Athlone native embracing her love of rugby in Little Rock

Making waves in US rugby coaching circles, Athlone native Ciara Malone continues to embrace life in Little Rock, having moved to the Arkansas city in 2021.

Originally from Beechpark West, Ciara now resides in Little Rock with her partner Teressa and brought her love of rugby Stateside when she departed the Midlands four years ago.

In a time of Covid-19 turmoil, Ciara and her partner made the decision to move to the US and it is one which the rugby enthusiast describes as “rewarding”.

Prior to her departure to Little Rock, Ciara, who is the daughter of John Paul and Annette Malone, was a player with Buccaneers. It was during this period that she gleaned a taste for coaching as she assisted with the underage contingent at the club.

“My love of rugby stems from my playing days with Buccaneers and it was during this period that I also got the opportunity to start on a coaching path that I am continuing to this day here in Little Rock,” Ciara said.

Ciara didn’t expect to further her playing days in Little Rock, but a conversation overheard by her partner at work initiated a relationship with the Little Rock women’s rugby team which continues to flourish.

“I wasn’t expecting to find a women’s rugby team in Little Rock but now I am fully immersed in the playing and coaching community,” Ciara said.

Ciara and her playing colleagues recently claimed the Red River Rugby Conference Championship, the 31-year-old playing a dual role during the season in her team’s march to success.

“Our team’s head coach Kate Turpin, who previously worked with the US Eagles Rugby Sevens team, approached me at the start of the season and asked if I would like to coach the forwards while continuing in a playing role. It was an offer which was too good to refuse as I want to continue my involvement with the game in a coaching capacity,” Ciara said.

Having won the Conference Championship, Ciara and her Little Rock team-mates progressed to Gulf Coast Super Regionals in Louisiana and were unfortunate to narrowly lose out to the reigning national champions, Tampa Florida in the latter stages of the competition.

“I cannot praise my teammates highly enough. They have worked so hard through a demanding season which involves so much travel. Our rookie numbers continue to grow and that is testament to the game’s rise in popularity within our community,” Ciara said.

Ciara will continue to combine her dual role with Little Rock next season but for the moment her focus remains on her coaching career having been selected as part of the management for an U23 All-Star team, the Central South Mustangs, which will compete at a premier rugby tournament in Veterans Stadium Quincy Massachusetts in June. The All-Star team will feature players from the southern and mid-US states, with the selected squad gathering for three days of camp work and two days of competition against select teams from throughout the country.

Describing her coaching selection as a “proud moment”, Ciara is looking forward to learning from her peers over the course of the tournament’s duration as she strives to build upon her existing coaching prowess.

The All-Star experience will mark another milestone in Ciara’s coaching aspirations which will be further complemented when the Little Rock rugby team travel to Ireland in September for a game against her home club Buccaneers, a week long trip which will help to build upon the existing team spirit amongst the playing squad.

“We are really looking forward to our trip to Ireland in September. It will be great to return to Athlone and play against my former club. I am hopeful we can arrange one or two more games against other clubs while we are in Ireland, and we hope that it will be a trip to remember for all involved with Little Rock women’s rugby team,” Ciara said.

Over the duration of the week long trip, Ciara hopes that the team will enhance their development as a playing unit, with a number of team building experiences planned.

“Yes, we’ll train and play games but most of all we’ll enjoy the experience of being away together as a team for a week. We have been fundraising towards the trip and we hope to get to the women’s rugby world cup final on our return to the US,” Ciara said.

The club continues to develop in Little Rock with three full size pitches, a clubhouse and a gym all now prominent features of the its flourishing infrastructure.

“The club was established in the 1970s and from humble beginnings there now is a great sense of achievement within our rugby community. Rugby is a sport that has given me the best sense of community and thankfully, I am able to live that experience each time I am in the Little Rock environment,” Ciara added.