Job description here: linkedin.com/jobs/view/3070
Closing date is 1pm Thursday 19th May 2022.
Hockey Ireland senior women’s coach Sean Dancer has named a 23 player national squad panel ahead of a busy 2022 which includes July’s World Cup and August’s EuroHockey Championship qualifiers. […]
Hockey Ireland is a non-profit, membership-based organisation recognised by Sport Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland as the National Governing Body for all Field and Indoor disciplines of the sport on the island of Ireland.
Hockey Ireland is affiliated to both the European and International Hockey Federations (EHF & FIH).
There is currently c. 42,000 registered members and c. 155-160 registered clubs throughout the country.
Hockey Ireland is now looking to appoint a CEO.
THE POSITION
The CEO will be expected to understand all stakeholders’ needs, particularly those of our extensive club network which supports our players, coaches, and officials. In order to ensure our continued development and growth you will have the ability to manage a complex portfolio of organisational responsibilities that include developing and delivering on the vision, mission, strategic direction, and goals of the organisation.
The CEO will have overall accountability, responsibility, and authority for the management of the business and affairs of Hockey Ireland in collaboration with the Board of Management and its Executive Committees. This will be done in accordance with the organisations adopted policies and procedures. Under their overall direction and oversight and in close co-operation with the Board of Management, the CEO will establish, implement, and oversee the short and long term goals, strategies, plans and policies of Hockey Ireland in a manner that develops, enhances, and promotes a healthy, diverse and vibrant organisation; a flourishing club system; a growing membership base that encompasses all Olympic, Paralympic and non-Olympic disciplines of the sport.
How to Apply
A full role description is available on request from our recruitment partner Ascension Executive Recruitment – mairead.fleming@ascension.ie
Interested candidates should send their curriculum vitae and letter of application to mairead.fleming@ascension.ie no later than 5pm on Friday 13th May 2022.
Hockey in the west of Ireland is set for a huge boost with the Comer Group proposing to build a centre of excellence for the sport at the Mountain South venue which is located just outside of Athenry.
The development is set to provide hockey in the region with a massive boost to an area crying out for improved facilities to cope with a growing level of interest in the sport.
Recently, new clubs have formed in Athenry, Loughrea, Ballinasloe and Tuam despite the lack of full-sized, hockey-specific playing facilities in the region while clubs in Galway city are required to have waiting lists due to over-subscription of players relative to facilities available.
Mountain South is a 103-acre plot of land which the Comer Group acquired in 2018 and has been earmarked to also welcome a centre of excellence for Galway United Football Club with a number of soccer pitches and a gymnasium proposed in the plans submitted recently.
As part of the project, the Comer brothers have extended a helping hand to grow the game of hockey in Connacht and a masterplan outlining two hockey pitches has been submitted as part of a planning application to Galway County Council.
Mr. Richard Fahey, interim CEO of Hockey Ireland, said: “This proposal is massive for hockey in the region where we are experiencing huge growth and interest with hundreds of new players taking up the sport recently.
“Having a high-class facility for players will open up hockey to them to pursue their new passion and can only accelerate and consolidate the growth of the game. Following the sports capital support for the Miller’s Lane project in Galway city, this is potentially another great development and testament to the work being done by Connacht Hockey’s officers.”
Mr. Kevin Keane, Chair and President of Connacht Hockey, added: “The facility will bring opportunity to all in our community, young and old, as a centre of excellence for the development of our sport in the Western Region. We are delighted to be able to share a facility like this with Galway United and look forward to a prosperous future together.”
Ms Aisling Keogh, Connacht Hockey said: “We are very grateful to Luke Comer for meeting with representatives of Connacht Hockey. Mr Comer listened to our story and recognised the need for hockey facilities in the West of the country and specifically wanted to give his support to activities that cater for women. He invited us into this project with nothing but positivity and we look forward to working together in the future.
“We are so grateful, as a community, to the Comer Group, Brian and Luke Comer for inviting us into this exciting development. What the Comer Group have done for hockey in the West by helping us with facilities is just an amazing story.”
Luke Comer stated he was delighted to hear the story of Connacht Hockey and their struggle for facilities in the West.
“As a keen sports person, It is so important to support young people in sport and particularly women in sport. Following our meeting with Aisling and Kevin, the Comer Group were very happy that Connacht Hockey were to be included in the development at the Mountain South, Comer Group, Centre of Excellence, Athenry, Co Galway.”
The Irish underage teams had their first outings of 2022, taking in fixtures in Lilleshall for the Under-18s and in Zwolle in the Netherlands for the Under-16s.
For the Under-18 boys, they started off at a high tempo against the Netherlands. The Dutch did see a first quarter stroke saved by Conor Murphy while Charlie Rowe had a goal disallowed as the Oranje eventually went on to win 1-0.
In game two, a strong, clinical Belgian side showed their strength and experience. A first Irish goal for Ben Pollock came from play while Harry Dagg scored a penalty corner rebound with the junior Red Lions winning 4-2.
The highlight of the weekend came against England Monday when a touch from Conor Matthews put Ireland in the lead in the second quarter and they held out for the rest of the match to bag the win.
The squad featured 12 first caps from the 22 traveling players this weekend. The side is supported by Comit.ie and Emtek.co.uk.
U18 Boys
Ireland 0 Netherlands 1
Ireland 2 Belgium 4
Ireland 1 England 0
***
The Under-18 girls also had their strongest outcome in game three when they drew 0-0 with England with both sides having their chances but defences held firm.
Belgium had earlier edged Ireland out 2-1 with Darcy McGall scoring the Irish goal. The Netherlands, meanwhile, were and outstanding outfit who won out 12-1, Anna Pim scoring a brilliant corner flick in a strong second half showing.
U18 Girls
Ireland 1 Netherlands 12
Ireland 1 Belgium 2
Ireland 0 England 0
**
The Under-16 boys made strong progress over the course of the weekend in their first games at this level for two years. They started off with a tough defeat to Belgium but narrowed the gap significantly after that.
They put in a strong performance against England, only conceding a late goal in 1-0 defeat while they pushed the Netherlands in an exciting contest which ended 2-0.
Under 16 Boys
Ireland 1 Belgium 7
Ireland 0 England 1
Ireland 0 Netherlands 2
****
In what was a first international series for the Irish Under-16 girls, they fought hard through their series in Zwolle. They put in a superb effort against Belgium, conceding twice in the last eight minutes to lose 3-0.
It was the same scoreline against England and they finished off a learning experience against the Netherlands in a 4-0 result, improving game on game
Under-16 Girls
Ireland 0 Belgium 3
Ireland 0 England 3
Ireland 0 Netherlands 4
Women’s Junior World Cup
9th-10th place playoff
Ireland 4 (S O’Brien, L Mulcahy, Y Pratt, C Hamill) Austria 0
Ireland finished strong to end their first ever Junior World Cup campaign in ninth place with a third successive win in Potchefstroom, running up four second half goals in a superb performance.
Siofra O’Brien, Lisa Mulcahy, Yasmin Pratt and Christina Hamill were all on the score sheet, ending the campaign in ninth place. It added to wins over Canada and Malaysia in the classification matches, bouncing back well from the group stages when Ireland missed out on the top eight in frustrating fashion.
“We really enjoyed this!” said player of the match Sarah McAuley. “We treated it like our final and did ourselves proud, finishing ninth. I am so proud of all the girls. It was the last game; we just said ‘go out, give it a lash and relish this opportunity’.”
Reflecting on the flow and tactical battle of the game, coach David Passmore added: “We didn’t convert in the first half and were a little bit frantic at times. But in the second, we played with a lot more composure. We did have a small panic when we lost a bit of structure but you have to ride those periods. It will never be plain sailing for 60 minutes.
“Tactically, we did it how we wanted to do it. The key thing is we wanted to develop with every game and finish well and we have done that.
“We like to play on the front foot, pressing, pressing, pressing. From the other Austrian games, I hadn’t seen them face that and so I thought we’d give it a go. You do accept they will occasionally get the ball through but we won a lot of ball.”
That high pressing intent was shown from the outset. Yasmin Pratt – player of the match in the win over Malaysia – won a corner with just 35 seconds gone, a set piece which took over 20 minutes to take place as lightning in the area saw the players race off the pitch as a precaution.
On their return to action, Sarah McAuley twice tested goalkeeper Fabienne Gnehm from the top of the D before brilliantly keeping out Anna Horan at close quarters from Christina Hamill’s dancing run and cross.
Austria, sitting in a deep half-court mode, had only fleeting moments in offence but were providing tough to break down and it remained scoreless in the first half.
The gaps started to appear more frequently in the third quarter and Ireland made the breakthrough in the 36th minute when McAuley, stepping up down the left wing, cut inside and picked out Siofra O’Brien.
The striker had her back to goal but turned smartly and chipped in a backhand shot that left Gnehm with no chance.
Austria showed more in attack after the goal, winning their first corner which Katharina Proksch fired just wide but they were two behind as the hooter blew for the end of Q3.
Pratt was again instrumental in winning the set play which Caoimhe Perdue slapped at goal and Lisa Mulcahy deflected in.
Holly Micklem was called to make her first save with nine minutes to go, sliding out brilliantly to block Franziska Frey and, from the rebound, the Old Alex keeper made her second block seconds later.
But the tie was well and truly settled from Ireland’s sixth corner, again Perdue bringing the power and Pratt was on hand to redirect the shot out of reach of sub goalie Corinna Stedronsky.
Christina Hamill closed out the tournament with a beautiful piece of work, McAuley’s long ball locating Mikayla Power who slipped an inviting pass that the Loreto midfielder threw herself to make it 4-0.
It brought the curtain down on a dramatic World Cup campaign, one which was initially postponed from December and then realigned due to Russia’s exclusion and Ukraine’s eventual withdrawal.
Nonetheless, it was an unforgettable experience for the Junior Green Army to compete at this level for the first time, winning three out of five fixtures in South Africa.
“I just want to thank everyone here for being so kind,” Passmore concluded. “We got such a great welcome. It;’s been a tough two years for everyone on the organising committee and we really appreciate everything they have done.”
Ireland: H Micklem, E Reid, S Murdoch, R Kelly, C Perdue, A Elliott, Y Pratt, C Sherin, C Hamill, L Mulcahy, S McAuley
Subs: E Paul S Cole, S O’Brien, M Power, A Horan, K-J Marshall, E McLoughlin
Austria: F Gnehm, C Kemper, H Herzog, J Czech, K Bauer, K Proksch, L Kern, L Buchta, F Felber, N Matousek, F Frey
Subs: M Monghy, A Minar, S Klaus, H Szladits, S Hruby, J Frey, C Stedronsky
Women’s Junior World Cup
Ireland 0 South Africa 1 (J-L du Toit)
Ireland’s dream of a Junior World Cup quarter-final berth came to an end as a single Jean-Leigh du Toit goal saw hosts South Africa edge them out 1-0 in Potchefstroom.
After Saturday’s 2-1 loss to England, for a second successive game, it was the penalty corner realm where the game was won and lost as coach David Passmore was left to rue “what happened in the circles” as his side put in a huge shift but could not take the big chances.
“I can’t fault the girls for their attitude and their application but we have to improve the delivery and accuracy of our penalty corners,” Passmore added.
“It’s about now getting above our world ranking of 12th; we’ve got the possibility of finishing ninth and if we can get three wins now, it will be a good World Cup for us.
“We are disappointed to lose; we thought we could get out of this group and I think we have played well enough – I don’t think we were third best in this group but hockey is about what you do in the circles.”
It was a tense affair in the first quarter with no chances accruing for either side. Mikayla Power and Nadia Benallal’s driving runs caused moments of danger but the South African defence held up well while Sarah McAuley was a big presence for Ireland.
The contest caught fire in the second period with the Junior Green Army nicking the first of three penalty corners in this phase while Siofra Murdoch’s reverse stretched Mishka Ellis to the limit. Sarah McAuley’s sweep at goal was well-taken off the line from Hanrie Louw at the left post.
But South Africa had the bigger openings. Du Toit served notice of her threat when her first corner shot went off Holly Micklem’s in-step and hit the inside of the post.
Bianca Wood miscontrolled from a golden chance at the end of a pitch-length counter but the relief was short as du Toit gave the hosts the lead with 20 seconds on the clock before half-time.
This one looked to be guided to a slider on the right post but a heavy defensive touch saw the Irish wrong-footed as the ball rattled into the backboard.
David Passmore’s side upped the ante in the second half with Yasmin Pratt going close on two occasions, one a venomous volley that goalkeeper Ellis brilliantly blocked at point-blank range.
South Africa, meanwhile, were running up a heavy penalty corner count – they ended with 10 in total – which required plenty of last-ditch defensive work. Ellie McLoughlin came off the bench to bat away a few of them with Lisa Mulcahy brilliantly deflecting Kayla de Waal’s flick at goal over the bar.
Caoimhe Perdue was inches from an equaliser from Ireland’s fifth corner five minutes from the end; Christina Hamill’s trickery almost unlocked the door while Aoife Taaffe drew another double-stop from Ellis in a late volley of chances but South Africa held on to leave Ireland on the outside of the quarter-final spots.
They will now contest the ninth to 15th place playoffs which get under way on Thursday with opponents to be confirmed later today.
Ireland: H Micklem, E Paul, E Reid, N Benallal, M Power, C Perdue, A Horan, Y Pratt, C Hamill, S McAuley, K-J Marshall
Subs: A Taaffe, S O’Brien, S Murdoch, A Elliott, L Mulchay, E McLoughlin, S Cole
South Africa: M Ellis, M Ramasimong, K de Waal, H Louw, T Kock, B Wood, E Molikoe, C Ferreira, O Zulu, S Laubscher, J-L du Toit
Subs: A Welham, M Le Roux, J McLaren, J Thomas, C Den Bakker, C Maree, A Claasen
Women’s Junior World Cup
Pool A: Ireland 0 South Africa 1 (J-L du Toit)
Standings: 1. England 6pts (+4) 2. South Africa 3pts (-2) 3. Ireland 0pts (-2)
Hockey Ireland is seeking applications for new members for the Board of Directors with expressions of interest for consideration welcomed up to 17.30 Friday 8th April, 2022.
The Board is responsible for the governance of hockey in Ireland, ensuring the delivery of our Mission, Core Values and Strategy.
The board is looking to recruit for a variety of roles, while also creating a databank of suitable candidates for future vacancies. The areas of expertise include Financial Management, Governance, High Performance, Communications, Project Management, Human Resource Management, Legal, Coach/Umpire Education, Volunteer Management, Strategic Planning, Child Welfare, Commercial, Marketing, IT.
We are seeking to further strengthen the skill set and gender balance within the Board. As a Director, you have input into the deliverance of our strategy and will contribute with insight and experience at meetings.
For full information on the role of Board member, click here or on the image below: https://hockey.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/HI-Job-Final-Final.pdf
To register your interest for these vacancies, please email the Company Secretary to request an application form which will ask you to detail your interest in/reasons for applying for the role, experience as it pertains to the potential roles and detailing other assets which you could bring to Hockey Ireland. Please return via email along with a current CV to secretary@hockey.ie. All expressions of interest are request by 17.30 Friday 8th April. Representatives of the Board of Hockey Ireland will consider all applications and invite selected candidates for interview that will be held in April. Please direct any queries to the Company Secretary on secretary@hockey.ie.
Aisling Naughton’s spectacular second minute goal was enough to get Pembroke the 1-0 win against Muckross they needed win the women’s EY Hockey League for the first time.
Earlier in the day, Catholic Institute beat Belfast Harlequins 2-1 at Deramore Park to take the league down to the last fixture to determine the destination of the title.
It meant Pembroke had to get a victory against a side fighting for their lives to try and escape relegation. And the Serpentine Avenue hosts got off to a dream start when Naughton dove full length at the left post to turn in Ellen Curran’s excellent ball.
From there, Pembroke dominated the play in the first half but a tough of over-eagerness meant an insurance goal proved elusive with Rachel O’Brien hitting the post and a number of other chances bouncing across the face of goal.
That ratcheted up the tension in the second half as any Muckross break-out had the potential to scupper the celebrations and, with lots on the line, the green and whites found some rhythm.
Pembroke captain Gillian Pinder following @PWHC's first #EYHL title! pic.twitter.com/mobwR3kFUu
— Hockey Ireland (@irishhockey) March 26, 2022
But Pembroke finished strong, controlling the final quarter as Aoife Glennon – an immense talent between the posts – kept out a range of shots from different angles.
“It’s just phenomenal to be able to finish it off like this, at home, in front of our crowd; absolutely buzzing,” Naughton said afterwards with the club landing the title for the first time having never breached the top four before in the EYHL.
“It is quite momentous. When a few of us joined a few years ago, we had a goal to bring the club to this level and we have a built a squad of not just 18; there’s 26 or so. And this is testament to that because we only played two matches at full fitness.
“We were delighted to get that early goal; we had plenty of chances and Muckross made it really difficult for ourselves. But we did have too many chances and we really do need to make sure of it if we are here again! But one’s enough!”
It also brings with it a guaranteed European ticket while for Muckross it means a drop back to EYHL Division 2.
Pembroke goalscorer Aisling Naughton on a historic day for @PWHC #eyhl @EY_Ireland pic.twitter.com/ZD8gKswKc7
— Hockey Ireland (@irishhockey) March 26, 2022
For Catholic Institute, they can console themselves with a direct ticket to the EY Champions Trophy semi-final.
Their win was built around goals from Roisin Upton and Leah Clery but they were also left with jangled nerves as Katie Larmour getting one back for Belfast Quins.
Pegasus secured a home quarter-final berth with a 2-0 win over UCD with the students scraping into a rematch with the Ulster side as Railway Union could not do enough against Old Alex to break into the playoffs, a 1-1 draw.
Old Alex will meet Loreto who eased by Cork Harlequins 5-1 with a hat trick from Christina Hamill.
** Fuller round-up to be posted in due course
Women’s EY Hockey League: Pembroke 1 (A Naughton) Muckross 0; Belfast Harlequins 1 (K Larmour) Catholic Institute 2 (R Upton, L Clery); Old Alex 1 (S Robinson) Railway Union 1 (Z Delany); Cork Harlequins 1 (M Barry) Loreto 5 (C Hamill 3, S O’Brien, Y Pratt); UCD 0 Pegasus 2 (T Doherty, K Magee)
Pembroke goalscorer Aisling Naughton celebrates with Emily Beatty. Picture: Max Fulham
Hockey Ireland is delighted to welcome Richard Fahey to the role of interim Chief Executive Officer for the organisation.
Richard will commence in the role from Monday 28th March, succeeding Jerome Pels who is moving from the role he has held since January 2017 to take up an equivalent position with England Boxing.
Richard has held several senior management posts within Irish sport over the past twenty years, most recently as Chief Executive of Tennis Ireland.
He was formerly Director of Club Licensing and Facility Development at the Football Association of Ireland, providing him with experience in both individual and team sport environments. Richard is also a board member at the Dublin City Sport and Wellbeing Partnership.
During his time with Tennis Ireland, tennis enjoyed a significant growth in participation as he drove improvements in governance, built relationships with clubs and helped develop new competitive opportunities for players.
He has also played a key role in facilitating the development of tennis and football facilities at local and regional level across the country including the FAI National Training Centre at the National Sports Campus.
A key task for Richard will be to build on the work done to date by Jerome and all the team in Hockey Ireland and to bring a new perspective and experience to our sport as we continue our journey to deliver for our players, coaches, umpires, volunteers and clubs.
Richard said: “I am very much looking forward to commencing my role as interim Chief Executive Officer of Hockey Ireland and working closely with the staff, the Board and with everyone involved in Hockey on the island of Ireland to further develop this wonderful sport”.
Hockey Ireland chairman Trevor Watkins added: “Hockey Ireland are very pleased to welcome Richard to lead us in what is an exciting time for our sport. Richard’s skills and experience are a perfect fit for Hockey Ireland. The Board looks forward to working with Richard as we continue to implement our strategy and take advantage of the opportunities before us.”
The search for a permanent CEO will be advertised shortly on the Hockey Ireland and Sport Ireland website.
