Leinster Boys U21/U18/U16/U14
The U14/16 programme is a priority area for Boys Hockey in Leinster. By focusing on talent development in these age groups we would like to see a wider base of players challenging for places on national squads and the older provincial squads - and of course staying with the sport and their clubs into the future.
As the boys programme continues to develop, the number of players transitioning to the U18s programme and competing for a place on the inter-provincial squads is increasing. Last year a number of new caps were earned at the U18 level.
The U17 tournament squad is also seen as a pivotal development opportunity for players. A tournament team of 15 has been selected to travel at Easter. The tournament team will also be invited to join the U18 development panel.
There is no U21 Inter-Provincial tournament in the Hockey Ireland calendar for this age group, although national panels are in place with a full programme. The LHA hope that a development programme targeted at players who are not currently on national panels will help to keep them in contention for selection in 2019-20 season when Ireland will be competing in a European Championship.
Challenge matches have been arranged with Ulster U21 Development for the end of May (25th/26th) and we would hope to arrange similar with Munster who also have a development squad for this age group.
Coaching Appointments
The LHA are pleased to confirm a number of coaching appointments for both development and inter-provincial squads.
Head of Boys Development:Mark Cullen
Mark will take a lead role across all the boys development programmes, ensuring continuity between the age groups, giving guidance and direction to the inter-provincial coaching teams as well as to the coaches involved in the development phases.
Associate Head Coach Boys Development:Simon Lowry
Simon will assist Mark by working with the coaching teams. Simon has previously been head coach at U16 & U18 level for Leinster and has been working with the development squads for a number of years. Simon is the current U16 National Coach and will work around those commitments.
| Boys U16 Head Coach | Emmett Hughes | Emmet will continue as Head Coach for the U16 boys inter-provincial team. Emmett coached the U16s to victory in Munster last year - winning the inter-provincial title at U16s for the first time in a number of years. |
| Boys U16 Assistant Coach | Sean Butler | Sean is stepping up from a development coach position within the boy's programme to take on the Assistant Coach role. Sean has benefitted from his involvement with the squad in Munster last year and under both Emmett's and Mark's guidance is looking forward to working with this key group of players. |
| Boys U16 Manager | Zack Waters | Zack will continue as Manager for the U16 boys squad and will also support the administration of the boy's development programme. |
| Boys U17 Development Coach | John Pearson | |
| Boys U17 Development Manager | Sara Quill | |
| Boys U18 Head Coach | John Pearson | John has been involved in the LHA academy for a number of years - initially working within the girl's development structures and as an assistant coach at U18 level. John has also been involved in the coaching of the U17 development squads, both boys and girls and will again lead the U17 boys team in Holland at Easter. Last year John was part of the winning U16 boys management team as an assistant coach. |
| Boys U18 Assistant Coach | Vacant | |
| Boys U18 Manager | Vacant |
Under 21 Development
| Men U21 Head Coach | Ralph Billings | Ralph is currently an assistant coach with the national U21 panel who are working towards a busy summer programme. The European Championships are scheduled to take place in 2020 and squads will be selected from players born 1999-2001 |
| Men U21 Assistant Coach | Niamh Small | Niamh has represented Ireland for a number of years at senior international level and in addition has experience of representing Leinster at various age groups up to Senior Inter-Provincial Level. |
| Men U21 Manager | Sarah Coleman | Sarah has played Division 1 in Leinster and also in New Zealand. She has represented Leinster at U21 level and has previously worked with senior Leinster and Irish underage teams as the team physio. |
Provisional U21 Trials & Training Dates (Men)
Trials: Sunday 03rd & 10th March
Training:Sun 24th Mar, Sun 07th Apr, Fri 19th Apr, Sun 05th May, Mon 13th May, Mon 20th May, Thurs 23 May
Matches: Sat 25 May v Ulster (Away) & Sun 26th May v Ulster (Home)
Related pages
LHA Academy Overview - Click Here (page under construction)
Player Nomination Process - Click Here (page under construction)
Academy Key Dates - Click Here
LHA Girls U21/U18/U16/U14 - Click Here (page under construction)
Leinster South East Girls U18/U16/U14 - Click Here (page under construction)
Updated 18th Feburary 2018