By @SimonCocking

Interview with Padraig Sweeney

When did UL team start?

If my sources are correct, 2006.

What’s your own background / what did you play before ultimate?

Born and raised in the fine County of Limerick. Before Ultimate I was involved in most other sports, GAA, rugby and soccer being the dominant three for the best part of my teenage years. By the time I came to UL, soccer was the only one I had kept up.

Why did you start playing?

I’ll never forget the moment. 1st Year Clubs & Socs day in the UL arena, myself and Eimhin Daly were in an excited state signing up to different clubs like Skydiving and Table Tennis. We spotted two lads in UL jerseys throwing a disc back and forth and thought “Ya, I’ll pay €5 to join and learn how to do that”. Haven’t looked back since.

How has UL evolved / changed over the last 4 years (since you’ve been playing)?

A tough one to answer. In some ways the club hasn’t changed at all. The spirit among the members to do what’s best for the club has always been a big focus. I’m sure most colleges would say the same but I think there’s something special done in UL. One thing we do really well every year is integrating the beginners into the club quickly and smoothly. If that means spending an extra 30 minutes at the end of training explaining the flick to someone, or just immersing them into the chaos that is a UL house party, then so be it. Either way, people feel welcomed and tend stick around.>Talk about the UL facilities?

“Ireland’s Sporting Campus” something that we hear a fair amount down here, but I think most people would agree there could be a lot of improvements. First team have a two hour slot on the 3G pitches (Siege pitches) but it’s between 4-6 so some people can’t attended because of labs. The other grass pitches we use can get pretty swamp like after rain, and no flood lights means trainings move onto a hockey astro pitch over the winter.

We always thought Limerick would be a great place for an ultimate team, because you have such great resources, and a captive audience / campus college etc. Did you get good for this reason, or some other?