Róisín Upton


Róisín Upton is an Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final. Upton was also a member of the Connecticut Huskies teams that won the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championships.
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Early years and education

Upton is the daughter of Dermot and Pauline Upton
and is originally from Janesboro on the south side of the city. She has two older brothers, Diarmaid and Sean, both of whom have played rugby union for Munster at schoolboy level and have played for Young Munster in the All-Ireland League. Upton attended An Mhodh Scoil and Crescent College before studying at the University of Connecticut where she gained a BA in Psychology. In 2019 she completed her two years Masters in Primary education in Mary Immaculate College Limerick. As well as playing field hockey in her youth, Upton also played ladies' Gaelic football for Mungret St. Pauls and women's association football for Janesboro.

Domestic teams

Early years

Upton started playing field hockey at Crescent College and then subsequently with Catholic Institute. She helped Crescent College win two Munster Schools Junior Cup and two Senior Cup titles. She also captained the Crescent College team. She helped Catholic Institute challenge for Munster club honours.
Munster and Ireland youth player of the year in 2011

Connecticut Huskies

Between 2012 and 2016 Upton attended the University of Connecticut. During this time she was a prominent member of the Connecticut Huskies teams that won the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championships. Upton captained the team during the 2014 season and in 2014 and 2015 was nominated for the Honda Sports Award. Upton also helped the team win four consecutive Big East Conference Field Hockey Tournaments between 2012 and 2015. During her time with the Connecticut Huskies, Upton also worked as a member of the teams coaching staff.

Cork Harlequins

In November 2016 Upton began playing for Cork Harlequins in the Women's Irish Hockey League. Her teammates at Harlequins include Yvonne O'Byrne. Upton, along with O'Byrne and Naomi Carroll, played for Harlequins in the 2017 Irish Senior Cup final, losing 1–0 to UCD. In 2017–18 she helped Harlequins finish as runners up in both the Women's Irish Hockey League and the EY Champions Trophy.

Catholic Institute

In 2018 Upton re-joined Catholic Institute as they became founder members of the Women's Irish Hockey League Division 2.

International career

Róisín Upton made her senior debut for the Ireland women's field hockey team in 2016. She quickly established herself as a key midfielder and penalty corner specialist.
As of 15 August 2025, Upton has earned 136 senior caps for Ireland, scoring 29 goals, with most coming from penalty corners and penalty strokes. She reached her 100th cap milestone in December 2022.
Upton has had standout performances in major tournaments. At the 2019 EuroHockey Championship, she scored four goals against Belarus, helping Ireland secure a decisive victory. She has also contributed important goals in World Cup qualifiers, Nations Cup matches, and the FIH Olympic Qualifiers. Her most recent goal was scored on 15 August 2025 in a EuroHockey Championship match against Scotland via a penalty stroke.

Historic Olympic Achievement

Upton played a pivotal role in Ireland's qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She scored the winning goal in the Olympic qualifier shootout against Canada, securing Ireland's first-ever Olympic appearance in women's hockey.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Upton became the first Irish hockey player, male or female, to score at an Olympic Games. She scored in Ireland's opening match against South Africa on 24 July 2021, converting a penalty corner in the 9th minute to give Ireland an early lead. The match ended in a 2–0 victory, marking Ireland's first-ever win in Olympic women's hockey.

Career statistics

CategoryStatistic
Senior Caps 140
Senior Goals 29
Goals-per-Cap Ratio0.213
Debut 2016
Most Recent Goal15 August 2025, vs Scotland
100th Cap MilestoneDecember 2022
Notable Tournament PerformancesEuroHockey Championship 2019: 4 goals vs Belarus; key contributor in World Cup qualifiers and Nations Cup matches; scored winning goal in Olympic qualifier shootout vs Canada; first Irish goal at the Olympics

Ireland international

Together with Emily Beatty and Katie Mullan, Upton represented Ireland at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. Graham Shaw first included Upton in an Ireland squad in 2015. In January 2016 she was also included in a squad for series of away games against Spain. However, on both occasions Upton had to withdraw from the squads because of injuries. She eventually made her senior debut on 6 November 2016 against Scotland. In January 2017 she was a member of the Ireland team that won a 2016–17 Women's FIH Hockey World League Round 2 tournament in Kuala Lumpur, defeating Malaysia 3–0 in the final. Upton scored four goals in the tournament. On 17 January 2017 she scored her first senior Ireland goal in a 10–0 win against Hong Kong. On 19 January 2017 she scored a hat-trick in a 10–0 against Singapore.
Upton represented Ireland at the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup and was a prominent member of the team that won the silver medal. She featured in all of Ireland's games throughout the tournament, including the pool games against the United States, India and England, the quarter-final against India, the semi-final against Spain and the final against the Netherlands. In opening game against the United States, Upton provided an assist for Anna O'Flanagan. In the quarter-final against India, she was the first Ireland player to score in the penalty shoot-out.
TournamentsPlace
2010 Youth Olympic Games5th
2016–17 Women's FIH Hockey World League13th
→ 2017 Kuala Lumpur Tournament1st
2017 Women's Four Nations Cup2nd
2017 Women's EuroHockey Nations Championship6th
2018 Women's Hockey World Cup
2018–19 Women's FIH Series Finals2nd
2019 Women's EuroHockey Nations Championship5th

Honours

;Ireland
Tokyo Olympics
;Connecticut Huskies
;Cork Harlequins
Irish Champions Trophy winner 2024/2025 with Railway Union
IRISH SENIOR CUP
Irish Seniorcup winner 2022 with Catholic Institute
Irish Senior Cup winner 2024/2025
with Railway Union
;Crescent College
  • Munster Schools Senior Cup
  • *Winners 2010, 2011
  • Munster Schools Junior Cup
  • *Winners: 2008, 2009