As the largest women’s sporting club on campus and only growing, Trinity Ladies Hockey Club is a club with a notable presence on campus. If you have had the pleasure of seeing their Junior Freshmen running around campus completing various challenges on a Thursday evening, you can finally have some context.
With over 145 members, from Junior Freshmen to postgrads, the club has an appeal for all stages of a college career. Based out in Santry, each team is afforded two training sessions per week. However, new this season is an exciting partnership with Railway Union Hockey Club, which allows each team to train once a week in Sandymount, reducing the travel time greatly. In previous years, the prospect of spending two evenings a week travelling to and from Santry deterred players, yet this year the move southside has stimulated a rise in interest due to the accessibility of sessions in Railway.
I have the pleasure of speaking to the First XI Captain and Kit, Equipment and Inclusion Secretary Alex Gallagher on her experience in the club and ambitions for the future. Her second year in the club has started strongly, with her highlight being the 1st XI promotion to EY2. She commented, “this particular match had such a huge buildup as it was cancelled on two different occasions due to the pitch being frozen”. Speaking on the match, she recalled how “when it finally got played, we went 1-0 down in the first five minutes […] many teams would have dropped their heads at that point but we didn’t”, highlighting the strength of character that the team displayed to go on and secure a 2-1 win.
Having played for a different club in her first year of college, she referred to that as a challenging experience: “while a lot of my friends were going out on a Monday and Thursday night, I was at training. Also having gym a few times a week and then Saturdays were also kind of gone, especially if the match was in Munster or Ulster. I sometimes found this hard […] moving to Trinity made it way easier because I was then doing it with my best friends”. When asked about her experience at Trinity Ladies HC, she stated, “the best part is definitely the friends I made. I joined Trinity hockey late my first year, only arriving to pre-season at the beginning of September and knowing nobody. It was a huge step out of my comfort zone for me, and I’ve never been so thankful I did it. Not only are they friends on the pitch and also for life, I spend days in college with the girls and also just enjoy chilling with them”.
On her role as captain, I asked whether she had experienced any challenges, to which she responded, “to be honest, no. We got a new coach in this year which was a bit short notice […] the team have gotten on with him so well and we’ve had amazing success this first half of the season”. She commented on how rewarding the experience of being captain is, adding, “when I was voted in as co-captain with Ciara [Mulligan] for this season from a team vote, I was over the moon. I suppose the main advantage is just hearing the feedback from both a coaching perspective and from the players and subsequently trying to find the balance where the team is having success while also having a great time.”
Elsewhere in the club, the Second XI had mixed fortunes last year, with a young group having to compete in a challenging league. The team welcomed Fiona Harrison as their new coach this season, who added much needed enthusiasm and positivity. The group has displayed grit and determination in some challenging contests, with a notable highlight being a great win over rivals UCD. With plenty of time left in the season, the team will look to continue their strong start to the year, and under experienced captains Melanie Bryce and Michelle Cashman, their season is set to be an exciting one to follow.
A successful end to last season, saw the Third XI finish 4th in Division 5. The only returning coach this season, Margie Loughran, will be looking to build on this success with a new group of players, captained by Cara Quin and Ella Whelan. Season highlights so far include a decisive 5-0 win over Muckross and a 7-1 win versus Monkstown, displaying the team’s attacking prowess. The group is experienced, full of senior talent promising similar impressive results as last year.
Affectionately nicknamed “Foxy Fours”, the Fourth XI also welcomes a new coach, Alex Murphy, who has joined the club following the long stewardship of Charlie Howard. Last season, they were victorious in the Division 9/10 Cup, adding some well-deserved silverware to the club’s collection. With a large influx of players at the start of the year, Murphy has a young and committed team who have already begun to deliver promising results, currently sitting in first place in Division 10. It is a team well-able of bringing home silverware for another year, as they strive for promotion to Division 9.
It is a club that is moving from strength to strength, demonstrated by its impressive run of results across all four teams and the dramatic growth in membership. An eagle eye should be kept on the club’s performances and events for the rest of the year, as it promises to be a season with plenty to celebrate.
