Thursday, February 19, 2026 – Armagh: Hockey Ireland are delighted to announce that Ulster’s Royal School Armagh will host the 2026 All-Ireland Schoolgirls’ Championship, taking place this March 19 & 20, 2026.
Dating back to 1980, the historic competition is an annual highlight in the hockey calendar and is regarded as the highest level of schoolgirls’ hockey played in Ireland, featuring the top teams from across all four provinces. 2026 is an historic year in the competition, with the decision made to expand the number of competing schools from the five Senior Cup winners – those being Leinster, Leinster South, Ulster, Munster and Connacht Senior Cups – to also include the Leinster, Ulster and Munster Senior League winners.
Alongside the expansion in teams is a brand-new format which will move away from the previous five-team round-robin tournament to a pool format. Teams will be placed in one of two pools of four teams with every team playing each other once. The top team in each pool will play for the Kate Russell Cup, while second in each pool go head-to-head for the Daphne Hall Cup, two awards recognising the exceptional contribution of two of schoolgirls’ hockey’s most influential figures.
Royal School Armagh will be given the honour of hosting this year’s All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championship. The Ulster school became the first side to qualify for this year’s competition, winning their fourth consecutive Ulster Stevenson Cup in November 2025 when they beat Banbridge Academy. RSA are well acquainted with the All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championship having last won the competition in 2024, winning their fifth title since first lifting the trophy in 2002.
Their schoolgrounds will play host to half of the competition across the two days, hosting both the Kate Russell and Daphne Hall Final on March 20, while nearby Armagh Hockey Club will be the second pitch utilised.
Following the announcement, Royal School Armagh Head Coach Greg Thompson said:
“It is a huge honour for the Royal School, Armagh to be selected as the host for the 2026 All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championships. The move to an eight-team pool format is a significant step forward for the game, ensuring a more intense and competitive structure for the players.
As a group, we’ve worked incredibly hard since our Stevenson Cup win in November to prepare for this level of competition. We have such fond memories of hosting and winning this tournament back in 2024; to have the opportunity to defend that legacy in front of a home crowd once again is something the girls are relishing. We can’t wait to get started on March 19th.”
Further details on match schedules, ticketing, and event activations will be announced in due course.