A Conversation With...Róisín Allen

Ahead of the inaugural girls' Football Night Lights match on Monday 13 March, where the girls will take on Salesian College, we caught up with prefect and Captain of Girls' Sport, Róisín Allen, for this week's 'A Conversation With...' feature. In this special edition, we get her thoughts on the importance of this upcoming event for girls' sport, as well as what her advice is for the incoming Year 7 girls in September!

How long have you been a pupil at Shiplake and what is your role? 

I joined Shiplake in September 2021 at the beginning of sixth form, and I am now in my second and final year. I have two roles here at Shiplake - one as Captain of Girls’ Sport and I am also a College prefect. 

What are your most memorable moments here at Shiplake? 

Some of my most memorable moments here at Shiplake include the girls’ netball A team winning the league last year, and playing in the first Hockey Night Lights last year. We won the match by 5-0 as well – we had a really successful year of sport at Shiplake! I was also a part of the Hockey Night Lights team again this year, playing in goal.

Other highlights have included the Prefect and Chapel Warden Pancake races, the Girls’ Sports Dinner, and receiving an honorary sports scholarship for hockey. 

What have been some of your highlights from girls' sport this year? 

Going on the Amsterdam hockey trip in October was a definite highlight, as well as the Hockey Night Lights events from both years. I am also excited for things to come, such as the Gilson vs College netball match (Tuesday 14 March), Netball League Finals Tournament (Wednesday 22 March), the Pupils vs Old Vikings netball match (Friday 24 March), and the Staff vs Pupil netball match (Tuesday 28 March). 

How is everyone feeling ahead of Monday's game against Salesian? What are your predictions for the match? 

We are all really excited and ready to go. Last year, we beat Salesian College and this year we are hoping to do the same. We are also excited to have all the girls together for an event. 

This is the first Girls' Football Night Lights - how important do you think an event like this is in highlighting girls' football and girls' sport in general? 

I believe it is important, especially considering that we have just had International Women’s Day. I hope it will help highlight the importance of equality in sports and help build the reputation of girls’ sport at Shiplake. 

With the recent inspiration from the Lionesses winning the European Championships last year, this has given us all inspiration to get involved in team sports such as football and to push ourselves out of our comfort zones in sport. 

The school is going fully co-ed in the Autumn - what advice do you have for the Year 7 girls joining the College? 

My advice would be to get involved with everything you possibly can, including sports and activities within the school. I hope that the Sixth Form girls can have good relationships with the new Year 7s, and help them to settle into school life at Shiplake. The main thing is to try your best when you start here, even if you have never played a sport before. For example, a lot of girls who joined in Year 12 had never played team sports, but they have still got involved in a variety of different sports within the College. 

What do you plan to do after Shiplake? 

My plan is to go to Loughborough University to study Fashion Textiles. I would love to continue playing netball and hockey during university, and to get involved with as much as I can. 

Remember that the girls take on Salesian College on Monday 13 March in their first ever Football Night Lights! The match will kick off at 4.30pm at Salesian College Sports Ground, GU14 6LH. Spectators are welcome to watch, and there is ample parking on-site at the ground.