Here’s a great preview (previously released on our FB page due to technical issues) of Junior Indoor Nationals this weekend by Aidan Kelly about the first Irish team to play at the tournament
Ultimate has been rapidly growing on our emerald isle for a number of years now, and while university level still reigns supreme in terms of recruiting new talent to the game, a considerable amount of effort has started to be put into schools programmes across the country. These have, in the past, benefited colleges and universities by giving them a potential intake of players that already have two or three year’s worth of experience before playing at Intervarsity level. The most successful of these school programmes is Gonzaga, located in Ranelagh, Dublin.
Founded 10 years ago, Gonzaga Ultimate was the brainchild of Alan ‘Dman’ Doyle, a seasoned veteran in the Irish Ultimate community, who has since gone on to coach Ireland Junior teams and is currently in the middle of running the Irish Senior Women’s team that will be heading to London this summer. Alan, who at the time was I.T. Manager of the school, introduced the sport to students in their transition year, and it has remained a mainstay in the school’s sports curriculum ever since – although not without a huge amount of effort.
