RóisÃÂn Upton (born 1 April 1994) is an Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final. Upton was also a member of the Connecticut Huskies teams that won the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championships.
Upton is the daughter of Dermot and Pauline Upton and is originally from Janesboro on the south side of the city. She has two older brothers, Diarmaid and Sean, both of whom have played rugby union for Munster at schoolboy level and have played for Young Munster in the All-Ireland League. Upton attended An Mhodh Scoil and Crescent College before studying at the University of Connecticut where she gained a BA in Psychology. In 2019 she completed her two years Masters in Primary education in Mary Immaculate College Limerick. As well as playing field hockey in her youth, Upton also played ladies' Gaelic football for Mungret St.Pauls winning numerous County medals.She also won a munster and All-Ireland title with Limerick underage football. and women's association football for Janesboro Football club.
Upton started playing field hockey at Crescent College and then subsequently with Catholic Institute. She helped Crescent College win two Munster Schools Junior Cup and two Senior Cup titles. She also captained the Crescent College team. She helped Catholic Institute challenge for Munster club honours.
Munster and Ireland youth player of the year in 2011
Between 2012 and 2016 Upton attended the University of Connecticut. During this time she was a prominent member of the Connecticut Huskies teams that won the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championships. Upton captained the team during the 2014 season and in 2014 and 2015 was nominated for the Honda Sports Award. Upton also helped the team win four consecutive Big East Conference Field Hockey Tournaments between 2012 and 2015. During her time with the Connecticut Huskies, Upton also worked as a member of the teams coaching staff.
In November 2016 Upton began playing for Cork Harlequins in the Women's Irish Hockey League. Her teammates at Harlequins include Yvonne O'Byrne. Upton, along with O'Byrne and Naomi Carroll, played for Harlequins in the 2017 Irish Senior Cup final, losing 1âÂÂ0 to UCD. In 2017âÂÂ18 she helped Harlequins finish as runners up in both the Women's Irish Hockey League and the EY Champions Trophy.
In 2018 Upton re-joined Catholic Institute as they became founder members of the Women's Irish Hockey League Division 2.
RóisÃÂn Upton made her senior debut for the Ireland women's field hockey team in 2016. She quickly established herself as a key midfielder and penalty corner specialist. Upton has earned 148 senior caps for Ireland, scoring 31 goals, with most coming from penalty corners and penalty strokes. She reached her 100th cap milestone in December 2022.
Upton has had standout performances in major tournaments. At the 2019 EuroHockey Championship, she scored four goals against Belarus, helping Ireland secure a decisive victory. She has also contributed important goals in World Cup qualifiers, Nations Cup matches, and the FIH Olympic Qualifiers. Her most recent goal was scored on 2nd March 2026 in the World Cup Qualifiers in Chile against Malayasia.
Upton played a pivotal role in Ireland's qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She scored the winning goal in the Olympic qualifier shootout against Canada, securing Ireland's first-ever Olympic appearance in women's hockey.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Upton became the first Irish female hockey player, to score at an Olympic Games. She scored in Ireland's opening match against South Africa on 24 July 2021, converting a penalty corner in the 9th minute to give Ireland an early lead. The match ended in a 2âÂÂ0 victory, marking Ireland's first-ever win in Olympic women's hockey.
Together with Emily Beatty and Katie Mullan, Upton represented Ireland at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. Graham Shaw first included Upton in an Ireland squad in 2015. In January 2016 she was also included in a squad for series of away games against Spain. However, on both occasions Upton had to withdraw from the squads because of injuries. She eventually made her senior debut on 6 November 2016 against Scotland. In January 2017 she was a member of the Ireland team that won a 2016âÂÂ17 Women's FIH Hockey World League Round 2 tournament in Kuala Lumpur, defeating Malaysia 3âÂÂ0 in the final. Upton scored four goals in the tournament. On 17 January 2017 she scored her first senior Ireland goal in a 10âÂÂ0 win against Hong Kong. On 19 January 2017 she scored a hat-trick in a 10âÂÂ0 against Singapore.
Upton represented Ireland at the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup and was a prominent member of the team that won the silver medal. She featured in all of Ireland's games throughout the tournament, including the pool games against the United States, India and England, the quarter-final against India, the semi-final against Spain and the final against the Netherlands. In opening game against the United States, Upton provided an assist for Anna O'Flanagan. In the quarter-final against India, she was the first Ireland player to score in the penalty shoot-out.
TOYKO OLYMPICS 2020
IRISH SENIOR CUP winner 2022 Catholic Institute
Winner 2024, 2025 Railway Union