Hyndman joins Athlone
ATHLONE Town AFC have added local footballer Catherine Hyndman to their side for the upcoming season. Her younger sister, Amy, is also part of the team.
The 28-year-old took a break from football at the end of 2019 as she was expecting her son, Mason, who is now 8 months old. Hyndman has enjoyed huge success so far in her career, which includes representing Northern Ireland, spells at Castlebar Celtic, Sligo Rovers, IT Sligo, and more recently, Sion Swifts of the NIFL Women’s Premiership, notably winning the Irish Cup in 2017.
Hyndman told The Sligo Champion she is thrilled to get back playing football. “Yeah it was great to finally get back on the pitch last Tuesday for our first day of preseason. Athlone had a good first season in the WNL last year so we are really looking forward to pushing on again this season.
“I really enjoyed my 4 seasons with Sion Swifts, during that time we won the Irish Cup and came runners up in the NIFL Premiership. We had a great squad over the years with girls moving over to play in England and other clubs in the WNL.” Despite being a new mum and also working, the love of the game drew Hyndman back to the pitch, as she got back training after her son was born . “During my pregnancy I had pre-eclampsia which meant that I was unable to train. About 4 weeks after my C-Section I started my rehab and was back running at about 12 weeks. I started my own pre-preseason in December with the aim with signing with Athlone. Last week was my first full week back in full training, with Mason, and working but I want to play football so I make it work,” she explained.
Hyndman also has to put a lot of time into travelling as there is currently no senior women’s team in Sligo. “As there is no women’s team in Sligo, I have always had to travel to play football so for me I would say I view it as the norm. “Of course you might miss out on nights out or events because you have training or matches but it’s something I love to do, so you don’t mind.”
She is hopeful that the 2021 season might bring more football. “Thankfully we are classed as elite sport so we count ourselves lucky to even get out and train together at the minute under the current restrictions. I think clubs have the last season, with the restrictions and regulations, behind them and are all fully capable of running the league alongside the presence of covid now. Hopefully things will go smoothly and everyone stays safe.”
Hyndman will bring her experience to Athlone and she said there is a lot of talent there within the Westmeath club. “Last year was their first season in the WNL and they competed with long established teams. The squad is quite young, but talented, with a number of underage internationals. Hopefully I can bring a bit of knowledge to the training field and support the younger players throughout the season.”
Having her younger sister Amy there too is an added bonus. “Yes, it is exciting to have Amy there! It’s the first time we have been in the same squad together so hopefully I can help her become a better player as well. We’re both really competitive so we’ll see how that plays out through the season,” she added.