Park Developments extend Hockey Ireland agreement as Ireland Senior Women’s squad prepares to travel to South America

DUBLIN 30 Jan 2023: Hockey Ireland is delighted to announce a four-year extension to its current agreement with Park Developments, one of Ireland’s leading Property Development Groups, for continued investment in Irish Women’s Hockey.

It comes as the Ireland Senior Women’s squad prepares to travel to South America for a series of games against Argentina and Chile.

Park Developments’ initial agreement was signed in 2019 for four years and this continued investment in the success and development of the women’s squad comes as they begin the road to the Paris Olympics.

The financial investment will also be used to fund the Hockey Ireland Hockey4All inclusion programme and the Hockey4All National Representative Team.

The programme aims to offer young people with disabilities an opportunity to become part of the local hockey community, to keep healthy (socially, mentally and physically) and have fun in a team sport.

Commenting on the agreement Park Developments Director Jilly Cotter said,

“We are delighted to renew our support for the Irish Women’s Hockey team and to reinforce our commitment to this incredible group of Hockey players until 2027. Our investment is focused on direct athlete support by way of bursaries to assist them in their daily lives and to support them to perform at the highest level on the global stage. We are also delighted to expand our support to include the “Hockey4All” Program as a key area for development within the Hockey family, by supporting young people with disabilities and giving them an opportunity to play and enjoy the game.”

Ireland Women’s Head Coach Sean Dancer has included uncapped Loreto defender Caitlin Sherin in a squad of nineteen to travel to Argentina and Chile.

Katie McKee from Pegasus returns to the panel after missing out on the Nations Cup in Valencia before Christmas.

Tokyo Olympians Ayeisha McFerran, Deirdre Duke and Sarah Torrans are unavailable.

“This extension underlines the very supportive and engaged partnership we have shared with Park Developments since 2019 and it complements the unprecedented successes of our Senior Women’s International Team, with their first ever Olympic qualification in 2020 and history making World Cup silver medal in 2018” said Hockey Ireland CEO Ronan Murphy.

“The addition of support for our Hockey4All programme comes at an important time also, as we look to expand our inclusion initiative by moving into more Clubs and forming more teams. We very much look forward to continuing our successful partnership with Park Developments as new and exciting times for Hockey Ireland lie ahead.”

Squad List:
1 Elizabeth MURPHY
2 Holly MICKLEM
3 Róisín UPTON (VC)
4 Elena TICE
5 Caitlin SHERIN
6 Sarah McAULEY
7 Ellen CURRAN
8 Hannah McLOUGHLIN
9 Caoimhe PERDUE
10 Kathryn MULLAN (C)
11 Sarah HAWKSHAW
12 Michelle CAREY
13 Charlotte BEGGS
14 Christina HAMILL
15 Katie McKEE
16 Niamh CAREY
17 Naomi CARROLL
18 Zara MALSEED
19 Siofra O’BRIEN