UCD Boat Club

2008 UCD Sports Scholars - Dave Neale & Anthony English
(Absent: Finbar Manning)

UCD Sport Scholarships

2010-2011 Call for Applicants is now OPEN
Application Deadline - FRIDAY 30th APRIL

The pursuit of excellence is part of the mission of University College Dublin. In sport, the sports scholarship programme reflects the commitment of UCD to aspiring to the highest standards possible. For many years sports scholarship at American Universities were the only option for sports minded students with talent. In other situations, the price of the search for success was the abandonment of career prospects outside sport and ultimately often disappointment and disillusionment.

Sports Scholarships were first introduced at UCD in 1979 by the Soccer Club under the direction of the late Dr. Tony O'Neill. Following the appointment of Dr. O'Neill as Director of Sport at UCD the scheme was expanded to include other sports such as Athletics, Basketball, Badminton, Camogie, Cycling, Fencing, Ladies and Men's Gaelic Football, Ladies and Men's Golf, Ladies and Men's Hockey, Hurling, Rowing, Rugby and Table Tennis.

The aim of the scholarship scheme is to give talented young people the opportunity of developing their sporting prowess from a base here in Ireland. By combining sports participation with academic work in an ideal environment within the University, a safety net is provided for the Irish student and career prospects are, to a large extent, guaranteed. Therefore, career-threatening injuries or illness or some other unforeseen circumstances do not have the same traumatic impact. The individual is encouraged through judicious balancing of the time available to ensure that neither academic nor sporting interests are compromised.

Criteria for Awarding Scholarships

There are several important criteria which must be met - academic qualification for a course must be achieved and the recipient of a scholarship must be prepared to commit him/herself to involvement in the respective UCD sports club. The scholarship student must represent UCD and only UCD in competition. Clubs which offer scholarships compete at a very high level and have to possess the necessary infrastructural components to facilitate a scholarship award. A satisfactory level of academic and sporting progress is essential, if the scholarship is to be renewed on an annual basis.

More information regarding the application procedure is available here.

Application forms are available here.

Past Recipients:

2009/2010:	Andrew Neale (Offaly RC), Anthony English (UCD), Dave Neale (UCD), Finbar Manning (UCD), Peter Grogan (Offaly RC)
2008/2009:	Anthony English (UCD), Dave Neale (UCD), Finbar Manning (St. Michael's RC)