Handcock chasing World Cup dream

Carlow’s Amy Handcock is hoping that she can force her way into the Ireland squad for this summer’s Women’s Hockey World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The hugely talented youngster received her senior competitive call up as Ireland came through the qualifying series in Chile in March but she knows she has a tough battle ahead of her if she is to retain her place.

Handcock, who now plays for UCD, grew up on a farm ten minutes outside Carlow Town and it was there that her interest in hockey was piqued.

“I have always been active and spent a lot of time outside since I was young, which definitely influenced my interest in sport.

“I went to primary school in Carlow National School, and then went to secondary school in Kilkenny College. Throughout primary school I played loads of sports. I played tennis, badminton, did swimming, gymnastics and also played hockey. I played hockey for Carlow Hockey Club from when I was about 6-years-old, until I went to secondary school where I just played school hockey. Hockey has always been very strong in Kilkenny College, so going to school there gave me a great opportunity to play and train in a competitive environment,” explained Handcock, whose mother also played hockey.

It was in school in Kilkenny College where a lot of her skills were honed.

“In first year Elmer Doole taught me a lot of the basics which really stand to me now. After that I had Richard Willis and Ross Harding who both really played a huge role in my development and helped me improve technically and tactically. They always were very generous with their time. Ross Harding also taught me how to dragflick and gave up a lot of his time helping me to improve at it throughout school,” said Handcock.

She received her international call-up at Under 16 and travelled to places like Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, and Spain to play for her country but undoubtedly the highlight of underage career was the U21 Junior World Cup in Chile at the end of last year.

“I was happy with my performance throughout the tournament, I played better in some matches than others but in general I was happy. It was a very competitive tournament with all the top teams in the world competing and it was a great experience to get to compete at this level. Our coaches wanted us to focus on improving with every match and I think we did this quite well and had some of our best performances towards the end of the tournament. We finished 13th which was higher than we were ranked coming into the tournament, so we were quite happy with this progression, but it would have been nice to have played in the 8th-12th place matches and finish higher in the tournament,” said Handcock.

She had received her senior cap the previous summer on a tour to the USA but the call up for the World Cup qualifying series, back in Chile, was her first step up to competitive action for the Irish senior team.

Handcock wasn’t expecting to play much as she was a late call up due to injuries but she did manage her first international goal in the 5-1 win over Canada.

“To get my first senior international goal wasn't something I was expecting to happen.

I think the performance against Canada really showed how much the group has improved. Ireland played Canada in the Olympic Qualifiers in 2019 and drew 0-0 and won in a shootout. So to beat them more convincingly shows how much Irish hockey has grown in recent years.

After coming through the group stages, Ireland had their first chance to secure qualification for the World Cup against Australia but lost there. They grasped their chance at the second attempt though with a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Japan.

“Missing out on qualifying against Australia was obviously disappointing, and it did add more pressure going into the Japan game. But the build-up was the same as always which helped to prevent nerves.

“There was a lot at stake with this match but the more experienced players on the team are all very good at keeping everything focused going into each match which helps everyone in their preparation.

“For the match to end in a draw and to go to a shootout was nerve-wracking but we have great goalkeepers and very skilful players,” said Handcock.

It was a great experience for the young player and has given her a taste for more. There are a series of internationals through the month of June and that could be the time for her to really stake her claim for a place in the World Cup squad.

“I learned a lot on this trip, it was my first competitive tournament away with the group since the USA trip was only a friendly tournament. I really enjoyed getting to be a part of this group and getting to play at an even higher level than I’m used to. It shows you the standards needed to play at this level and it’s something I want to keep pushing towards. Making the World Cup squad will be a huge challenge but I’m just going to keep working hard in training and matches.

“Getting to compete in the pro-league has been very important for the team this year and has given them a lot more competitive matches against top teams. Selection for those matches will also be a challenge as the talent in the squad is very high and everyone is fighting for places, but it would be something I am aiming towards getting selected for,” said Handcock.

It will be third successive World Cup for Ireland so it is an exciting time for women’s hockey in the country and the profile is only going to rise through the competition in August.

“Qualifying for the third World Cup in a row is really exciting for women’s hockey in Ireland. It brings more attention and visibility, which is great for the sport. Having a lot more of the games being streamed recently makes a big difference too and means a lot more people can watch matches and follow along more easily,” said Handcock, who is delighted to be able to show the pathway for young players in Carlow to the very elite level.

“If my development through the underage ranks can show young girls in Carlow that there’s a pathway there if they stick with it and work hard, that would be great. I think that playing any sport when you’re young is very important and if more young people can see that there is a pathway in place they might be more likely to keep playing sport,” she said.