Susan Spence, the co-Founder of SoftCo, has been elected as the new Chair of Hockey Ireland following its Annual General Meeting at the weekend.
A pioneering tech entrepreneur and philanthropist, Spence is a lifelong hockey supporter and player, and a goalkeeper who represented Ireland at underage level.
As co-founder of SoftCo, she built the Irish tech company into a global financial automation leader. The company was sold in 2024, one of the largest exits by a female entrepreneur in Ireland.
2024 was presented as a foundational year for change in the annual report with the launch of Hockey Ireland’s new strategy: Unleash the Power of Hockey, setting out the path to growth to 2026.
Key themes captured in the strategy, and underlined at yesterday’s AGM, include the importance of membership compliance to ensure a full and accurate representation of the sport as well as the importance of listening, ensuring all stakeholders are heard as the organisation continues its commitment to improvement.
Other highlights included a 16% year on year growth in membership, with now over 28,500 registered members, supported by 168 clubs and 280 schools across the island of Ireland.
Reflecting its inclusive values in action, Hockey Ireland also reported that 75% of members are U18s, with female representation 65% of the player base.
On the high-performance side, it was noted that the Women’s and Men’s national teams are currently ranked 11th and 10th in the world, respectively, providing a major source of national pride.
Hockey Ireland also stated that in 2024 it had successfully secured nearly €4 million in funding for clubs and provinces through combined public funding, including €3M for community sports facilities, a clear recognition of hockey’s growing value in Irish sport.
At the AGM, new Directors to the Board were also appointed including David Curran, ex Ireland international hockey player Deirdre Duke of Sheridan Sport in London, Laura Fitzgerald, Kevin Keane, Roger O’Connor and Susan Spence.
Barbara O’Malley was elected Hockey Ireland President with Aisling Keogh now Vice President. Outgoing Hockey Ireland Chair, Trevor Watkins and international hockey umpire Alison Keogh were both confirmed as Honorary Life Members of Hockey Ireland.
Susan Spence, who is the co-founder of Manverton, an investment and philanthropic venture, which actively supports entrepreneurship, sports and social causes including Going for Growth, Shona and Goal, has also previously been appointed to several government boards and most recently chaired the Dublin Regional Enterprise Plan.
She has received multiple businesswomen of the year awards and is a brand ambassador for Technical University Dublin (TUD).
“I am honoured to have the opportunity to contribute to the ambition and growth of hockey at such an exciting time,” she said.
“I will be bringing a new and valuable perspective to the sport, using my business experience to drive the Hockey Ireland strategy forward and achieve new heights of success.”
“I am looking forward to working with everyone involved and I am appreciative of all the fantastic support that I have received from the hockey community to date.”
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