Ireland edge out Chile in first Sport Ireland Campus test match

Men’s international test match

Ireland 3 (B Walker, J McKee, L Madeley) Chile 2 (F Renz, R Valenzuela)

Luke Madeley’s drag-flick three minutes from time earned Ireland first blood from their five game stint this week at the Sport Ireland Campus, beating Chile 3-2.

 

It capped a lively closing back-and-forth after Ben Walker got the only goal of the first half and it remained that way until a volley of four goals in a 12-minute spell. Felipe Renz levelled at 1-1 before Jonny McKee and Raimundo Valenzuela shared goals for 2-2 going into the endgame where Madeley eventually sealed the deal.

 

This was the first of three meetings with the south American side this week wrapping around two fixtures against Austria on Saturday and Sunday, played out at a venue hosting international hockey for the first time.

 

Indeed, these are the senior men’s first capped matches in Dublin in over three years with a seated stand, scoreboard and countdown clock now in situ with further augmentations en route for the upcoming women’s EuroHockey Championship qualifiers.

 

This tie was high-paced from the start with Conor Empey fizzing a shot just by the post in the first quarter. Walker opened the scoring when a half-hit clearance fell his way and he slotted in from close range.

 

It stayed that way through to half-time with James Milliken making two big stop from Chilean penalty corner shots while Adrian Henriquez did likewise from sharp efforts from Jonny McKee and Nick Page.

 

Ireland held sway for most of the third quarter but were pegged back 20 seconds before the last interval when Felipe Renz turned sharply when Juan Amoroso’s cross deflected his way, flicking in from close range.

 

The lead was restored when McKee smacked in a backhand shot following a quick Daragh Walsh free, laying off to Walker on the left who returned the ball to the centre – a neatly worked move.

 

Once again, Chile responded, Raimundo Valenzuela deflecting in from a long pass down the middle at the right post in the 51st minute.

 

But Ireland finished strong, winning a quarter of corners in the last few minutes with Madeley flicking home the last of them for 3-2 and a little boost to their world ranking quotient.

 

They face Chile again on Wednesday evening at 7.45pm at the Sport Ireland Campus.

 

Ireland: M Ingram, L Witherow, L Madeley, T Cross, D Walsh, K Marshall, S Murray, J Duncan, M Robson, B Walker, C Empey

Subs: J McKee, M McNellis, J Milliken, B Johnson, N Page, R Patterson

 

Chile: A Henriquez, J Purcell, V Goni, Fernando Renz, J Maldonado, K Gesswein, A Pizarro, J Amoroso, J Hurtado, Felipe Renz, A Toncoso

Subs: V Gabilondo, I Contardo, R Valenzuela, D Ordonez, A Richter, N Strabucchi

 

Fixture schedule (all at Sport Ireland Campus, Abbotstown)

Men

Wednesday, August 3: Ireland v Chile, 7.45pm

Friday, August 5: Austria v Chile, 7.45pm

Saturday, August 6: Ireland v Austria, 3.30pm

Sunday, August 7: Ireland v Austria, 9.30am

Tuesday, August 9: Ireland v Chile, 7.45pm

Women (uncapped fixtures)

Friday, August 5: Ireland Development side v France, 5.30pm

Saturday, August 6: Ireland v France, 12.30pm

Monday, August 8: Ireland v France, 5.30pm

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Ireland snatch safety with late Byrne and Reid goals

Women’s EuroHockey Championship

Pool C: Ireland 2 (C Byrne, E Reid) Wales 1 (E Bowen)

Ireland’s Under-21 women produced a remarkable late turnaround to snatch the win they needed to stay in the top tier of the European Championships.

Only victory could save them in Ghent but it looked a forlorn hope with 10 minutes to go as Wales led 1-0 before Caoimhe Byrne and Ellen Reid struck to outdo Eve Bowen’s earlier effort.

The late turnaround saw the Junior Green Army finish in sixth place and sent Wales down along with Scotland.

Coach David Passmore hailed it as an “exceptional effort” as the side backed up Friday’s gritty draw against 2019 champions Spain.

“This group have worked so hard over the past few weeks and although we haven’t been together that long, they came together as a tight group and progressed game on game,” he said.

“Top flight hockey is always tough and you have to ride the roller coaster and this group did that in abundance, finishing strong.”

Ireland held sway in the first half possession and chances stakes but were nervy in front of goal with efforts from Rachel Kelly and Leah O’Shea not fully threatening.

They also found penalty corners – a rich seam of goals this week – hard to come by with the Welsh earning the only set piece of the half.

As time wore on, counter-attacks were looking the more likely route to success and Wales took their big chance in the 45th minute, Bowen’s off-target shot making it in via a defensive stick.

It put Ireland in real jeopardy but they played it well, swapping out goalkeeper Ellie McLoughlin for an extra outfielder, using it well to stretch Wales out wide.

Byrne levelled when Lucy Crowe picked out Mikayla Power in the circle from the left and her great turn and shot was finished off by Byrne.

Wales were under further pressure when Stephanie Beaumont was sin-binned and, with a two player overload, they went in front when Reid – back after an ankle injury – rebounded a penalty corner for 2-1.

They duly held on for the remaining eight minutes to record a vital result and A division hockey in 2024.

 

Ireland: E McLoughlin, N McIvor, E Paul, S Cole, L O’Shea, S Murdoch, M Power, L Noble, L Crowe, A Horan, K-J Marshall

Subs: E Reid, C Byrne, A Taaffe, R Kelly, A Griffin

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Ruttle secures Euro II gold for Irish Under-21 men

Men’s EuroHockey Junior Championship II

Ireland 2 (O Kidd, S Ruttle) Italy 1 (F Dionisi Vici)

Scott Ruttle’s winner two minutes from time completed a perfect morning for Irish hockey as the Under-21 men picked up the 2-1 result that assured them of gold and promotion from the EuroHockey Junior Championship II in Plzen Litice.

He finished off a sparkling move via Louis Rowe and Ollie Kidd to set off the celebrations, adding to an early Kidd drag-flick which Felix Dionisi Vici had countered.

It means Ireland will go up to the top tier in 2024 for the first time in seven years and give them a shot at qualifying for the 2025 Junior World Cup.

“We are over the moon and what a great way to do it,” said coach Joe Brennan. “Really proud of this hard-working group of players. They showed real mental maturity in how they approached the week.

“Italy can be really proud of their performance as can Turkey – so many good teams who made this a great battle. There were some tough games and our lads were outstanding and got everything they deserved.”

Going into the final day of competition, as the only unbeaten side, anything other than a heavy defeat would likely have brought promotion and so landing the overall title was the main focus.

They started well with Kidd netting his fourth goal of the tournament in the seventh to start the ball rolling but Italy were rugged and robust in defence and pounced from a rare first half chance to tie things up.

It came from a relatively innocuous left-wing cross which was miscontrolled, allowing Dionisi Vici to steady himself and slot home.

That ramped up the tension in the second half with Ireland not able to make more use of four penalty corners.

Italy, meanwhile, grew more into the contest and were only denied by Ruttle’s heroics on the left post with a pull-shot learned from his youth cricketing days.

And he popped up at the far end to win the contest when Rowe took a quick free and picked out Kidd racing clear on the right. The Lisnagarvey man could have shot but selflessly laid off to Ruttle to slap into an open net.

The promotion bodes well for the future with the side featuring 13 teenagers of which six were schoolboys for the 2021/22 season.

 

Ireland: S Dale, A Walker, M Collins, I Perrott, J Filgas, P Rose, E Jennings, C Mackay, L Rowe, J Lynch, M Cowan

Subs: M Duggan, S Ruttle, O Kidd, R Dunlop, J Clark, I Balding, R Clarke

 

Italy: E di Paola, G Brocco, M Succi, J Allegri, D Cavallini, C Brocco, G Fiorani, F Dionisi Vici, D Arosio, S Puglisi, A Giraudo

Subs: L D’Amico, S Zoppi, D Saoncella, L Palumbo, M Bettuzzi, A Dell’anno

 

Umpires: M Orzel (POL), M Cilkiz (TUR)

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Sport Ireland Campus to play host to series of Irish international fixtures

The Irish men are set to play their first capped international fixtures in Dublin since May 2019 as they welcome Chile and Austria for final warm-up games in the Sport Ireland Campus next week ahead of the EuroHockey Championship qualifiers in late August.

In addition, the Irish senior women will also play two uncapped games against France at the venue as they, too, get back into gear for the Euro qualifiers following their World Cup campaign.

It will be the first time the Sport Ireland Campus has hosted a formal senior international fixture and acts as preparation for the senior women’s hosting of their qualifier at the venue.

For the 14th-ranked men, coach Mark Tumilty has named a 23-player panel with Lisnagarvey’s Mark McNellis the one addition to the panel having missed the recent successful series against Italy and the Four Nations tournament in Glasgow. Charlie Rowe steps out this time.

They will face world number 23 side Chile three times in what should be a strong challenge following their run to the Pan-America Cup final in January. Those games will start next Tuesday, August 2nd with the second game on Wednesday, August 3rd and the closing one on Tuesday, August 9th.

Ireland will then face Austria (ranked 20th) on Saturday, August 6th and Sunday, August 7th, a showdown which usually has plenty of spice to it and lots of goals based on their most recent meetings.

“The players and staff are looking forward to our first games in Dublin since the summer of 2019,” said Tumilty of the series.

“These are an important series of matches as they are the final preparation before we go to Calais for the Euro qualifier. I feel we have made progress in recent months but we must continue to develop as a group during this series. It is also vital that the results are positive”.

“Chile and Austria will pose different challenges to the squad than we have previously experienced this summer due to their playing styles, and I look forward to seeing how we overcome those challenges.”

For the women, it will be their first fixture since the World Cup which saw Ireland finish in 11th place overall. Caoimhe Perdue is a doubt due to a hand injury sustained against South Africa in the classification matches.

Their games take place on Saturday, August 6th and Monday, August 8th while a development team will face the French on Friday, August 5th, offering an opportunity for young players to step up.

 

Ireland men’s panel for series against Chile and Austria, Abbotstown

Mark Ingram (Pembroke)

Jaime Carr (KHC Leuven)

James Milliken (Lisnagarvey)

Kyle Marshall (Old Georgians)

Tim Cross (Annadale)

Luke Madeley (Gantoise)

Johnny Lynch (Lisnagarvey)

Rory Patterson (Wimbledon)

Luke Witherow (Banbridge)

Mark McNellis (Lisnagarvey)

Neal Glassey (Annadale)

Michael Robson (Annadale)

Sam Hyland (YMCA)

Nick Page (Old Georgians)

Sean Murray (Gantoise)

Daragh Walsh (Braxgata)

Callum Robson (Annadale)

Ben Johnson (Three Rock Rovers)

Kevin O’Dea (UCD)

Conor Empey (SCHC)

Johnny McKee (Banbridge)

Ben Walker (Braxgata)

Jeremy Duncan (Monkstown)

 

Fixture schedule (all at Sport Ireland Campus, Abbotstown)

Men

Tuesday, August 2: Ireland v Chile, 7.45pm

Wednesday, August 3: Ireland v Chile, 7.45pm

Friday, August 5: Austria v Chile, 7.45pm

Saturday, August 6: Ireland v Austria, 3.30pm

Sunday, August 7: Ireland v Austria, 9.30am

Tuesday, August 9: Ireland v Chile, 7.45pm

 

Women (uncapped fixtures)

Friday, August 5: Ireland Development side v France, 5.30pm

Saturday, August 6: Ireland v France, 12.30pm

Monday, August 8: Ireland v France, 5.30pm

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‘Sport for All’ Disability Supports Club Funding

As part of 2022 NGB Dormant Accounts Fund, Sport Ireland will provide a €2,000,000 ‘Sport for All’ Disability Supports Club Fund. The Scheme will be open to the affiliated clubs of Sport Ireland Recognised National Governing Bodies only. This fund offers every club affiliated with a Sport Ireland recognised National Governing Body an opportunity to provide inclusive opportunities for participation for people with a disability. It will provide funding supports for local clubs to connect in a meaningful way with their community, potentially even building the club’s own community over time through the inclusion of people with a disability in all club activities.

A minimum application amount of €1,000 and maximum application amount of €5,000 is available for clubs to apply to their NGB for the following:

  • Disability Supports Education & Training.
  • Disability Supports Programme Activation and Delivery.
  • Disability Supports Small Scale Equipment and Infrastructure

For examples of what to include in your application, see the following spreadsheet DAF Club Support Budget H4A

To apply for the funding click here

Deadline for applications is 26th Aug 2022.

If you have any question, please don’t hesitate your Regional Development Officer, or Sue at: sue.haslam@irelandhockey.sportlomo.com / 00353 831007105 / 00447465947447)

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Irish Under-21 men focus on promotion target in Czech Republic

The Irish Under-21 men’s side travel to the Czech Republic this weekend for the EuroHockey Championships II, looking to land promotion back to the top tier of continental actino.

 

With Belarus and Russia excluded from the competition, they face a six-team tournament, battling for one of the two promotion places on offer with Turkey, Wales, Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic hosts.

 

It will play out in one round-robin group phase and Joe Brennan, the head coach, says it is a very significant competition, not just for their own aspirations but for teams further down the line.

 

“It’s vital for Irish hockey and the men’s programme,” Brennan said ahead of the side’s departure on Friday.

 

“It is vital to get up to the A division because the way things work with World Cup qualification [for 2023], the only route is through the top tier. It means there is a cohort of guys, like where we are now, who will never get that opportunity to play in an Under-21 World Cup.

 

“Hopefully, if we go up, there are definitely guys here who can come back in two years time and can have a run at the World Cup 2025.”

 

Brennan was actually part of the last Irish men’s to play in a Junior World Cup in 2001 in Tasmania. Back then, the side drew with Australia and just missed out on a quarter-final spot to a late England goal.

 

They ended up with three wins and a draw from their eight games and was a significant developing ground for future senior internationals like Brennan, John Jermyn and David Hobbs.

 

And Brennan adds having that kind of target in mind is hugely important: “It gives a real reason for anyone in that under-18 squad for them to train, to commit to a programme for two to three years, knowing there is a reason to buy-in to 24 to 36 months with a real goal at the end of it. It’s a key age group and a key tournament. It is this group you will be looking at for your LA Olympics [in 2028].”

 

The side has a healthy look to the future with a dozen teenagers included, five of whom were still in school until June while Rex Dunlop has another year to go at King’s Hospital.

 

Mark Collins and Ian Perrott were both part of the Bandon Grammar School side who won the All-Ireland Schoolboys Championship earlier this year. They are among a trio of Munster players along with former Waterford man Ian Balding – now with Cork C of I – who will be a key figure in the defensive line-up.

 

Bar injury, Louis Rowe would have been in opposition for Banbridge Academy in that schools final but he is back in good shape for this tournament, adding to a busy summer for his family – his twin brother Charlie is currently making inroads with the senior setup.

 

Ollie Kidd and Johnny Lynch are part of the line-up following a hectic year, winning five trophies with their club, Lisnagarvey. Lynch made his senior international debut in June against Italy while Kidd was in the Irish indoor side who played in European competition in the winter.

 

All told, Ulster have seven representatives – Portadown goalkeeper Scott Dale linking up with Annadale duo James Clark and Patrick Rose as well as Bann’s Mark Cowan.

 

Craig Mackay is another dual international having played for the Irish Under-21 indoor side in January. He is among eight players who won the interprovincial series with Leinster, lifting the trophy along with goalkeeper Ross Clarke (Monkstown), Adam Walker (YMCA), Mark Duggan (Pembroke), Josh Filgas (UCD), Scott Ruttle (YMCA) and Evan Jennings (Three Rock Rovers).

 

In terms of preparation, the panel came together formally in March for the first time with a training camp in Belgium before ramping up preparations in the past five weeks from their base at Corinthian’s Whitechurch Park whom they are indebted to for the support for this programme.

 

Their schedule included fixtures against the English Over-35s, the Irish senior team and, last week, against Scotland’s Under-21s who are playing this week in the top tier.

 

Each series has seen results improve each day, closing the gap to the senior team while they won their second of two games with Scotland to finish preparations on a high.

 

“The guys have all bought into it and trained ridiculously hard, pushing the boundaries for themselves, probably more than they have had to do before. It has been excellent – they have put in a huge, honest effort and I couldn’t be happier with where they are as a group.

 

“For this particular age group, Covid has been a difficulty [over the past two years]. A lot have missed out on school and the first year of college life so we gave them a two-week break during the programme to go on holidays, enjoy themselves, and then asked them to come back for five hard weeks which they have all done.

 

“I felt it was the best way for the guys to come back hungry and to experience some of the life they hadn’t had at the age they are. They all came back fully committed, physically and mentally, and they have come a long way.”

 

As for their opposition in Plzen Litice, research is hard to come by but they have picked up video of the Polish Under-21s who face the Irish Under-18s last week – a 2-1 win for Poland – as well as Wales in action against the Scots. The Czechs will likely play a similar style to their senior team with the same coaching team in place.

 

But these tournaments are typically a journey into the “unknown” and managing that is high on Brennans’s agenda.

 

“We have worked really hard on our defensive game because the B division is really difficult to get promoted as we have seen on the last couple of occasions for the Under-21s and even at senior level.

 

“The players must approach each game with the same level of desire and intensity and concentration, regardless of opposition, giving each opponent the respect they are due because they have different styles, are technically different, or come from a country with a history of good hockey.

 

“Everything is cyclical at Under-21s and anyone can have a really strong group; you don’t know how it will work out. The idea is to get these guys into a really positive mindset to work to become really difficult to beat. If we are strong enough defensively then, we have some quality players, to take advantage of our opportunities up front.”

 

Irish Under-21 men’s team for the EuroHockey Junior Championships II (all in Plzen Litice, Czech Republic)

Scott Dale (Portadown)

Ross Clarke (Monkstown)

Adam Walker (YMCA)

Mark Duggan (Pembroke)

Mark Collins (Cork C of I)

Ian Perrott (Bandon)

Scott Ruttle (YMCA)

Oliver Kidd (Lisnagarvey)

Rex Dunlop (Three Rock Rovers)

Josh Filgas (UCD)

James Clark (Annadale)

Patrick Rose (Annadale)

Evan Jennings (Three Rock Rovers)

Craig Mackay (Corinthian)

Louis Rowe (Banbridge)

Ian Balding (Cork C of I)

Jonathan Lynch (Lisnagarvey)

Mark Cowan (Banbridge)

 

Head Coach Joe Brennan

Manager: David Howard

Assistant coach: Michael Styles

Physiotherapist: David McCrea

Video technician: Ross Howard

 

Men’s EuroHockey Junior Championships II (all in Plzen Litice, Czech Republic)

Sunday, July 24: Ireland v Turkey, 10.30am

Monday, July 25: Ireland v Czech Republic, 5pm

Wednesday, July 27: Ireland v Poland, 2.45pm

Friday, July 29: Ireland v Wales, 11.45am

Saturday, July 30: Ireland v Italy, 9am

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Irish Under-21 side take on EuroHockey Junior Championships in Ghent

With the last Junior World Cup only three months in the rear-view mirror, the Irish Under-21 women are already back on the qualification trail at this week’s EuroHockey Junior Championships in Ghent.

 

The top five from the Euros – which run from Sunday, July 24 to Saturday, July 30 – will all earn their place at Chile 2023.

 

Ireland will look to build on the experience of April’s World Cup in South Africa with 12 of the panelists eligible once again for this next cycle. The newcomers, meanwhile, saw plenty of action at the highly competitive Uniphar Five Nations tournament in Belfield in June.

 

This tournament takes on a standard eight-team format with the top two from the initial four-team groups advancing to the semi-finals and earning a World Cup place into the bargain.

 

Miss out on one of those places, the next challenge will be to win Pool C which brings the winner the final ticket to Chile.

 

Ireland’s initial group is a tough one, featuring the World Cup silver and bronze medalists. Nonetheless, they will take confidence into their opening tie against England from their performance against the same opposition in Potchefstroom when they meet on Sunday.

 

A day later, they face Scotland before closing out the preliminary phase against Germany, second placed in April, in the third fixture.

 

“Having the Junior World Cup silver and bronze medallists highlights how tough our group is and emphasised by a recent series lost against Scotland who make up the pool,” said coach David Passmore.

 

“The team has worked hard in recent weeks, spurred on by the World Cup in Amsterdam and with the memories of the recent JWC 9th placed finish. Many of that Junior World Cup group have moved on but some of the younger additions have really stepped up.

 

“The Uniphar 5 Nations provided a great opportunity for further development and coupled with a hard physical period we will be ready to go against England who we narrowly lost to in South Africa.

 

“It was disappointing for Lisa Mulcahy to miss out due to a leg injury as she contributes so much on and off the field but this highlights the importance of having depth in terms of numbers and positional flexibility.

 

“It will be key for us to get our set pieces right and take our chances in front of goal while defending smartly in our own circle”

 

In terms of selection, goalkeepers Ellie McLoughlin and Holly Micklem have both been in and around the senior panel this year and provide an excellent last line of defence.

 

KJ Marshall, Emma Paul and Siofra Murdoch are augmented in the backline by Lucy Crowe and Caoimhe Byrne with Ellen Reid in for a second Euros having also played in the last edition in 2019.

 

Paul will co-captain the side along with Catholic Institute’s Anna Horan with the Limerick woman operating between defence and midfield.

 

In midfield, Sophia Cole and Amy Elliott are experienced hands at Under-21 level. Ali Griffin will bring her pace to proceedings in this area following an outstanding season with Pembroke but they will miss Lisa Mulcahy who picked up an injury last week to rule her out of contention as is Eva Lavelle.

 

Pegasus’s Niamh McIvor and Old Alex teenager Mikayla Power will operate between the mid and forward lines.

 

Up top, World Cup players Rachel Kelly and Aoife Taaffe will link up with Cork Harlequins Leah O’Shea and Trinity’s Laura Noble.

 

Senior internationals Sarah McAuley and Charlotte Beggs are still underage for this category but are currently on a rest period following their involvement in the senior squad at the World Cup.

 

The tournament will be live-streamed on www.eurohockeytv.org.

 

Ireland Under-21 squad for Women’s EuroHockey Junior Championships (July 24 to 30, Ghent)

Ellie McLoughlin (VC, UCD)

Holly Micklem (Old Alex)

Caoimhe Byrne (UCD)

Lucy Crowe (Railway Union)

KJ Marshall (UCD)

Emma Paul (Co-Capt, UCD)

Ellen Reid (Loughborough Students)

Siofra Murdoch (Harvard University, USA)

Sophia Cole (UCD)

Amy Elliott (UCD)

Anna Horan (Co-Capt, Catholic Institute)

Alison Griffin (Pembroke)

Leah O’Shea (Cork Harlequins)

Aoife Taaffe (Loreto)

Niamh McIvor (Pegasus)

Laura Noble (Trinity)

Rachel Kelly (UCD)

Mikayla Power (Old Alex)

 

Head Coach: David Passmore

Manager: Lorraine McGowan

Coach/stand-in manager: Una McCarthy

Coach: Steven Arbuthnot

Coach: Niamh Small

ATT: Rachel Dipeolu

S&C/Physiologist: Ali Meeke

Performance Analyst: Aaron Passmore

 

Fixture schedule (all times Irish)

Sunday, July 24: Ireland v England, 10 am

Tuesday, July 26: Ireland v Scotland, 11 am

Wednesday, July 27: Ireland v Germany, 12.15 pm

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Ronan Murphy to become next CEO of Hockey Ireland

Hockey Ireland is delighted to announce the appointment of Ronan Murphy as its new Chief Executive Officer, taking up the role on October 17th, 2022.

Murphy joins Hockey Ireland, bringing with him a vast range of experience in sports governance, business leadership and strategic planning with over 20 years as a senior business leader.

From 2017 to 2020, he was the CEO of Horse Sport Ireland (HSI), implementing a complete restructuring of the National Governing Body based on the Department of Agriculture’s Indecon report recommendations within a record 10-month timeframe.

In the sporting arena, the highlight included the historic qualification of all three Irish senior equestrian teams for the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games.

During his tenure, HSI also devised and established robust, transparent and effective Corporate Governance systems and processes and developed sustainable, multi-annual funding models for the Irish Sport Horse Sector.

Most recently, he has been the CEO of the Irish Limousin Cattle Society which is the approved body to look after the interests of its 2,400 members, covering all aspects of marketing, administration and promotion of the breed. He is also a board member of Dressage Ireland and has recently served as Chair of the European Equestrian Federation EU Committee.

Speaking about the new role, Murphy said: “I am excited to take up the role of CEO with Hockey Ireland as the sport looks to continue its recent growth and rise to prominence in Irish sporting life.

“I see many aspects of hockey in Ireland that we can augment and develop, and I look forward to working with the staff, the board, provinces, clubs, members, sponsors and the grassroots of the sport to implement our strategic ambition and to realise the full potential of the sport across all levels from the very earliest participation and development pathways to delivering championship and Olympic success for Team Ireland. ”

His appointment follows a rigorous selection process over the past few months following Jerome Pels’ move from Hockey Ireland to a role with England Boxing. Between now and October, Nick McElwee will continue in the interim role as Hockey Ireland CEO.

Hockey Ireland chair Trevor Watkins said of his appointment: “We are delighted that Ronan Murphy will head up the team in Hockey Ireland to continue to drive and implement our ambitious strategy and take further opportunities for our sport.

“Ronan’s experience and success in sport and business give him the ideal background to continue the drive to grow hockey in the community and continue our success on the international stage.”

Murphy’s brief will see him continue the implementation of the Hockey Ireland Strategy 2021-2024 and the clear vision to ‘Change the Game’.

The Strategy has a clear focus on the importance of the commercial and marketing functions, aimed at securing the future of the sport, developing a financially secure and commercially-focused organisation that maximises public funding, sponsorship and revenue generating opportunities.

Through this, Hockey Ireland will establish itself as a nationally respected sports brand, communicating with professionalism and passion with its stakeholders.

Murphy will take on the role amid a busy year in which the Irish senior women’s squad outdid their pre-tournament ranking at this summer’s World Cup and look forward to European Championship qualifiers and the FIH Nations Cup.

The senior men have a similar schedule with Euro qualifiers in August and the FIH Nations Cup in the winter while an exciting national season is just around the corner with several new clubs continuing their growth with Hockey Ireland support.

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Ireland bow out of World Cup with eleventh place finish

Women’s World Cup ninth place playoff

Ireland 1 (M Carey) China 3 (C Yang, Z Jiaji, C Yanhua)

Ireland finished the women’s World Cup in 11th place overall following a tough final day loss to China who struck twice in the last 10 minutes to pull clear at a scorching hot Wagener Stadium.

 

For periods, the Green Army made most of the running but China’s half-court defence and greater accuracy in the two circles made the difference. Chen Yang’s corner goal in the seventh minute broke the deadlock before Zhong Jiaji and Chen Yanhua stretched the scoreline out before Michelle Carey’s sliding touch got one back in the final throes.

 

The 11th place finish comes with the small consolation of putting Ireland above their pre-tournament ranking and they will hope to use this experience when they face August’s European qualifier tournament in Dublin.

 

“It took us to be 1-0 down to start to play how we wanted,” said Sean Dancer, reflecting on the result.

 

“We did enough to get back into it in the third quarter; we had good opportunities and put them under pressure but if you don’t score, it’s always hard.

 

“Overall, we played a couple of good games against the top teams in Holland and Germany but didn’t get any results. The next step is to get some points. Disappointed about not finishing the Chile game which was key for us. Great for the highs of beating South Africa but we didn’t put everything out there today so it is a sour taste in the mouth.”

 

China were out of the blocks quicker, winning the first of eight penalty corners in the first half in the early stages. Ireland’s defence in this facet of the game was strong with Sarah Torrans – despite heavy bandaging on her knee – charging down a series of shots.

 

But they could not keep out a neat move in the seventh minute when Ma Ning turned smartly onto her backhand and slipped the ball across for Chen Yang to deflect home.

 

The Green Army gave as good as they got in a stop-start first quarter. Hannah McLoughlin’s corner shot did find its way in via Naomi Carroll but illegally so with a free out given and Deirdre Duke’s shot cleared the crossbar in a good phase of attacking waves.

 

The second quarter was tighter still with chances at a premium outside of corner chances for either side, McFerran up to the challenge.

 

The scoreline remained the same through Q3 which was far more engaging. China hit the post from their ninth corner but it was brief respite for the Asian side as Ireland piled on the pressure for this 15-minute phase.

 

Michelle Cary and Duke led the line brilliantly, hassling at every turn to help effect a string of well-placed turnovers while Duke also made work Liu Ping work, as did Róisín Upton with a corner drag-flick.

 

But they were left with a mountain to climb – with Sarah McAuley in the sin-bin – when Zhong Jiaji’s penalty corner drag made it into the bottom of the backboard. And the game was out of sight in the 52nd minute when Zhang Xindan slipped the ball into the path of Chen Yanhua who swept home first time.

 

Ireland kept fighting and did get one back with two minutes to go, a lovely Carey touch to an Upton push at corner time to close out the result.

 

The match itself was special for Ayeisha McFerran becoming the joint most capped Irish female goalkeeper – alongside Emma Gray on 118 caps – while Siofra O’Brien made her debut, coming in for the injured Caoimhe Perdue.

 

McFerran paid tribute to Gray and her influence on her career: “I had no idea about it. Emma was brilliant and I learned a lot from her whenever I was coming in and she set the tone for me as a goalkeeper, an athlete and a goalkeeper coming through.

 

“To be up there with Emma is a real honour because she was a stalwart of goalkeeping for hockey in Ireland for a long time.”

 

As for O’Brien, it was a bittersweet start to her capped international career: “Obviously a disappointing result; we wanted to get the win. Personally delighted to get my first cap and what an honour to get to do it at a World Cup with this group of girls.

 

“This week was tough for Erin [Getty] and I. The girls have been great and rallied together and it was still a squad of 20, never just the 18 plus two [reserves], sticking together. You don’t wish an injury on anyone and obviously it was awful for Caoimhe after a great tournament for her but it isn’t an easy place as a reserve.”

 

The next step is to now regroup and take the experiences from this event into next month’s European Championship qualifiers in Dublin from August 18th to 21st, a key step on the road to Paris 2024.

 

“We always knew it would be the case – World Cup and then Euro qualifiers which is extremely important. We have do well there and qualify. That sets up the long road to Paris and the long-term goal. We’ll take a few days to recover but we have to be prepared for that one. It will be a fight every game in Dublin and qualification is the only option.”

 

Ireland: A McFerran, M Carey, R Upton, S Hawkshaw, K Mullan, H McLoughlin, S Torrans, L Tice, N Carroll, S O’Brien, E Curran

Subs: S McAuley, Z Malseed, C Beggs, K McKee, D Duke, C Hamill, L Murphy

 

China: L Ping, Q Cui, Y Gu, M Liang, X Zhang, J Zheng, N Wang, H Yang, Y Chen, T Luo, J Zhong

Subs: B Gu, J Li, N Ma, X Zhang, M Yuan, Y Chen, X Li

 

Umpires: E Yamada (JPN), A Rostron (RSA)

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Student Sport Ireland Women’s Coaching Academy – Applications Open

Student Sport Ireland (SSI) has announced that applications for the 2022-23 Women’s Student Coaching Academy is now open.

The Women’s Student Coaching Academy is a collaborative programme between SSI, Sport Ireland, 26 third level institutions and ten national governing bodies of sport (NGBs). One of these NGB’s is Hockey Ireland.

The aim of the academy is to provide female student coaches with the support system that will enable them to develop and reach their coaching potential. Furthermore, the academy aims to increase the number, and visibility, of female coaches in third level institutions and create female role models for other female students to progress into coaching.

After a successful pilot year for the academy in the 2021-22 academic year, over 30 female coaches completed the programme, with several of the students hoping to continue in the academy for the coming year.

The 2022-23 academy is open to continuing students only and not open to first year students.

The closing date for receipt of applications is August 8th, with the aim to have suitable students confirmed and ready to begin the academy in the first week of September.

More information on the programme and application process can be found HERE.

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