Ms Deirdre Duke:

Obviously, the preference is that we all would play at home. I played abroad for one year and Ms Nicola Daly played abroad for two years. In college, balancing life and hockey is okay but once players come into the real world it is certainly more difficult and they become more aware of how their peers are progressing at a different level in their career. Following the success in the World Cup and with help from Park Developments, SoftCo and Sport Ireland, we have been able to become a bit more semi-professional since July. That has been a major driver in getting players to return home. Five of us were playing abroad last year and we are all back in Ireland now playing on a semi-professional basis.

Regarding balancing with work, I have recently started working in a job two days a week. The coverage we have got over the past two years has made companies and employers buy into our story and they allow us a bit more flexibility. Although we are incredibly grateful for all the support, we still need to work for a couple of days a week in order to get by. There are challenges to it but we do not really think about it as a sacrifice as such; it is our choice. We want to play for our country and we also want to progress in our career.

It is a little daunting. While Ms Lisa Jacob is a little older than I am, we are all coming to the end of our careers in the next four-year cycle. It can be a bit daunting to progress on if one does not have anything set up. The main point is that we are all grateful that we have all been able to move home and really concentrate on playing here. It is better for us all to be training here than abroad.