New Season Starts for Galway Hockey Club - A message from the Chairman

The summer is not quite over yet as we welcome back the sun.  But the new season is upon us and it’s time to get our ducks in a row.

Senior Ladies 1^st & 2^nd Teams

We are delighted to announce the new coaching team for our Galway 1^st and 2^nds Ladies teams of Alyssa Manley (Player/Coach), Alex McQuaid (Asst Coach/2nds Coach), Emma Glanville (Asst Coach).  Following the departure of Ollie O’Connor as senior coach at the end of June, the coaching committee spent the last 6 weeks meeting with various club members to ensure that the coaching set up for the coming season was what was in the best interest of the club.  This was not a decision that the committee wanted to rush, and we thank the players and management team who waited patiently for them to work out the finer details of the arrangement. 

Alyssa Manley

Alyssa is the most experienced player on the Galway 1^st Ladies team having played with the US Ladies Field Hockey team.  She is bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge from her time playing with the American team in the American cups and Olympic competitions and while the role of player/coach main be daunting at first, it is a role that she is looking forward to exploring and working closely with Emma and Alex.

Alex McQuaid

Alex is returning as his position of assistant coach to the Ladies 1^st team and as coach to the 2^nd team.  Since coming to Galway, Alex has coached at U16 and senior level in the club and will continue to gain experience from both Alyssa and Emma as well as providing much needed tactics from the side lines throughout the season. 

Emma Glanville

Emma is one of the clubs most valued and respected players, having played interprovincial at all levels and is a current member of the Irish Ladies Masters team.  The club are delighted to have Emma on board at this level and we hope it ensures the younger members on the two squads will learn from her valued experience and guidance. 

Goalkeeper Coach

Martin White will continue in his role as senior goalkeeper coach.  Martin needs no introduction to anyone who knows him as not only is he an experienced international goalkeeper but he has also coached goalkeepers to international level also.  Long may this continue. 

All of the above will be supported by the 1^st team manager, Eimear McDonnell (2^nd team manager TBC) and club coach Donal Dempsey. 

The committee would like to take this opportunity to thank those involved in the selection process for their time and dedication over the past number of weeks particular as this is usually the “holiday/non-hockey” time of year for them and to wish the new coaching team the very best for the coming busy season in the EY2 league. 

Senior Ladies 3^rd team

The “dream team” as they have become fondly known as of Paul Miller, Sean O’Fiacháin (fresh from international duty with the Men’s Masters teams) and Jarlath Tierney are returning to coach our 3^rd Ladies teams.  We are looking forward to the continued success of this team for the coming season:

Senior Mens Teams

Galway have actively tried to revive the Men’s section of the club.  For the last two seasons, a growing number of men have restarted training on Thursday nights.   While they may not be ready to return to the Munster Leagues yet, they have been entered into the Irish Cup Competitions where you just never know what might happen.  Continued success boys!

Galway Junior Sections

Our Juniors will be back in action on Saturday 11^th September 2021.  For more information on our Junior section, please go to our website. 

Once again this year, we will require COVID officers to be available at each of the training sessions.  I cannot thank enough the wonderful parents to did this last year and made the life of our Junior Co-Ordinators Ann Dempsey & Ruth Hennelly, so much easier.  If anyone wishes to volunteer, please contact Ann or Ruth. 

The Junior Boys is a small but growing group under the able coaching eye of Stephen Quinn.  The group currently comprises mainly 9-11 year old boys.  We are looking to expand the group further so if there are any more boys out there who would be interested in trying out hockey, please contact Meriel FitzSimon on 086 843 2913. 

More information on the Junior return will be sent out before the start of training. 

Registration for 2021/2022 Season

Registration is now open for all returning members and new senior members.  Places in our junior sections are limited – so registration there is limited to returning members only.  Once all are registered, we will open registration for new members on a limited basis depending on availability in the groups. 

The link is on this website.

Please Note:

In relation to registration, please note that all communication for the year will be made through the clubforce app (via text or email), so please ensure the email address and phone number used in the registration is that which you wish to be communicated through. 

Best of luck to all for the coming season.

Yours in Sport,

Dermot Nolan.

Chairman,

Galway Hockey Club