Tralee Warriors and Ongar Chasers: All you need to know about the Domino's Women's Division One debutants

Haris Sikorskis will head coach Ongar Chasers in the upcoming Domino’s Women’s Division One, while Tomás O'Hanlon will take charge of Tralee Warriors, as these clubs take the step into the National League for the first time. This milestone guides these clubs into a new era of National League basketball, where they will compete against some of Ireland’s best female players.

Tralee Warriors competed in the Women’s Basketball Ireland Development League (BIDL) in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons, having successful campaigns in both seasons. In their first outing, they reached the BIDL Plate Final where they met Glanmire who came away 61-48 winners, whereas last year the Kerry side reached the quarter-final of the BIDL Cup after winning three out of six matches in their group.

Head coach, Tomás O'Hanlon spoke about the step up to the National League for the first time in the club's history, expressing the accomplishments this team has achieved to earn themselves this place.

"This decision has come about due to the recent success in the BIDL competition over the last few years and Tralee Magic winning the U20 National Cup in the 24/25 season," said O'Hanlon. "The momentum is now there for a ladies team to progress to the next level and after a few months of deliberations and researching viable sponsors, the decision to go ahead was formally reached by Tralee Warriors to be mainly made up of players from St Brendans and Tralee Magic."

Basketball has been a staple to north Kerry sports since the 1980’s when the Tralee women's team won the National League three years in a row between 1985 and 1987, and also won consecutive National Cups in 1987 and 1988. Tomás O’Hanlon will be at the wheel this year with a phenomenal CV, having led Tralee Magic to the 2024/25 Ken Clarke U20 Women’s National Cup and winning All-Ireland Schools titles with Moyderwell and Mercy Mounthawk.

Garvey's Tralee Warriors have been a commanding club in the Domino’s Men’s Super League, winning the title in 2019. Continuing on from this success, they won the Domino’s Men’s Super League National Cup in 2022. The club was only formed in 2016, becoming a pathway for players from Tralee to play at National League level. Tralee Sports Complex has become the home of Tralee Warriors, welcoming packed crowds into the venue for game days. 

Priya O’Donovan and Louise Galvin have been standout players for Tralee Warriors in recent years, with quite opposite careers. O’Donovan averaged 11 points per game at only 18 years old in her recent BIDL campaign and won the 2025 U20 National Cup with Tralee Magic. Galvin has been known for her endless sporting achievements such as playing inter county gaelic football for Kerry or representing Ireland at Rugby 7’s, but Galvin has also represented Ireland in basketball at U18 and U20 level. 

Tralee Warriors v Glanmire, BIDL Plate Final, 2025

Ongar Chasers will come into the Domino’s Women’s Division One off the back of a triumphant 2025 and 2026. The Dublin side won the NICC Women’s National Cup in 2025 after beating Liffey Celtics by six points, followed by a Dublin Women’s Division One Title in 2026 with a victory over Killester in the playoff final. New head coach, Haris Sikorskis, expressed his excitement ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

“This is a huge step for the club and a real reflection of how far we’ve come in three years with such a young team, there’s so much potential and an exciting future ahead," said Sikorskis. "Everyone is excited about what’s next, and we’re all looking forward to building on this momentum together.”

The club has been involved in the BIDL since its inaugural season in 2023/24, progressing through the ranks and earning a place in the National League. Ongar Chasers will be playing their basketball from the Ongar Community Centre this year, with head coach Haris Sikorskis looking to follow the success of the 2025/26 season. 

Ongar village, based inside the border of Dublin and Meath, has become a basketball-crazy community, with over 400 members involved in the club. Ongar Chasers also registered women's teams in the Dublin Women's Division 4 and 5, to help develop players into National League stars. 

Danica Stankovic has been an unstoppable player for Ongar Chasers in recent years, putting up 13 points in the 2025 NICC Women’s National Cup Final and averaging just shy of 12 points-per-game in her Dublin Women’s Division One campaign for 2026. The U16 Irish international, Shekinah Djoussa, has also dominated for Ongar Chasers, having previously featured in Ireland's FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket 2025.

Danica Stankovic in action against Liffey Celtics in the NICC Women's National Cup Final, 2025