Aim: We will use the funds we raise to provide support for coaches, education, coaching aids e.g. equipment and opportunities for local children.
Who are we?
Ballymoney Ladies Hockey Club, formed in 1984 and based in the Joey Dunlop Centre, is a family friendly club with a vision to be a high quality club that is family and community orientated. We pride ourselves on catering for beginners, players with varying abilities and elite players alike from ages 3+.
We currently have over 300 female members who currently compete in the following competitions: 4 adult female teams, a veterans (over 35s) team and 5 junior teams playing in the Ulster Leagues, as well as a thriving minis section which has 150 children aged between 3 and 9 years old.
We have seen success at an all-Ireland level, winning the Irish Senior Cup in 2001. We have represented Ireland in European Cup Winners Cup Division A in Spain 2002 and were Irish Senior Cup Runners up in 2005 and 2008. We have produced 3 Ireland Captains, had 7 senior international caps and have a host of players in Ulster and Irish teams right up to Masters level.
Part of this project will include a 3 day camp, running in two sessions. One session will be aimed at 6-10 year old girls, and the other will be for girls aged 11-14. These two camps will be provided by volunteer coaches, will be open to our local community and will be inclusive for all abilities and backgrounds. The camps are used to inspire the next generation of hockey players in Ballymoney by teaching them hockey skills, keeping them fit and healthy and giving the opportunity for lifelong friendships to be made.
Why are we crowdfunding?
We require funding for equipment, for upskilling volunteers via training and courses, and to help cover pitch hire and insurance costs. Since the pandemic, it has been harder to secure funding, including sponsorship, and our club overheads have increased dramatically. This funding would help cover the rises in costs and enable us to run the programme to its full potential.
How we’ll spend the money raised
We will spend the money on equipment, upskilling coaches, pitch hire, doing outreach programmes in local community groups / schools, running camps, running extra sessions and competitive opportunities for players. We will also use the money to allow our senior teams to train on a second night as the demand and need is apparent, however rising pitch hire costs have hindered our development.
Community impact
Our community impact is huge with local women and children. We are the largest female club in the town, which is run by local women from our committee right down to coaches and parent supporters. We provide outreach to primary schools in the local area, and also run a 7-a-side tournament each year for local charities. This is a mixed tournament with no age limit, gender limits or ability limits!
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 20th August 2025 at 9:54pm