The Trustees of the Brighter Futures Community Fund were pleased to support local hockey sensation Isla Allen’s international selection in 2023, in partnership with Kilwaughter Minerals.
At the beginning of 2023, Ballygally native Isla received international recognition following her strong performances for Ulster Hockey and was selected to be part of the Ireland U16 Girls Hockey squad.
With each player tasked with fundraising to help the association cover costs of running the international programme, Isla contacted Brighter Futures and received a grant of £500 which went towards her overall fundraising efforts.
Following her successful grant application, Isla continued to attend regular training sessions in Dublin throughout 2023 and was picked to travel with the squad to Aachen in Germany to take part in the Four Nations tournament.
As Isla continued to impress in her performances, she was then called up to play in the Eight Nations tournament in Granada, Spain. During this tournament, the Ireland squad gained invaluable experience by taking on Spain, Scotland and Germany during the tournament.
Since taking part in the two tournaments, Isla’s international ambitions have continued to go from the strength to strength. Having been selected for Ulster Hockey’s U18 side, Isla was informed at the end of November that she was going to be making the step up to the Ireland U18 Girls squad heading into 2024.
Brighter Futures Trustee John McKinstry commented:
“Everyone involved with Brighter Futures are delighted to see Isla’s sporting endeavours go from strength to strength since her initial selection for Ireland at the beginning of 2023.
“While sport continues to thrive within the Larne community, we must not lose touch of the feat that is being called up to represent your country at any level, never mind being selected for two different age groups within the space of a calendar year.
“I look forward to following Isla’s journey and have no doubt that her hard work will continue to pay off and that she will continue to climb the ladder towards senior international selection.”
The Brighter Futures Community Fund Programme is continuing to take applications for funding, with an application form available for download by clicking here.
