Gillian Pinder (born 5 May 1992) 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 The 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup was the 14th edition of the Women's Hockey World Cup, a field hockey tournament. It was held from 21 July to 5 August 2018 at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London, England. Defending champions ...

final. Pinder has also won Irish Senior Cup and

Women's Irish Hockey League The Women's Irish Hockey League is a field hockey league organised by Hockey Ireland that features women's teams from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The league was first played for during the 2008–09 season. It replaced the A ...

titles with UCD.

Early years, family and education

Pinder is the daughter of Alan and Mary Pinder. Her father, Alan, is originally from

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, Midland Region, with a population of 22,667 in the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census. The Counties of M ...

. Her sister, Laura, is also a field hockey player and has played for Hermes-Monkstown in the

and the

EuroHockey Club Champions Cup The EuroHockey Club Champions Cup is a defunct men's field hockey competition for clubs in Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to ...

. Pinder was educated at St. Andrew's College,

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

and

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

. She graduated from UCD with a Bachelor of Business and Law.

Club career

St. Andrew's College

Pinder played

field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

for St. Andrew's College in a team that also included her sister, Laura and Chloe Watkins. She played in three Leinster Schoolgirls' Senior Cup finals, regularly playing against teams that included future

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

teammates. In the 2007 final, Pinder and Watkins lost 5–0 to an

Alexandra College Alexandra College () is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Milltown, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under a Church of Ireland ethos. History The school was founded in 1866 and takes its name from Princess Alexandra of ...

team that featured Nicola Evans. In the 2009 final St. Andrew's faced Loreto, Beaufort and Hannah Matthews. This time St. Andrew's won 2–0 after extra time. In the 2010 final Pinder scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win. Watkins captained St. Andrew's as they defeated an Alexandra College team that featured Deirdre Duke and Emily Beatty. In 2010 Pinder and Watkins were also members of the St. Andrew's College team that won the Kate Russell All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championship, defeating Coláiste Iognáid, Galway 3–1 in the final. On 10 September 2018, after their success at the

Women's Hockey World Cup The Women's FIH Hockey World Cup is the field hockey World Cup competition for women, whose format for qualification and the final tournament is similar to the men's. It has been held since 1974. The tournament has been organized by the Internat ...

, Watkins and Pinder returned to St. Andrew's to share their experience with the current students at St. Andrew's. Pinder also began managing the hockey programme at St. Andrew's.

Hermes

In 2008–09 Pinder together with Nicola Evans, Anna O'Flanagan and Chloe Watkins, was a member of the

Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...

team that were runners up in the inaugural

season. Pinder also played for Hermes in the 2010–11 Irish Senior Cup final as Hermes lost 3–1 to

Pegasus Pegasus (; ) is a winged horse in Greek mythology, usually depicted as a white stallion. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. Pegasus was the brother of Chrysaor, both born from Medusa's blood w ...

. Her teammates on this occasion included her sister, Laura, Deirdre Duke and Anna O'Flanagan. In 2012, along with Mary Goode and

Audrey O'Flynn Audrey O'Flynn is an Ireland women's rugby sevens international. O'Flynn represented Ireland at the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens. O'Flynn is also a former Ireland women's field hockey international. Between 2010 and 2014, O'Flynn made 120 appe ...

, Pinder was a member of the Hermes team that won the Women's EuroHockey Club Champion's Challenge I, defeating Lille Metropole 3–1 in the final.

Syracuse Orange

In 2012 Pinder attended

on a hockey scholarship. She subsequently helped

Syracuse Orange The Syracuse Orange are the college athletics in the United States, athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East ...

win the 2012

Big East The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

Regular Season. She also helped Syracuse reach the 2012 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship semi-finals. At Syracuse, together with Emma Russell and Liz McInerney, Pinder formed a forward line that featured three future Ireland internationals.

UCD

Pinder started playing for UCD in 2013. She subsequently scored for UCD on her

debut against her former team,

. In 2013–14, together with Nicola Evans, Anna O'Flanagan,

Katie Mullan Kathryn "Katie" Mullan (born 7 April 1994) is an Ireland women's field hockey international player from Coleraine, Northern Ireland. She was captain of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final. Mullan has also won ...

, Emily Beatty and Deirdre Duke she was a member of the UCD team that defeated Pembroke Wanderers 2–0 in the Irish Senior Cup final. In the same season she helped UCD win their first Women's Irish Hockey League title. Pinder also played for UCD in the 2015 EuroHockey Club Champions Cup. In 2016–17 she won a second Irish Senior Cup with UCD when, together with

Elena Tice Elena Joy Neill (née Tice, born 16 November 1997), also referred to as Lena Tice, 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. Tice is also an I ...

, Katie Mullan and Deirdre Duke, she was a member of the UCD team that defeated

Cork Harlequins Cork Harlequins Hockey and Cricket Club is a multi-sports club based in Cork City in Ireland. The club was founded in 1925. Although Harlequins is best known for its field hockey and cricket teams, during its history the club has also organised ...

1–0 in the final. The 2016–17 season also saw Pinder help UCD win their second Women's Irish Hockey League title. UCD and Pinder subsequently completed a national treble when they also won the EY Champions Trophy after defeating Hermes-Monkstown in a

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

Pembroke Wanderers

The 2017–18 season saw Pinder play for Pembroke Wanderers in the

. Her teammates at Wanderers included Emily Beatty.

Ireland international

Pinder represented

at Under-16, Under-18 and Under-21 levels before making her senior debut. She made her senior international debut on 24 April 2011 against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. In March 2015 Pinder was a member of the Ireland team that won a

2014–15 Women's FIH Hockey World League Round 2 The 2014–15 Women's FIH Hockey World League Round 2 was held from February to March 2015. A total of 24 teams competing in 3 events took part in this round of the tournament playing for 7 berths in the 2014–15 Women's FIH Hockey World League ...

tournament hosted in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, defeating

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in the final after a

. She was also a member of the Ireland team that won the

2015 Women's EuroHockey Championship II The 2015 Women's EuroHockey Championship II was the 6th edition of the Women's EuroHockey Championship II, a field hockey championship for women. It was held from the 19th until the 27th of July 2015 in Prague, Czech Republic. Qualified teams ...

, defeating the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

5–0 in the final. In January 2017 she was also a member of the Ireland team that won a

2016–17 Women's FIH Hockey World League Round 2 The 2016–17 Women's FIH Hockey World League Round 2 was held from January to April 2017. A total of 24 teams competing in 3 events took part in this round of the tournament playing for 8 berths in the Semifinals, to be played in June and July 2017 ...

tournament in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, defeating

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

3–0 in the final. On 12 July 2017 in the

2016–17 Women's FIH Hockey World League Semifinals The 2016–17 Women's FIH Hockey World League Semifinals took place in June and July 2017. A total of 20 teams competed in 2 events in this round of the tournament playing for 7 berths in the 2016–17 Women's FIH Hockey World League Final, Final, ...

she scored a "thunderbolt" of a goal against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, which was described as one of the highlights of Ireland's

qualification campaign. Pinder represented Ireland at the

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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, the quarter-final against India, the semi-final against

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and the final against the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. In the semi-final against Spain, Pinder scored twice in the

. After successfully converting the sudden death penalty, she sent Ireland through to the final.

Occupation

Together with Lizzie Colvin, Nicola Evans, Anna O'Flanagan and Deirdre Duke, Pinder was one of five lawyers in the Ireland squad at the

Honours

;

**''Runners Up'':

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Women's FIH Hockey World League The Women's FIH Hockey World League was an international women's field hockey competition organised by the International Hockey Federation. The league also served as a qualifier for the 2014 Women's Hockey World Cup, 2014 and 2018 Women's Hocke ...

**''Winners'': 2015 Dublin, 2017 Kuala Lumpur *Women's EuroHockey Championship II **''Winners'':

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

Women's Hockey Champions Challenge I The Women's Hockey Champions Challenge I was an international field hockey tournament, played every two years. It was introduced in 2002 by the International Hockey Federation in order to broaden hockey's competitive base at world level. The Cham ...

**''Runners Up'':

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

* Women's FIH Hockey Series **''Runners Up'': 2019 Banbridge *Women's Four Nations Cup **''Runners Up'':

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

; UCD *

**''Winners'': 2013–14, 2016–17: 2 * Irish Senior Cup **''Winners'': 2013–14, 2016–17: 2 * EY Champions Trophy **''Winners'': 2017 ;

Regular Season **''Winners'': 2012 ;

**''Runners Up'': 2008–09, 2010–11 * Irish Senior Cup **''Runners Up'': 2010–11 *Women's EuroHockey Club Champion's Challenge I **''Winners'': 2012 ; St. Andrew's College * Leinster Schoolgirls' Senior Cup **''Winners'': 2008–09, 2009–10 **''Runners Up'': 2006–07 *Kate Russell All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championships **''Winners'': 2010

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pinder, Gillian 1992 births Living people Irish female field hockey players Ireland international women's field hockey players Place of birth missing (living people) Female field hockey midfielders Women's Irish Hockey League players UCD Ladies' Hockey Club players Pembroke Wanderers Hockey Club players Syracuse Orange field hockey players Irish field hockey coaches People educated at St Andrew's College, Dublin Alumni of University College Dublin Irish expatriate field hockey players Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United States 21st-century Irish lawyers Sportspeople from Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Field hockey players from County Dublin 21st-century Irish women lawyers 21st-century Irish sportswomen