Ronan Gormley, an ever-present figure for the Green Machine, has today formally announced his retirement from international hockey. Ronan amassed 256 caps for Ireland with 121 of those coming as captain of Ireland. He became the first person in Irish hockey history to reach 250 caps, cementing his place as a stalwart of the game.
Ronan wished to pay tribute to all those who had an influence on his career, on and off the pitch “First and foremost my teammates – to some extent there is a lot of luck in sport and I was lucky to be playing during a time of immense talent in Irish hockey. Not only that, but those involved went above and beyond to do things no-one expected of them, and achieve things most said they couldn’t.
In an era of ever professionalising sport thank-you to the coaches who drove this agenda: David Passmore started the ball rolling by raising standards in the Irish Men’s hockey programme. Paul Revington arrived and changed the game. The most inspirational figure I have ever encountered, he took us all to another level in what we could do, what we thought we could do and what we expected of ourselves. And finally Craig Fulton, who came in at a time when the group was dispersed and lacked direction, and through his infectious energy and enthusiasm reinstalled in us the unconditional belief that took us historically to our first ever Olympic Games Qualification. Thanks also to all the staff who backed these men and gave so much of themselves to support our development. I look back with great pride on a rise from 23rd to a high of 9th in the world, a European Bronze medal, and an Olympic Games. Thanks to all who added to and shared the journey – great friends and special memories were made!
Thanks to my clubs – Pembroke, Club de Campo and Crefeld for the opportunity to build an international network of truly great people, and thanks to the Irish hockey community who simply never stopped supporting and backing their national teams.Thank you to the Hockey Ireland and all the sporting bodies who supported us during the years. We have battled for everything we have achieved, on and off the pitch.
Thank-you to mum, dad and two sisters who deserve special mention for their unconditional support of a kid and brother living in large part with only his interests and goals in mind!
Last but not least thanks to my own growing family – Javi, Tiago and Ayla – for the support to date and the fun in the years to come”.
Ronan remains an avid supporter as he concluded “A special congrats to the Irish Ladies for their heroic feat in the summer, and all the best to the Men in India – will very much enjoy from my vantage point on the sofa!”
All at Hockey Ireland thank Ronan for his service to the Green Machine over the last decade and a half, and wish him every success in the future.
