About Us

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Meteors Basketball Club began with a letter appearing in a national newspaper in 1964. The letter invited women who were interested in playing basketball to attend team trials in Trinity College, Dublin. After the first training session Tony Lau agreed to set up a basketball team; the name suggested was 'The Meteors Basketball Club'. The club officially started on January 13th 1965. The team colours were white shorts and a navy top. It was decided then that one team would be entered into the league.

The members of the first elected committee were Eileen Doyle as Secretary: Avine Clarke, Captain Mildred Lang, Vice-Captain and Carol Flett a Treasurer. The coach of the team was Tony Lau an the assistant was Mildred Lang. Much to the regret of Meteors Tony Lau returned to Hong Kong on December 5th 1967. Tony Kean was named the new Head Coach. Due to demand a second team was formed in March 1965. In the same year, the Ist Team beat Guinness 21-16; this brought an end to Guinness's long unbeaten record and it wa to be the start of Meteors success.

Towards the end of the 1966 season K.O. Lee, a medical student at Trinity College, took over as Head Coach. Meanwhile, a young man by the name of Fintan Clarke began to coach the 2nd Team. Both teams trained in Trinity twice a week. This contributed to the success of the club during the late 1960s and early 1970s. A success that was evident by a run of sixty three games unbeaten. 

In October 1972, K.O. got married and the whole team decided to go on the honeymoon to Malaysia.

Whilst there, the team played and won eight games They played in K.O's home town of Ayer Tawar, & small town in the Malaysian jungle. K.O. returned to Malaysia to set up his medic practice in 1974. Fintan Clarke then assumed the role of Head Coach to the 1st Team and Nation League team. Between 1967 and 1980, Meteors won the annual tournament in Killarney ten times Under Fintan's guidance, Meteors also won the Aer Lingus tournament in Edinburgh on four consecutive

occasions.

In 1976 the club's membership began to deplete and, following a discussion with St. Louis Post Primary, it was agreed that the two clubs should amalgamate. The club would be called 'Louis Meteors". However, at the start of the 1978/79 season, Meteors reformed under its original name. For that season the club had only one team, but the following year two teams were entered into the league. At the start of the 1981/82 season it was decided to form a third team to cater for the large volume of applications for club membership. An Under 19 team was formed to cater for junior players in 1983 coached by Ita Dennehy. In the same year, Gerry Caffrey became coach of the National League team and Fintan Clarke continued to coach the 2nd Team. The 3rd Team was coached at various stages by Helen McCarthy and Patricia Hale.

The club continued its success into the 1980s with the National League team winning in four consecutive years; 1982-1986. Meteors were saddened to lose the outstanding services of Fintan Clarke in 1989, after the longest reign as coach in the club.

In 1990 the club celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a meal in the Mont Clare Hotel. They also held a weekend of basketball for all teams. The following season opened with our 25th

Anniversary Tournament which was held on 13th - 15th September.

In 1991 we received the Club of the Year Award from the Dublin Ladies Basketball Board. This was a successful year for our Ist Team; they were victorious in the Dublin League and Championship. Joe Kavanagh was appointed Head Coach to the National League team, a position he held for a number of seasons.

January 1992 saw the Ist Team win the National Cup final. Siobhan Caffrey received M.V.P. at the tournament. Two of our 1st Team players received League Top Scorer awards in this year; they were Karen Hennessy and Mary O'Mahony.

An amalgamation was scheduled for the 1992/93 season, between Meteors Basketball Club and St.

Mary's Youth Club, incorporating five underage teams. Pat Clarke oversaw this operation, her foresight welcomed young talent from the community to begin playing basketball and in doing so she increased the number of Meteors teams to seven. In that same season the Ist Team won the National League and Karen Hennessy was awarded Player of the Year. This year was so successful that Meteors was awarded Club of the Year by the Irish Basketball Association.

On the 7th September 1993, it was announced that a new gym at Naomh Olaf GAA Club would be ready by 20th September. The Ist Team began to train there on Mondays and Thursdays and the 2nd Team trained on Tuesdays and remained in St. Benildus College on Thursdays.

In 1996, Karen Hennessy was honoured, along with athlete Sonia O'Sullivan, by the Olympic Council of Ireland for her outstanding contribution to sport. Our Club Person of the Year award went to Pat Clarke due to her outstanding commitment and dedication to the club. The club was named Club of the Year by the BA for the second time.

1997 was a triumphant year for the club; Meteors were crowned champions of the Dublin Super League and Championship. They were also runners up at the Sprite National Cup.

In the same year, Karen Hennessy was made captain of the Irish national team and received the International Player of the Year Award from the IBA. At the end of this season, a presentation was made to Mary O'Mahony and Niamh McMahon on their retirement from playing with the club.

In our 40th year, the club saw an increase in the number of teams from ten to twelve along with a large junior academy section. We began the 2005 season with our 40th Anniversary celebrations. The highlight of these events was an all day tournament, an evening meal and special commemorative gear.

In March 2006, Meteors President, Pat Clarke sadly passed away. She was a vital part of the club having played, coached and served as Club President.

Our highlight of 2007 was Meteors reaching three All Ireland National Cup semi-finals. However, in July of that same year, Meteors suffered another tragedy with the loss of Joe Kavanagh, an outstanding coach who mentored many players throughout the years coaching both club and country.

The first Pat Clarke Memorial Tournament, in memorandum of our former president, took place on the weekend of 14th September 2007. It was a fantastic tournament attended by many with the Senior 1 team finishing runners up to Killester.

2009 brought a long awaited National cup victory for the club. Our Senior 1 team achieved our first major success in a number of years beating Ollate Dynamo in a thrilling final.

2010 was an extremely successful season for our underage teams; the U16 team were crowned All Ireland Club champions, Dublin 4 cup champions and League winners. Our U14 team wee All Ireland Club runners up, Dublin Cup and League winners and the U18 team were National Cup runners up.

As the club continued to expand and to meet the demands of a growing sport, Meteors made the difficult decision to leave Naomh Olaf. The National League team relocated to Coláiste losagáin in 2008 and the underage teams moved to a newly built facility at Rosemont Secondary School in 2012.

On the court, we have won Dublin League and Championship titles, All-Irelands and National Cups.

Meteors have had numerous players and coaches representing the club at international level. We have had many defeats and successes throughout the years and the club continues to invest in the future. We currently have three senior teams, eleven underage teams and a juvenile section that continues to grow. This is at least six times more members than the club had in 1975!

Meteors 50th Anniversary

Meteors Ladies Basketball Club was delighted to celebrate fifty years of basketball in the 2015-2016 Season. We compete at the highest level in Ireland whilst also developing team spirit and the joy of sport in young women.

Over the past fifty years, thousands of women have worn the star emblem with a sense of community and place, so much so, we now have a wave of second-generation players donning the Meteors singlet.

Meteors Ladies Basketball Club was founded by Tony Lau in 1965 and in subsequent years the club was developed by our late President Pat Clarke. It is now part of the South Dublin sporting fabric. Meteors is proud to be the oldest ladies basketball club in Ireland, with over one hundred and fifty players representing the club each year from six years old all the way through to Masters level.

We have a strong history of developing players to International level; where they have represented Ireland from underage to senior. We have had a presence in the highest league in Ireland since its inception and continue to compete against the best in the country.

All of this would not be possible if not for the dedication and enthusiasm of our coaches who give their time voluntarily to develop our players. As we move into the next half-century, we must acknowledge all the hard work and thank those who have volunteered their time, year after year, to help develop and improve our club. Without the efforts of parents, coaches, referees, team managers, and many others along with the dedication of our players we would not be here celebrating our 50th anniversary.

Thank you all for contributing so much to the development of our club and we hope to continue to build upon this for many years into the future.

We hope to see you courtside playing or supporting.