The purpose of the Academy is to develop resilient, confident cricketers of the future, who are ready to perform on the world stage. 

To deliver this, we create an environment that provides a holistic, player-centred programme allowing the next generation of players, with the ability and desire to learn and be challenged, with support from Specialist Coaches and Mentors in all fields of High Performance and lifestyle. 

The Academy also supports overseas placements of players and operates annual pre-season camps at our High Performance Centre in La Manga Spain.

In 2017, under Academy Manager Peter Johnston, Cricket Ireland expanded the Academy Programme to include a Women and Girls Academy, an Emerging Academy (for the most promising Youth cricketers), and a Male Senior Academy (considered a ‘finishing school’ for any age along the pathway towards becoming a professional Irish cricketer).

The success of the Academy has been exemplified by:

• the Academy played fixtures for the first time with great success in 2018;
• 12 of the current cohort have been part of the Ireland Wolves in 2018;
• of current Academy players, Tyrone Kane played in Ireland’s inaugural Test Match and Josh Little for the full T20 International team, while former Academy player Sean Terry represented Ireland men’s team;
• Gaby Lewis, Kim Garth, Lucy O’Reilly and Rebecca Stokell have all become leading players in the international women’s squad; and
• the Academy has already produced three full-time professionals for Ireland (Peter Chase, James Shannon and Simi Singh).

The Academy Players

The Men’s Academy players are:

Senior Academy Squad: JJ Garth (Pembroke CC), Fionn Hand (YMCA), Neil Rock (Rush CC), Nathan McGuire (Rush CC), Mitchell Thompson (YMCA), Graham Kennedy (Ballyspallan CC), Will Smale, Ross Allen (Brigade CC), Conor Olphert (Bready CC), Mike Frost (Malahide CC).

Emerging Academy Squad: Tim Tector (YMCA), Jamie Forbes (YMCA), Seamus Lynch (Terenure CC), Jamie MacNulty (Merrion CC), Theo Dempsey (Phoenix CC), Oliver Metcalfe (Instonians CC), James Hunter (Instonians CC), Kyle Magee (Brigade CC), Zubair Hassan Khan (Cork Harlequins CC).

The Women’s Academy players are:

Amy Hunter (Instonians), Anna Kerrison (Malahide CC), Rachel Delaney (Merrion CC), Jane Maguire (The Hills), Caoimhe McCann (Malahide CC), Naomi Matthews (Merrion CC), Alana Dalzell (Bready CC), Georgina Dempsey (Phoenix CC), Zara Craig (Eglinton CC), Rebecca Gough (Rush CC), Louise McCarthy (Pembroke CC), Jennifer Hanna (Donaghcloney Mill CC).

The Coaching Team

Academy and Performance Manager: Peter Johnston
National Academy Coach: Ryan Eagleson
Women and Girls Academy Coach: Ed Joyce

About Shapoorji Pallonji

The Shapoorji Pallonji Group (SP Group) founded in 1865 is a business conglomerate based in Mumbai, India, with interests in construction (including residential, commercial and industrial), real estate, infrastructure (comprising power, ports, rail and roads), biofuels and agriculture, consumer products, electro-mechanical and MEP services, water treatment, oil and gas, EPC contracting, facades and interiors, engineering, textiles and shipping and logistics.

Today, with over 26,000 employees and more than 20 sectors, Shapoorji Pallonji has evolved and grown exponentially into multiple business segments with a progressive outlook and a thoroughly professional approach. The Group today has a strong presence in India and internationally including the Middle East, Continental Europe, South East Asia and Africa. With a rich legacy of over 149 years and a consistently superior track record, Shapoorji Pallonji remains committed towards excellence in each domain of its operations.