Playing Hockey in Santa Sabina:
1st Years:
Competitive hockey starts with the 1st years playing 8-aside, half-pitch matches. From 2nd year the girls play full pitch matches with a squad of up to 16 players. Each year the school has about four to five 1st year teams. For the 1st years we usually run a session for the beginners and halfway through the year join the beginners with the girls with previous hockey experience. All girls are welcome to join hockey at any stage and can borrow sticks from the school. The only thing each player must come with is their own gum shield.
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Other Year Groups:
Leinster Hockey runs the School Girls League and Santa Sabina has taken part in this since the start. The league is made up of over 600 teams from schools all over the province. Games start in October with finals scheduled around St Patrick's Day. Over the years Santa Sabina has won several of the titles in all age groups. The league is broken down into 1st years, Minors for 2nd years, Juniors for 3rd & 4th years and Senior for 5th and 6th years. There are two teams in each year group after 1st Year. Girls are able to substitute up to older teams and many gain valuable experience when they do this. Each team will play a number of competitive matches in the league in addition to some friendlies.
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Training & Matches:
Training takes place after school, for one hour, from September to Easter.
The current 21/22 training schedule is:
Monday - Juniors & Seniors
Tuesday - Minors
Thursdays - Juniors & Seniors
Friday - 1st years and Minors.
Matches are usually scheduled mid week in the afternoons.
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The History of Hockey in Santa Sabina:
The tradition of hockey in Santa Sabina goes back several decades. The local hockey club was started in 1958 by past pupils of Santa Sabina looking to continue their hockey after finishing school. Originally the school played on grass pitches on the land that is now Santa Sabina Manor. In the 1970's the school put down an all weather grit pitch in the location of the existing astro-pitch. Games continued on both the grass and grit pitches well into the 1980's with the girls requiring studded boots for the grass or trainers for the grit. The current astro-pitch was put down in 2007 and brought hockey in Santa Sabina into the modern era of the game.
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Achievements in Hockey:
Santa Sabina also takes an active part in the Northside Hockey League which is played after Christmas each year. The school has been very successful over the years in these leagues. Annually the school takes part in the Dominican Cup which is for the older players . One Dominican school hosts a day of competitive games and Santa Sabina has won this on numerous occasions.
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Other opportunities for our hockey players:
Annually Leinster Hockey asks schools to nominate players for Development Training. Students will attend a number of sessions with players from all over the province. A number of the school's players have progressed through the Development sessions and have gone on to represent Leinster at U16, U18 and U21. We also have a few players who advanced to Irish squads playing for Ireland at U21, U23 and the Irish Women's team. We are fortunate to have some of these players living locally and they have returned to the school to assist with coaching when they can.
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