Lurgan Ladies HC / Empowering Girls Through Hockey

Aim

Empower 100 girls in Lurgan to discover hockey, build confidence and friendships, and have the opportunity to play, stay, develop and thrive

Who are we?

Lurgan Ladies Hockey Club is a welcoming, community-based club with a proud commitment to developing women and girls through hockey.

For us, hockey is about much more than what happens on the pitch.

It's about giving girls opportunities to build confidence, develop skills, make friendships, enjoy being active and feel part of a team.

Developing young players has long been at the heart of our club. We have strong links with local schools and are committed to creating a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment where girls can discover hockey, enjoy sport and fulfil their potential.

Now we want to take that commitment further.

With the support of our community, and the opportunity for additional support through Sport NI's Creating Opportunities programme, we want to open hockey to even more girls in Lurgan.

We're extremely grateful to Sport NI for providing opportunities like this for grassroots sports clubs and the communities they serve.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Not every girl gets the same opportunity to discover sport.

Cost can be a barrier.

So can confidence.

Some girls don't know anyone already involved in a club. Others may never have had the opportunity to try hockey, or simply don't know where to start.

We want to make that first step easier.

Through Empowering Girls Through Hockey, we'll create new opportunities for 100 girls in Lurgan, with a particular focus on girls aged 10–18, through free hockey sessions and outreach with local schools and community groups.

But introducing girls to hockey is only the beginning.

We don't want this to be a programme where girls attend a few sessions and then have nowhere to go.

We want to create a clear pathway:

TRY HOCKEY → KEEP PLAYING → JOIN IN → BELONG

Our ambition is simple:

PLAY.
Give more girls the opportunity to discover hockey.

STAY.
Remove barriers and help girls continue playing.

DEVELOP.
Help them build skills, confidence and friendships.

THRIVE.
Create an environment where girls feel they belong and can fulfil their potential.

That's what Empowering Girls Through Hockey is all about.

What will the project actually deliver?

Empowering Girls Through Hockey will be a new and additional 12-week programme, running from 4 January to 28 March 2027, beyond our existing routine club activity.

The project has been designed specifically to reach girls who are not currently participating in hockey, remove some of the barriers that can prevent them getting involved and provide a pathway for those who want to continue playing.

The programme will have four connected parts:

🏑 OUTREACH

We'll work with local schools and community groups to take hockey into the community and introduce the sport to girls who may not currently have a connection with our club.

🏑 INTRODUCTION

We'll deliver free, welcoming opportunities for girls to try hockey in a supportive environment, with no pressure or expectation that they already have experience of the sport.

🏑 PROGRESSION

Girls who enjoy their introduction to hockey will have opportunities to keep playing throughout the programme, developing their skills, confidence and friendships, with a clear pathway into regular participation beyond the project. 

DEVELOPING OUR PEOPLE

We'll invest in female coaches, volunteers and young leaders, developing the people and skills needed to support girls throughout the programme and continue creating opportunities beyond the funded project.

Six measurable commitments

We want our supporters to know exactly what their money will help us achieve.

🏑 1. Reach 100 girls

Through school and community outreach and new introductory hockey opportunities.

🏑 2. Prioritise girls aged 10–18

At least 70 participants will come from this priority age group.

🏑 3. Deliver 20 free additional hockey sessions and outreach opportunities 

These will be new and additional sessions, delivered outside our existing routine club programme.

🏑 4. Work with at least 4 schools or community groups

We'll take hockey beyond our existing membership and work with local partners to reach girls who aren't currently participating through Lurgan Ladies HC.

🏑 5. Support 30 girls to progress into regular hockey

For us, success isn't simply getting 100 girls to try hockey.

Success is giving girls who enjoy it somewhere to go next.

By providing access to shared equipment and a welcoming pathway into regular participation, we'll help remove the financial barriers that can prevent girls from continuing.

We'll create a genuine pathway into regular participation and the wider Lurgan Ladies HC community.

🏑 6. Develop 6 female volunteers and 3 coaches

We'll support female volunteers and coaches to develop their skills through relevant coaching, safeguarding and youth-engagement opportunities.

This will strengthen our capacity to support the programme and continue creating opportunities for girls beyond the funded project.

Helping to level the playing field

We believe a girl's opportunity to discover sport shouldn't depend on whether her family can immediately afford equipment, whether she already knows somebody at a club or whether she's confident enough to walk through the door for the first time.

That's why this project is about more than providing hockey sessions.

It's about taking hockey into our community, reducing barriers around cost, confidence and equipment, and creating a welcoming route into sustained participation.

We want girls to have the opportunity not simply to try hockey, but to find somewhere they belong.

We're delighted that Empowering Girls Through Hockey supports the aims of Sport NI's Creating Opportunities programme, particularly its focus on Women & Girls and Children & Young People.

We're grateful to Sport NI for the opportunity to develop a project that can help us open hockey to more girls in our community.

How we’ll spend the money raised

Every contribution will help us put new opportunities directly in front of girls.

🏑 Qualified coaching 

We'll provide additional coaching to deliver welcoming, age-appropriate introductory and development sessions.

🏑 Shared hockey equipment 

For girls trying hockey for the first time, the cost of buying equipment can be a real barrier.

We'll purchase shared hockey sticks, balls, goalkeeper equipment and protective gear, so girls can take part without their families having to make an upfront financial commitment.

The equipment will remain with Lurgan Ladies HC, helping us continue to welcome new participants beyond the funded programme.

🏑 Outreach into our community

We'll work with local schools and community partners to take hockey beyond our existing membership and introduce the sport to girls who may not otherwise have the opportunity to get involved.

🏑 More opportunities to play

Your support will contribute towards the facility and pitch costs needed to deliver our new and additional 12-week programme, outside our existing routine club activity.

🏑 Developing female coaches and volunteers

We'll invest in the people who will help deliver the programme, supporting female coaches, volunteers and young leaders to develop their skills and create a strong network of role models for girls coming into the sport.

This investment isn't just about delivering sessions during our 12-week programme. It's about building the people and capacity that will allow Lurgan Ladies HC to continue creating opportunities for girls into the future. 

We are committed to being open and transparent about how your support will be used. Our project budget is £7,830:

• Qualified hockey coaching (20 new sessions) – £3,000
• Pitch hire and facilities – £1,110
• Female volunteer training and development – £1,140
• Coach education and development – £1,005
• Shared hockey equipment and protective gear – £1,575

Total project cost: £7,830.

Thank you to Sport Northern Ireland

We are very grateful to Sport Northern Ireland for supporting this opportunity through its Creating Opportunities programme, which can provide £5,000 in match funding towards our project.

We are asking our members, families, friends, local businesses and wider community to help us raise the remaining £2,830.

With your support and match funding from Sport Northern Ireland, we can introduce more girls to hockey and give them the opportunity to play, stay, develop and thrive.

Community impact

Sport can offer young people far more than physical activity.

Through hockey, girls can build confidence, friendships, resilience, teamwork and a sense of belonging.

They can learn new skills, challenge themselves and discover what they're capable of in a supportive environment.

We want girls who might never have considered joining a hockey club to feel that there is a place for them at Lurgan Ladies HC.

And by connecting introductory opportunities with an established club, we can offer something that lasts beyond the funded project: a pathway to keep playing, keep developing and keep belonging.

By developing female coaches, volunteers and young leaders alongside the programme, we'll also create visible role models for girls coming into the sport. And in time, some of the girls we reach through this project may become the role models who welcome the next generation into hockey.

That's what Empowering Girls Through Hockey is about - opening the door, then helping girls stay on the journey.

Help us unlock Sport NI funding

Your pledge could help us unlock additional support from Sport NI's Creating Opportunities programme.

To receive a Sport NI pledge, we need to:

1. Raise at least 25% of our initial target
2. Reach that amount through at least 25 unique supporters

Following a Sport NI pledge, we will then need to reach 100% of our initial Crowdfunder target to receive the funding. If the campaign does not reach 100% of its target, the Sport NI pledge will be withdrawn.

That's why every pledge - and every person who supports the campaign - really does matter.

How you can play your part

We want our whole community to help us Empower Girls Through Hockey.

Whether you're a player, parent, past player, supporter, local business or simply someone who believes girls should have the opportunity to enjoy sport, you can help us make it happen.

Pledge – every contribution, whatever the amount, moves us closer to our target.

Share – tell your friends, family, teammates and colleagues about our campaign and help us reach beyond our existing hockey community.

Offer a reward – local businesses and supporters can donate a product, service or experience as a Crowdfunder reward.

Fundraise with us – get involved in one of our fundraising activities or create your own challenge in support of the project.

Together, we can open hockey to more girls in Lurgan and help them play, stay, develop and thrive. 🏑

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 14th January 2027 at 9:48am