The Zara Horan Trophy Kicks Off

The Zara Horan Trophy competition officially got underway last week with games kicking off in Virgin Media Park and Thomond Park.

The competition is a regional based U18.5 competition created to further support the growth of the women’s player development pathway.

Virgin Media Park was the first stop for this year’s competition as the newly formed West Cork side faced last season’s champions South Munster in an end to end game that finished 29-24 in favour of the newcomers.

Sunday saw action take to the back pitch of Thomond Park where a dominate North Munster met West Munster. It was another fantastic display with the Northern side taking the win with a score of 38-19.

We caught up with Women’s Participation Officer, Brian O’Dowd, to find out more about the competition and the team’s journey so far.

Speaking about the purpose of the competition Brian said:

“It is an Under 18.5 competition which we use very much a precursor to our summer programme.

“It is a great opportunity for us to identify girls we might not be able to get out and see all the time.”

Since its inception last season the competition has already begun to grow with a fifth team joining the ranks this year.

“We have one more region this year than last year, so we have the West, the North, the East, the South and now West Cork, due to the growth of the game down there.”

O’Dowd went on to say what he hopes the players will gain from this experience.

“First of all we hope that they enjoy it which is the main thing. But what I would like them to experience is the standard and how it is a bit higher as it aligns with what our summer programme is going to be and what out current Regional Development Squads (RDS) are, so it shows them what they need to commit to and do if they would like to reach the next level.”

Hear more from Brian O’Dowd and and West Munster player, Mary-Ellen O’Donnell, below.

Video | The Zara Horan Trophy Kicks Off