Armagh hosts June Smith All-Ireland Junior Girls Championships
Royal School Armagh are hosting the second edition of the June Smith All-Ireland Junior Schoolgirls competition today, welcoming Seamount College, Muckross Park, Loreto Kilkenny and Mount Mercy.
The Under-15 competition was introduced in 2019 and features the provincial winners from the closest age competitions in each area.
Armagh school are proud to have organised the tournament in-house and will have plenty going on around the pitch with food vans, ice cream van, coffee cart, sponsored player of the tournament and GK of the tournament prizes in place.
The tournament is named after June Smith who is from Galway and one of the first female umpires to be awarded her FIH Crown.
She was a driving force along with her husband Mike in Galway Hockey Club and they are responsible for where the club is today. Between them, June and Mike ran the Galway Hockey Club Mixed Festival Annual Tournament for over 25 years, bringing up to 36 teams from all over Ireland and the British Isles.
She set up the Connacht Umpires Association and was an active member, along with Mike, in facilitating many rules nights and coaching existing and upcoming umpires.
June taught at Salerno Secondary School for over 40 years where she was head coach of the hockey teams. Salerno hockey is still going strong today, as was seen recently at the 2022 Kate Russell All Ireland Tournament. June is very deserving Honorary Life Member of the Connacht Branch and of Hockey Ireland. The Connacht Branch describe June as “hockey royalty”.
June Smith programme book here: https://royalschool.com/3d-flip-book/june-smith-tournament/
Fixture schedule
9am: Royal School Armagh v Seamount College
9.45am: Muckross Park v Loreto Kilkenny
10.30am: Mount Mercy v Seamount College
11.15am: Muckross Park v Royal School Armagh
12pm: Loreto Kilkenny v Mount Mercy
12.45pm: Seamount College v Muckross Park
1.30pm: Loreto Kilkenny v Royal School Armagh
2.15pm: Mount Mercy v Muckross Park
3pm: Seamount College v Loreto Kilkenny
3.45pm: Royal School Armagh v Mount Mercy
4.30pm: Trophy Presentation
