In this first edition of The Full Time Whistle, Matchday Correspondent Aaron Davoren takes a look at the upcoming year of sport in UCD.
As a new academic year arises at UCD, the college's endless variety of sports teams and societies come back to life after the summer of 2025. From American football to windsurfing, the university offers up to 45 sports clubs to its students to view or participate in at all kinds of levels.
This year is no different and the University Observer will have a dedicated section for each issue this year, to highlight a particular match from a UCD sports team that caught the eyes of the sports section.
GAA is one of the biggest sub-sections of UCD sports, having multiple teams across Hurling, Camogie, men's and women's Gaelic football and Handball. The Camogie club has ambitions of retaining the Ashbourne Cup, which they last lifted in 2008. Having won the cup a record thirty-five times, UL have been the dominant college of recent years, claiming seven titles in the last decade. With ambitions set, the ladies will no doubt be determined and excited to kick on for the upcoming year.
Volleyball is a sport that has grown significantly in Ireland in the last five years. The 2024 u20 Women's European Championship was hosted at the Sports Ireland campus and that brought a lot of eyeballs to the sport throughout the country. UCD Volleyball has men's and women's teams competing in the national league but is also open for new players to join them from all levels. A big aim for the club this year is to have participants competing at the brand new beach volleyball varsities.
Soccer is UCD’s biggest sport with over ninety teams and the senior men's team competing in the League of Ireland First Division. The team sit comfortably in the playoff positions at the moment, and will look forward to a chance of getting promotion back to the Premier Division this coming autumn. The Superleague has blown in popularity amongst students in recent years. A fantastic setup where students get to create a team and develop it, from club name, to designing kits, to playing week in, week out with their mates. Although intended for a fun kick about, there are some seriously talented players in the Superleague and it’s “recognised as an official and fully approved league by the FAI.”
Whilst highlighting camogie, volleyball and soccer, there are countless more sports clubs with fascinating stories and ambitions for the upcoming year.
Sport is engrossed into UCD and is a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their skills, enjoy their favourite hobby and crucially make lifelong friends. These clubs, just like any society in the university, are welcoming and excited with the prospect of gaining new members, with similar interests each autumn. For incoming or returning students, you can get in contact and meet people directly at these various clubs at the Sports Expo. This will take place on Freshers week from 15 -18 September, from 10am - 5pm, in Hall B, at the Sports Centre.