David Fitzgerald the Irish Senior Men’s Hockey Goalkeeper spoke with Aisling Keogh Connacht Hockey and Hockey Ireland's newest board member about his journey into the sport.
Football was my main sport when I was growing up so when I started primary school I joined the school team. Many of my friends arrived to football practice having come from primary school hockey training that morning which made me think I should give it a go. Thankfully, in my primary school there was very strong links with Monkstown Hockey club so after a few months of playing in primary school, myself and my group of friends started playing for Monkstown hockey club. Playing hockey in primary school and in Monkstown Hockey Club meant that we were able to play and receive coaching multiple times a week. Having this opportunity grew my love for the game and built my basic hockey foundation from an early age. I went on to play for my country and I could not be more proud of this achievement.
I was one of those players who “Dared to Dream” and I went to the Rio Olympics in 2016. When I returned I wanted to travel nationwide to promote the sport I love so that children and young adults all over Ireland would have the chance to meet and be coached by current International hockey players. I contacted Brenda Flannery, a Connacht and Irish representative herself in the game and she spoke with me about the passion there was for hockey in Connacht. Following this conversation she helped me put together the first Aspire Hockey Camp in Galway which started in October 2017. From the very first session you could see the passion there was for the game and also the talent. We have had full camps since that first session and the children are always a pleasure to coach. There have been over 250 children attending the camps over the years, all with the same passion and eagerness to learn.
The success of the Irish Men’s and Women’s hockey teams over the last 10 years has lead to an increase in numbers playing all over the country. There is amazing work being done by the clubs and the Branch in Connacht but their work is limited by the small amount of time they have on a hockey pitch in Galway which hosts the largest cluster of clubs in Connacht five in total. These clubs with both Senior and Junior sections all share one pitch in Galway City. This does not happen in any other province.
We have had a number of International players from the Senior International Men’s and Women’s teams coach at the camps in Connacht. They can all see the potential if players are given the right opportunities and the right facilities to play their chosen sport. We as International players and coaches all speak highly about the children’s love for the game. This has lead to more and more international players wanting to come to Connacht to be involved in the camps. It is a great experience for us and we love having the opportunity to give back.
We as a group and through our Aspire Camp are looking to increase the number of boys attending the camp. When we first came to Connacht we had a great mix of girls and boys at the camp but over the last 12-18 months, despite the camps always being full, the numbers of boys attending has dropped. It is amazing to see the girls game grow from strength to strength but one goal of the camp is to try and help grow the Men’s game in Connacht and get more boys attending the camps and playing hockey. We have had some great conversations with the Connacht Branch about how we will try and achieve this and we are looking forward to seeing the Men’s game grow also in Connacht. Unfortunately, clubs in the Galway area are now having to turn young children and adults away from the game as there is nowhere for them to play.
I would hope that this changes with the help of local authorities in Connacht so that one day a child may be given the same opportunities I received at a young age and that they too can one day stand proudly in a line up singing their National Anthem at an Olympic Games.
