In the latest in our Meet The Team series, we catch up with Regional Development Officer Eilise McCrory.
Name: Eilise McCrory
Home club: Breacach Handball Club
Background in handball (playing/administration): I started playing in primary school around P7, pathway to club handball came via the Cumann na Bunscol tournament. Fortunately for me my dad and uncles had a background in handball which has been very useful in my progression to senior where i am currently ranked 5th. Administration wise this is my first real role on the other side of the table, I hope my experience as a player will be of some use to the future of handball in Ulster.
Other sporting achievements/interests:I used to play a bit of football but handball quickly took control of my sporting life so I gave that up. Other than that I’m a huge spectator of all sports both in person and on tv. Tennis, rugby and the ladies World Cup at the moment are my go-tos.
Hobbies outside of handball: I’m a real movie geek, there aren’t many I haven’t seen. I also like to spend a bit of time singing and playing guitar when I get a moment.
Areas of responsibility as RDO (geographically): At the moment Tyrone, Cavan and Monaghan but in the future I aim to touch base with Derry, Donegal and Fermanagh.
What attracted you to the role?
My university background led me here really. I am a qualified PE teacher with an additional degree in sports studies which touched on sports development. I’ve always enjoyed working with young people and to be able to kind of mix my passions for coaching,handball and the overall development of the game that I love made it a no-brainer.
What are your hopes for the future for the sport in the short and long term?
Short term: Getting as many clubs active and involved as possible. Ensuring that local schools are keeping handball alive through their PE and extra curricular and creating a clear pathway for them to link up with clubs is my main focus.
Long term: I’d love to help produce high quality players in Ulster, make us the strongest region in juvenile handball. We have such a strong contingent of players coming up and representing the region, I’d love to see them finish it out and get the rewards they deserve. We have some plans in the pipeline that we feel will aid that further progression for our up and coming kids.