Sports Review 2025-26

The 2025–26 school year proved to be another hugely successful and memorable one for sport in Donabate Community College. Across Gaelic games, soccer, rugby, athletics and tennis, students represented the school with pride, commitment and determination throughout the year.

This season will undoubtedly be remembered most for the remarkable achievements of our senior Gaelic footballers, senior hurlers, and first year girls soccer team, who all made school history in their respective competitions.

GAA / LGFA / Camogie

The standout achievement of the year came from our senior Gaelic footballers, who captured the Dublin B Championship title for the first time in the school’s history. The team produced a series of excellent performances throughout the campaign before eventually bowing out in the Leinster semi-final after representing the school superbly at provincial level.

Not to be outdone, the senior hurlers also made history by winning the Dublin ‘D’ Championship, another first for the school. Their success completed a historic senior “double” for DCC and marked a major milestone in the continued development of Gaelic games within the school.

At underage level, there were valuable experiences gained for our junior, second-year and first-year Gaelic football teams, all of whom exited at the group stages. While results did not always go their way, the younger squads showed excellent commitment and will benefit greatly from the experience gained this season.

Our camogie team also enjoyed a very positive campaign, winning all three of their group games before eventually being beaten in the quarter-final stages. The team showed huge progress throughout the year and established themselves as strong competitors within their grade.

In LGFA, the first-year girls reached a county semi-final following an impressive season that highlighted the depth of talent coming through in the younger year groups. Meanwhile, both the senior and junior LGFA teams faced difficult campaigns and were unfortunately eliminated during the group stages.

Football – Boys

There were mixed fortunes across the boys soccer teams this season. Both the U15 and U17 sides exited at the group stages despite several competitive performances throughout the year.

The senior boys enjoyed a strong Leinster Shield campaign and progressed all the way to the semi-final stage before eventually being defeated by Marian College. The first-year boys also had a positive run, reaching the Round of 16 in their competition.

Our Transition Year footballers reached the quarter-final stage of their competition before their season came to an end, while several younger players gained valuable experience representing the school across multiple age groups.

Football – Girls

Girls soccer continued to grow strongly within the school this year, with all teams enjoying excellent success across their competitions.

The first-year girls were crowned Division 1 Regional Champions after a superb campaign that showcased both talent and teamwork throughout the squad.

Our minor, junior and senior girls teams all progressed to Leinster Shield semi-finals, representing an excellent collective achievement for girls football in DCC and reflecting the continued development of the sport within the school community.

Rugby

This year also saw the school trial Rugby League for the first time. The team played three fixtures during the season against Malahide and Swords Community College on two occasions, recording one victory and two defeats. The introduction of Rugby League provided students with an opportunity to experience a different code and added another exciting sporting option within the school.

There was also significant individual success, as four fifth-year students and one TY student attended Ireland U19 trials during the year. All five students are expected to attend again next season, which represents a major achievement both for the players involved and for rugby development within the school.

Tennis

Tennis continued to develop steadily throughout the year, with both boys and girls teams competing in the Leinster League competitions.

The girls team competed against King’s Hospital and Santa Sabina, recording one win and one defeat during their campaign.

The boys minor team competed against Rathdown, St Conleth’s and St Kilian’s, finishing the season with one victory and two defeats. Meanwhile, the junior boys faced strong opposition from Wesley College, Rathdown and Terenure, narrowly missing out on wins despite several encouraging performances across the season.

Athletics

Athletics also remained an important part of the sporting calendar this year. Students participated in several cross-country competitions, including the qualifiers for the Leinster Finals in the Phoenix Park. While there were no qualifiers on this occasion, students represented the school with great effort and determination.

The school also took part in a variety of track and field events at the North Leinster qualifiers in Santry. A special mention goes to Lea Hubert, who qualified in the girls inter javelin event. There is also considerable optimism for the future, particularly within the junior girls age groups, where several promising athletes have emerged throughout the year.

Acknowledgements

A special word of thanks must go to all teachers and staff who dedicated their time throughout the year to coaching, organising fixtures, travelling to games and supporting students across all sports. The continued growth and success of school sport would not be possible without their commitment and enthusiasm.

• Mr Dunne
• Ms Fennell
• Ms Kearns
• Ms Myers
• Ms Fox
• Mr Graham
• Mr Murphy
• Mr Tully
• Mr Roche
• Mr O’Meara
• Mr Ward
• Mr Hopkins
• Mr Best
• Mr Walmsley
• Mr Dunne
• Dr Cooke
• Ms Smith
• Ms Finn
• Mr Byrne
• Ms Fennell
• Ms Drysdale

Overall, the 2025–26 season has been one of the most successful sporting years in the history of Donabate Community College. From historic championship victories to provincial semi-finals, emerging young talent and increasing participation across multiple sports, the future of sport in DCC continues to look extremely bright.

Here’s to more in 2026-27.