Programme aims to step up several levels

HOCKEY WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL SQUAD: Mary Hanniganon the beginning of a new era for the game in Ireland as a select squad go full-time in pursuit of Olympic qualification - and more

WHEN A central preparation programme for the women’s senior squad was mooted at the start of the year it generated a lively debate, with several leading figures in the game expressing strong opposition, largely because of concerns about the effect on the club game.

Coach Gene Muller, though, was insistent such a move was essential if the Irish team were to have any hope of qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Games, and yesterday, at ESB headquarters in Dublin, his wish was realised with the launch of the CPP.

Twenty-four players have been selected for the programme, all of whom will be based in Dublin until next August’s European Championships in Germany where they will seek automatic qualification for London 2012.

The squad will, in effect, become full-time, training and working on their fitness from Sunday to Thursday. They will have Fridays off, before returning to their clubs to play in league and cup fixtures on Saturdays.

They will, though, be unavailable to their clubs for one weekend every month, but these “rest” weekends will not clash with Irish League or Senior Cup games.

The average age of the squad is just 23, the youngest UCD’s Chloe Watkins (18), with 17 of the group now registered with Dublin clubs.

Five players have opted to move to Dublin to be part of the programme: Munster’s Audrey O’Flynn (UCC to Hermes), Sinead McCarthy (Cork Harlequins to Hermes) and Julia O’Halloran (UCC to Railway Union), and Ulster’s Alex Speers (Railway) and Shirley McCay (Old Alexandra), both of whom were playing in Belgium last season.

The rest of the squad – three with Munster clubs, two in Ulster and two abroad (England and the Netherlands) – will divide their time between Dublin and their home bases.

The scheme is being funded by the ESB, sponsors of the senior team, the Irish Sports Council, Sport Northern Ireland, the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland and the Irish Institute of Sport.

Players, depending on their circumstances, will receive financial assistance towards rent and other basic expenses, with many of the squad fitting work, studies and schools’ hockey coaching around their schedule.

“When you are trying to qualify the Irish team for World Cups and Olympic events that ambition needs to be backed up with a foundation of training and improvement,” said Muller. “We needed to make a decision. We could have just plodded along, but we decided to do something that is ambitious and optimistic. What we’re trying to do here is create the possibility of success.”

Audrey O’Flynn, meanwhile, dismissed the suggestion the CPP would hurt club hockey in Munster and Ulster. “It’s just myself, Julia O’Halloran and Sinead McCarthy who are leaving Munster, so, to be honest, if three players leaving the league will damage it it’s hardly a good reflection on the league. Shirley McCay and Alex Speers – who were playing abroad any way – are the only Ulster players moving to Dublin, so the same argument applies.”

“This is a response to a situation that wasn’t working,” said Muller. “There certainly was resistance to the plan – I expected that, but the intensity of some of it surprised me. There was the anonymity of it too, comments on blogs and so on, no face to the argument, almost a subversiveness.

“But I absolutely understand their fears, it’s natural that club coaches would have concerns about it, especially worries about losing players. But this is being done for the greater good; if we did nothing I think the consequences would be grave. We would fade away in the rankings.

“In some ways the job of these coaches is not to look beyond their own clubs and leagues, but I have to look beyond that – it’s my job. So we clash because we’re fighting for different things. I do have sympathy for how they feel, but you can be paralysed by sympathy because you end up compromising so much nothing works. Maybe this isn’t the right direction, but it’s better than no direction at all.”

While Muller, who coached the South African women’s team and the Canadian men’s team before taking the Irish job four years ago, insisted players who were unable to join the programme would still have a chance of making future squads, he admitted they were now at a disadvantage.

“You don’t want to exclude players, but there really is a danger when you start thinking in terms of the lowest common denominator. When someone can’t make training, well, training should still go ahead.

“One in 10,000 kids in Canada has a peanut allergy, so peanut sandwiches are banned from schools,” he laughed. “So, in some ways, when you start thinking about the lowest common denominator you end up with a really diluted product. This programme gives us a chance. And that’s all we want.”

CENTRAL PREPARATION PROGRAMME SQUAD: Jean McDonnell, Julia O'Halloran, Alex Speers, Emma Smyth, Nicola Evans (all Railway Union), Sinead McCarthy, Anna O'Flanagan, Audrey O'Flynn, Lisa Jacob, Emma Gray (all Hermes), Nicci Daly, Nikki Symmons, Niamh Small (all Loreto), Niamh Atcheler, Chloe Watkins (both UCD), Pam Smithwick, Shirley McCay (both Old Alexandra), Emma Clarke (Leicester), Bridget Cleland (Ballymoney), Lizzie Colvin (Netherlands – club tba), Miriam Crowley (UCC), Eimear Cregan (Catholic Institute), Michelle Harvey (Pegasus), Cliodhna Sargent (Cork Harlequins).