Trinity Sport Union Holds AGM, Hears from Prospective Committee Candidates

“On Wednesday, May 6th, Trinity Sport Union (TSU) hosted its annual general meeting, where the current Chairperson, Jane Prendergast, delivered her end-of-year report and prospective candidates for the Chair role in 2026/2027 delivered speeches advocating for their candidacy. The Chairperson of TSU, like the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Officers and the Chairs of the College Historical Society and the University Philosophical Society, takes a year out of their studies to do the role full-time. Prendergast spoke about the role of the TSU as a vital advocate for student sport and to communicate with the wider college community, working with TCDSU. Her report documented the largest project she has worked on during her tenure: working with the Pavilion Bar (Pav), which falls under TSU’s remit. This involved building a structure to alleviate accident liability on the Trinity Sport Executive Committee and the Pavilion Grant Scheme, which provided much-needed funding for Trinity’s Sports Clubs. She initiated the Pinks review board, which will seek to award retrospective “Pinks”: Trinity’s highest sporting honour. Two working groups on finance and communication were also run this year, with collaboration from officers from a variety of clubs. She also noted difficulties, including a consistent lack of funding for the Union and resourcing. Following her report, candidates for committee roles came forward, including eight Club Representatives, Junior Treasurer, Honorary Secretary, Vice-Chairperson and Chairperson. In the running for Club Representatives were the following: Edward Collins, James Devitt, Noah Doherty, Oisin Hughes, Molly Mostow, Tom Leahy, Tatiana Najera, Aoife Nixon, Charlie Norton, Le Phi, Agathe Seiler, Beatrice Wharton-Hood and Anna Whelan. All represent a variety of sports across the college and hold various committee roles. Similar themes of being a voice for student sport, encouraging inclusion and the importance of clubs having a forum to voice concerns emerged in their speeches The role of Junior Treasurer was uncontested, and the incumbent officer, Sam Ledoux, was thus reelected to the post. Following this, the role of Honorary Secretary was contested by Carmel Maher (DU Camogie) and Angus Seigne (DU Men’s Hockey). Maher spoke first about her experience as secretary of her club and her goals for TSU, which included hosting focused meetings and piloting a newsletter for updates on sporting events across Trinity. Seigne stepped up next, expressing his commitment to and adoration of the men’s hockey club. He focused on the integration of all clubs, big and small, establishing a sponsorship programme to alleviate financial stress and the importance of alumni networks and events. Next up was Aisling Mulligan (DU Ladies Hockey) and Christopher Varian (DU Men’s Hockey), vying for the role of Vice Chairperson. Mulligan, younger sister of the current Vice-Chairperson, Ciara Mulligan, focused her speech on the importance of engagement in Trinity Sport’s social media profiles and bringing “personality” to the media coverage. She also spoke about working to implement retrospective Pinks, building on the work started by Prendergast and (Ciara) Mulligan this year. Varian spoke second, highlighting how pivotal he believes involvement in sports clubs to be, and his experience as Club Captain of DUHC. He will seek to implement a “club of the month” feature to highlight all aspects of TSU and a weekly update form to give clubs direct communication with the Union. He spoke on how he will be a reliable point of contact if elected. Finally, Katie Lynch (DU Fencing) and John O’Hara (DU Men’s Hockey) stepped up to contest the role of Chairperson. Lynch, a postgraduate student and former Club Captain of DU Fencing, spoke of her experience with various women in sport initiatives and campaigns. Her goals included increasing participation across the board as well as alumni engagement. Namely, she believes collaboration across clubs could be greatly improved in terms of the overall visibility of the Union and their work. O’Hara, who is the current Honorary Secretary, spoke next on how his involvement with the TSU, which included chairing executive meetings and steering the Sports Awards committee, makes him a prime candidate for the position. He pledged to, if elected, implement sustainable funding structures and increase communication and transparency with a bulletin detailing the TSU’s work, and he emphasised the importance of inclusive participation and alumni engagement. Prendergast closed the meeting, and voting took place for those in attendance. Voting will be open for the following times in the Sports Centre Board Room for all club members: Thursday 7th May 8:00-16:00 Friday 8th May 9:00-16:30 17:30-19:00

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