Athlete Support Programme Presentation Awards 2025
Abstract Text
🎓 TU Dublin Athlete Support Programme – Presentation Awards 2025–26
TU Dublin Welcomes 72 New Sport Scholars for 2025–26 Academic Year
TU Dublin announced its newest cohort of Sport Scholars last week, as 72 student-athletes were formally awarded a place on the University’s 2025–26 Athlete Support Programme.
TU Dublin announced its newest cohort of Sport Scholars last week, as 72 student-athletes were formally awarded a place on the University’s 2025–26 Athlete Support Programme.
The Programme now supports more than 300 student-athletes across 34 sports, reflecting TU
Dublin’s continued commitment to nurturing the next generation of high-performance talent.
The TU Dublin Athlete Support Programme—one of Ireland’s most highly regarded performance pathways—enables talented young people to combine their education with their sporting careers. Scholars benefit from a wide range of athletic and academic supports designed to help them excel both on the field and in the classroom.
TU Dublin recognises its critical role in ensuring that student-athletes have access to world-
class resources, including a well-structured scholarship system, high-quality sporting infrastructure, and specialist performance support services. The University continues to strengthen partnerships with national governing bodies and collaborates closely with Sport Ireland in supporting high-performance sport nationally.
This year, TU Dublin once again achieved the required standards in dual-career support
structures and has been fully accredited under the ASAS (Accreditation for Student Athlete
Support) framework by the Sport Ireland Institute for the 2024–2026 period—an important
endorsement of the University’s leadership in athlete support.
Dublin’s continued commitment to nurturing the next generation of high-performance talent.
The TU Dublin Athlete Support Programme—one of Ireland’s most highly regarded performance pathways—enables talented young people to combine their education with their sporting careers. Scholars benefit from a wide range of athletic and academic supports designed to help them excel both on the field and in the classroom.
TU Dublin recognises its critical role in ensuring that student-athletes have access to world-
class resources, including a well-structured scholarship system, high-quality sporting infrastructure, and specialist performance support services. The University continues to strengthen partnerships with national governing bodies and collaborates closely with Sport Ireland in supporting high-performance sport nationally.
This year, TU Dublin once again achieved the required standards in dual-career support
structures and has been fully accredited under the ASAS (Accreditation for Student Athlete
Support) framework by the Sport Ireland Institute for the 2024–2026 period—an important
endorsement of the University’s leadership in athlete support.
TU Dublin interim COO Sally Anne Sherry welcomed the new scholars to Team TU Dublin:
“We are fully committed to your success, and we wish you an incredible season of both academic and sporting triumphs.
Your achievements inspire us all—let’s continue striving for excellence together.”
Christy O’Shea, Senior Manager – Sport, Societies & Student Life, reflected on the significance
of the occasion:
“A warm welcome to each of our new TU Dublin student-athletes. Each of you is at a different point in your journey, but all of you are surrounded by a strong and committed support network.
At TU Dublin, we strive to make balancing academic demands and athletic ambition as seamless as possible, and we remain committed to providing the support every developing athlete needs.”
The success of the Athlete Support Programme is underpinned by an exceptional network of
performance support providers, academic mentors, coaches, and operational staff. TU Dublin
also acknowledges the vital contribution of the ‘team behind the team’—families, friends, and
volunteers—whose commitment and encouragement play a central role in enabling student-
athletes to reach their full potential.
A huge thank-you to our incredible panellists who shared their experiences of life as elite student-athletes and the support systems that help them excel on and off the field:
🚴♂️ Ronan O’Connor – International Road Cyclist
🥋 Leroy Nsilu Dilandu – International Taekwondo Fighter
🏉 Cian McBride – Ex-AFL Player & Meath Senior Footballer
🏑 Claire McNamara – Dublin Camogie Goalkeeper
🚵♀️ Caoimhe May – International Cross-Country Mountain Biker
🚴♂️ Ronan O’Connor – International Road Cyclist
🥋 Leroy Nsilu Dilandu – International Taekwondo Fighter
🏉 Cian McBride – Ex-AFL Player & Meath Senior Footballer
🏑 Claire McNamara – Dublin Camogie Goalkeeper
🚵♀️ Caoimhe May – International Cross-Country Mountain Biker
A special thank-you to Sally Anne Sherry, Interim Chief Operating Officer, for presenting this year’s awards.
👏 Congratulations to all TU Dublin student-athletes who received a sports scholarship this year! We’re excited to support your journey ahead. 💙✨
Luke Hall – Boxing - International Boxer
Aimee Maguire – Cricket - Irish Senior Women's
Aisling Gannon – Camogie - Dublin Senior Camogie Player
James Coffey – Hockey - Irish U21
Megan Burns -Rugby 7s - Irish Women's Rugby 7s
Robyn O’Connor – Rugby 7s - Irish Women's Rugby 7s
Michael Walsh – Rugby - Leinster pre-academy player
Tom McLoughlin – Soccer - Dundalk FC
All photos from this event were taken by Paul Lundy – Sports & Event Photography, and you can find them here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/200095314@N02/albums/72177720330422554/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/200095314@N02/albums/72177720330422554/