Monkstown HC & Hermes HC Merge
April 26, 2016
Monkstown Hockey Club and Hermes Hockey Club Merge
- Two of Ireland’s oldest and most successful hockey clubs come together -
Tuesday 26th April, 2016, Dublin; Monkstown Hockey Club and Hermes Hockey Club are pleased to announce today the union of two of the country’s top hockey clubs. Both clubs came to the decision to merge because combining resources would enhance each clubs player development within a friendly ‘family’ playing environment that will cater for men, women, boys & girls of all ages. In addition it will provide the local area players with the opportunity to compete at the highest level.
The new club is committed to long-term player development in both recreational and competitive programs while cultivating a lifelong passion for the game. The two clubs will merge into the entity of Monkstown Hockey Club Limited and play at the Merrion Fleet Arena in Rathdown School, Glenageary, County Dublin. The Ladies club will now consist of seven strong ladies teams who will compete in the Ernst & Young All-Ireland Hockey League in addition to Division 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 11 within Leinster and will include over 400 fillies members ranging from 6 to16 years of age.
All teams will play under the name Monkstown Hockey Club except for the EYHL team which will play under the name of Hermes-Monkstown for a three year period. The new club will be overseen by a dedicated committee made up of Monkstown and Hermes members.
Hermes Hockey Club was founded in 1966 with 48 members. Over the years the club has grown from strength to strength winning an incredible amount of Irish Cups, All Ireland leagues and Leinster Titles as well as eight appearances in Europe from 1998-2012. The club has also produced no less than 20 senior international players and boasts five current senior internationals including; Anna O’Flanagan, Nikki Evans, Chloe Watkins, Naomi Carroll and Sinead Loughran
“We are absolutely delighted that both clubs have voted in favour of this exciting merger. This marks a new chapter in the history of two of Ireland’s most successful clubs and is the culmination of many months of hard work to ensure its ratification. We look forward, now, to working closely with Monkstown to ensure a smooth transition to a fully merged club and wish them the very best in their upcoming EY Champions Trophy playoff at Banbridge this weekend†said Christine Quinlan, Hermes Hockey Club Captain.
Monkstown Hockey Club was founded in 1894 and is one of the oldest clubs in Ireland. In 2008 a ladies section was established and its success has exceeded all expectations. In 8 years the club has grown from one ladies team to four teams and 350 fillies’ members.
Speaking about the merger, Monkstown Hockey Club president Trevor Watkins said, “Monkstown is very excited with this new development that will allow all our club members a pathway to achieve their ambitions in our game. We look forward to using the creation of this strong platform to realise our goals by building an atmosphere of fun, friendship and playing excellence. Finally on behalf of Monkstown I would like to wish Hermes the best of luck in their EY Champions Trophy semi-final against Ulster Elks this weekend.â€
Information on the new Monkstown Hockey Club can be found on the club websites www.
