Member's statement: Masters Hockey World Cup
Member's statement by Ms Paula Bradshaw on .
- MLA
- Ms Paula Bradshaw
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 18 November 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Masters Hockey World Cup
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4655641
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I rise to note the achievements of the Ireland over-50 women's, over-55 men's and over-55 women's teams, which all competed at the recent Masters Hockey World Cup in Auckland, New Zealand. All three teams finished in at least the top eight, but the over-55 women's team deserves a special mention having reached the final, becoming one of the very few sports teams from Ireland to have played in a world cup final. The team narrowly missed out in the final, losing 1-0 to England, but it achieved memorable victories over Australia, Scotland and, most notably, South Africa in the semi-final, winning 5-0. The Ireland team included six players from the Ulster Masters team, all of whom still participate in the club game here in various guises, including one from Belfast Harlequins Ladies Hockey Club in my constituency. Those hockey players are not just amazing athletes but fantastic role models. They all give back to the sport through umpiring, coaching, sitting on management committees, supporting fundraising efforts and, most importantly, encouraging players coming up from junior clubs, women returning from pregnancy and those picking up a stick for the first time. At the other end of the age scale, I also note the victories of the Ulster under-16 boys, under-18 boys and under-16 girls in the Autumn Interprovincial Series, which concluded this weekend. They all won their leagues. That went alongside a narrow runner-up spot for the under-16 girls, so there is certainly a bright future for Ulster and Irish hockey. On that note, I give a special mention to the work of Ulster Hockey. Its contribution to the growth of the sport is measured not just by those results but by the growth in the number of junior leagues for women in recent years from nine to 12. That represents approximately 400 extra women playing the sport every week. I hope that the achievements of the Ireland teams and those of the Ulster teams at the other end of the age range lead to a greater recognition of what hockey brings to society here, as one of the top three sports by participation, not just in Northern Ireland but in the world.
362 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.04 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.59 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.38 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.02 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:30 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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