After a below-par EuroHockey campaign Ireland have a lot 'on the table' facing into first Pro League 

A LOT ON THE TABLE: Ireland will face into their first FIH Pro League campaign over the next year. Pic: ©INPHO/Frank Uijlenbroek

Hannah McLoughlin says there is “an awful lot on the table” for Ireland women over the next 12 months, as they look to pick themselves up from a below-par EuroHockey campaign and qualify for a first World Cup since 2018.

Ireland finished eighth following a 2-1 defeat against England yesterday, but avoided relegation with more teams set to be included in a revamped 2027 EuroHockey Championship in London.

Tess Howard opened the scoring when she passed across the circle only for Sarah McAuley to turn into her own net. Ireland missed a gilt-edged chance to equalise when Sarah Torrans and a sliding Katie Mullan couldn’t combine with a circle overload and a gaping goal.

Mullan again went to ground midway through the second quarter, but this time her finish was world-class with a superb goalbound chip.

Ireland went behind again at the start of the third quarter when Darcy Bourne swept home at the top of the circle after Holly Micklem, who replaced Lizzie Murphy in goal for this final match, raced out of goal to try and clear.

Time then ran down on Ireland as Caoimhe Perdue set herself for a shot with the last move of the match.

“You come away with a loss and you can feel down but 2-1 is close, we executed our game plan and played a lot more hockey,” said McLoughlin. “We need to create more attacking and efficiency in our final third.

“It’s been an up and down tournament but we have a lot to take away with a young group and that’s an exciting thing to come away from.” 

Ireland’s first foray into the women’s FIH Pro League will mean a packed schedule over the next year. It is not yet known if they will play their first block of matches in December, but they will compete in February ahead of a qualification tournament for the 2026 World Cup.

“There is an awful lot on the table,” added McLoughlin. “One of my messages at the end of the match was that we are going to be bitterly disappointed with this campaign but we need to turn that into hunger to get better and be the team we know we can be.” 

McLoughlin works part-time for a financial consultancy in Dublin and can work remotely from Ghent. She will be one of nine players competing in the competitive Belgian league this season, but the Dubliner says there will be no club v country issue for half the Irish side.

“If anything it’s a great conundrum to be sitting down with and international duty will always take preference,” she added.

“It’s about becoming a better hockey player technically and tactically, to play under a different system and have a breath of fresh air. It’s telling that more players are doing that after they’ve seen what we’ve learned abroad.” 

Overall here, Ireland showed glimpses of being a competitive side ahead of the Pro League. They leaked just two goals against world No.1 Netherlands and held finalists Germany to a 0-0 draw. In between, the poor defeat to France ultimately saw Gareth Grundie’s side fail to reach the semi-finals for the first time.

“We have shown throughout the tournament that we can match teams who are in the Pro League,” said Grundie.

Mullan and Roisin Upton account for over a third of Ireland’s squad caps, while four players had 18 combined matches before heading to Germany.

“We are inexperienced and it’s about learning what works for us and putting that on the table every single time,” added Grundie.