Niamh Dwyer appointed head coach of Ireland U18 3x3 women’s team

Niamh Dwyer has been appointed as the new head coach of Ireland’s U18 3x3 women’s team, who will be taking part in this summer’s European Youth Olympic Festival.

Dwyer has been assistant coach to Ireland’s U20 women’s team for the last three  years. She previously coached Ireland’s U18 3x3 women’s team, leading them at the 2019 FIBA 3x3 U18 Women’s Europe Cup qualifiers. Domestically she was the head coach of Women’s Super League side Catalyst Fr. Mathews during the 2022/23 season, along with previous stints as joint head coach and assistant coach at the club. Her extensive coaching CV has also seen her coach underage teams for both Glanmire and Fr. Mathews, as well as schools basketball for Glanmire Community College.

As a player she represented Ireland 5x5 team at U16, U18, U20 and senior levels, while in 3x3 she competed at two FIBA Europe Cup’s and at the 2015 European Games in Baku, where the Irish 3x3 team finished eighth. In her highly decorated career Dwyer has won six Women’s Super League title and five Paudie O’Connor National Cups, as well as one Women’s Division One title and one Women’s Division One National Cup.

Speaking about her new role, Dwyer said: “I am delighted to be appointed head coach of the U18 women's 3x3 team that will compete in the European Youth Olympic Festival. After being involved with the Irish underage international teams over the last four years, I'm excited for the future of international basketball for Ireland and being involved in the European Youth Olympics Festival is another step to continue to push boundaries of what we can do as a nation. I fell in love with 3x3 basketball when I started playing it in 2014. I'm delighted to see it growth of the sport over the last number of years and I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of it.”

Niamh Dwyer currently plays for Catalyst Fr. Mathews in the Domino's Women's Super League

Deirdre Brennan, Chair of the Elite Performance Committee, added: “We couldn't ask for a better head coach to lead our U18 women's 3x3 team than Niamh. Not only is she a great coach, but she has incredible experience playing 3x3 at the highest level as a senior international. I hope our best talent engages in the opportunity of being coached by Niamh, it will pay dividends.”

This year’s European Youth Olympic Festival takes place from July 20^th-26^th in Skopje, Macedonia. Ireland’s 3x3 U18 women’s team qualified for the tournament by virtue of their 3x3 ranking, securing their spot in Europe’s top 16 thanks to results achieved by the women’s programme last year.

Matthew Hall, Basketball Ireland’s Senior Technical Officer, stated: “Our 3x3 women’s programme has come on leaps and bounds in the last number of years thanks to additional funding from Sport Ireland. Our senior women’s 3x3 team are competing at the top level in the FIBA 3x3 Women’s World Series, our U23s are in FIBA Nations League and now this summer’s European Youth Olympic Festival offers another elite competition for our players to develop and gain valuable tournament experience against Europe’s elite. We’re delighted to have  someone of the calibre of Niamh Dwyer guiding our U18 women’s 3x3 team and we’re looking forward to seeing the team perform on the court.”

About European Youth Olympic Festival

The European Youth Olympic Festival was introduced in 1991 and is the biggest multi-sport event for the youth of Europe. It is aimed at athletes aged 14-18, with approximately 3,600 young people taking part in a wide range of sporting disciplines. It is seen as a gateway for athletes’ future Olympic participation. It is a bi-annual competition, with the 2025 summer edition taking place in Skopje, Macedonia place from July 20^th-26^th.