All being well, Ireland is set to host its first International Indoor Hockey game in 30 years in front of a fully booked hall of spectators as the men and women host Scotland at the Antrim Forum on 28th and 29th December.

In January of 2020, both teams competed in the Euro Championship III division, with the men bringing home bronze and the women finishing second and securing promotion with some impressive performances at their tournament in Bratislava despite the absence of Ireland from the international indoor scene for so many years.

Both squads see changes from their first tournaments almost 2 years ago, with a number of players hoping to get their first caps, but there are also a few familiar faces with caps already under their belts ready to return to the boards in a green shirt.

For the men, youngster Oliver Kidd will be one to watch out for as he scored an impressive 11 goals in the recent Irish U21 Euros in Portugal, and big name John Jackson who was part of the 2016 Rio Olympic outdoor squad.

The women’s team features Chloe Brown, known locally for her goal scoring ability during Ards’ reign of Indoor Championships in Ulster and Ireland; she now has experience winning the Super Sixes held in England with her new club East Grinstead. Another player to note is Millie Regan who has also appeared in the Super Sixes Tournament, but has returned to play for Leinster club Railway Union in their provincial indoor league this season.

The games in Antrim will be an opportunity for the women to see what they’ll be up against when they head to Spain in late January 2022, as Scotland are also in the Euro Championship II division, however the Irish men’s Euro tournament due to be held in Cyprus was recently postponed due to COVID.