Irish hockey legend Katie Mullan has stepped down from her role as the captain of the Ireland senior women’s national hockey team, but not retiring.
The Derry native has played for Ballymoney HC and UCD Ladies Hockey Club in Dublin during her career.
Mullan made her debut with the Irish national team in 2012 and was appointed captain in 2017.
The 30-year-old helped Ireland reach their first-ever World Cup final in any field sport in 2018, but unfortunately, the team ended the tournament as runners-up after losing to the Netherlands. An RTÉ Sports Team of the Year award followed. The team also made the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games under her captaincy.
Mullan, speaking in a statement on the Olympics.ie website, confirmed that she would be handing the armband to someone else but wasn't prepared to hang up her gear for good.
Katie Mullan today announced that she is stepping away from her captain’s duties for the Ireland senior women’s national hockey team.
Under Mullan’s captaincy, the Irish women’s hockey team qualified for the Olympics for the first time, securing their spot at the 2020 Tokyo… pic.twitter.com/5Sh0lChUGH
— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) November 13, 2024
The Derry native also claimed that representing Ireland as captain was the biggest honour of her career since making her debut eight years ago.
“Captaining Ireland has been the greatest privilege and honour of my life. For eight unforgettable years, I’ve always focused on what’s best for the team, and this decision is no different. I believe the time is right for me to pass on the armband. I’m not ready to retire from playing, as I feel I still have much more to give to the Irish shirt. It’s an exciting time ahead.”
Mullan added that she was grateful to Irish Hockey CEO Anne McCormack, Hockey Ireland, and all the coaches and support staff for helping her achieve her goals with Ireland.
“Thank you to our CEO Anne McCormack, Hockey Ireland, and all the coaches and support staff I have worked closely with during my time as captain, including Gareth Grundie, for his support since taking up the head coach position in recent weeks. It is great to have so many good people committed to our sport.
“Nothing has made the role more special than the players and those driving change in our leadership groups. Each day, it is the girls who have inspired me to be better and to do more. They empowered me to give everything I had to it, and I will be forever grateful to them for that.”
Mullan is now eager to help the Irish hockey team reach heights even higher than those she and the team hit during her time as captain.
“I am incredibly passionate about the future of hockey in Ireland and the legacy we can build. In 2018, we witnessed the potential for the sport, but we are still some distance off realising it. In my next chapter, I endeavour to continue helping drive the sport to new heights.”
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