Amanda O'Regan has had one very successful camogie career with Douglas, Cork and UL

Amanda O’Regan is one of the most decorated dual sports stars this country has seen in recent years.

The Douglas woman has won so many titles on the pitch at camogie with Cork and her club Douglas, and in basketball with different Irish teams, Glanmire and Fr Mathew’s Basketball club.

Amanda O’Regan began playing camogie with Douglas GAA club at age of four, but had a hurley since the day she was born. 

Both her parents were coaching in Douglas Camogie Club, so she grew up at the pitch and on the sidelines. 

She played with the club for over 30 years until 2018 and had the honour to guide Douglas to first senior A camogie county title. 

In the space of four years, they went on to win a junior A, senior B and senior A titles. 

Along with that, O’Regan wore the Cork and Munster jerseys with pride and went on to win seven All-Ireland titles, and captained the 2009 team, she won six National League titles, four Gael Linn titles with Munster and three Ashbourne Cup titles with University of Limerick.

Along with winning all these titles, she has also won many individual awards, however, it never changed O’Regan as a person, as she remains very approachable and a very humble person.

“My sporting career was a bit of a whirlwind, as it is every player's dream of winning county titles with your club when you're growing up and to go through the grades so quickly in the end was amazing," Amanda said.

“All my family were involved, with my parents coaching and managing the team, and my sister Louise playing alongside me.

“It was always club first, as none of my opportunities and achievements would have happened without their support and winning the county title felt like I was able to repay the time put into developing me as a player and a person.

“I retired from camogie after playing for over 30 years, as I knew that it was time to go. 

"My body wasn't able to play to a level that I would be satisfied with and that wasn't fair to the team.

“Playing underage sports I would not have played on that many successful teams so if I was just playing to win, I would have given up long ago. "Although I wasn't aware of it at the time, I fell in love with sport itself and winning was a bonus when it came along.

“I was fortunate in that there wasn't much overlap between my two sports. 

"I had two parts of the year that I had to work with from January to March and September-October. 

"I missed a lot of pre-season work as I was in-season for the other sport. 

"I always tried to make as many sessions as possible, even if I wasn't able to train, I'd go to watch.

“I was also lucky that I've had coaches that were understanding and flexible with my schedule. 

"They trusted me to be there when I could and that I wouldn't take advantage of the situation."

O’Regan admits that every thing that she achieved in both sports was down to the wonderful support of her parents, Christina and Michael, and her sister Louise, as they have been on her fantastic journey from the very first day. 

They were more than just parents and sister to her, they were her support group that she was able to call when things got tough.

“I was fortunate to have parents, Christina and Michael that encouraged me to chase my dreams. 

"They are my support, guidance, chauffeurs, cheerleading squad and much more.

“I was very quick at picking out the negatives in my performance and they were always there to point out the positives to keep me in balance.

“We used to have meals on wheels in the car after school heading to training. 

"When I was young, they gave me the opportunity to try any activity I was interested in, but they also taught me how not to quit when it was difficult or I was uncomfortable.

“My sister Louise is my sidekick, both off and on the pitch, and is still the person I turn to when I need advice or to rant to be honest.

“I also need to thank all the coaches and players I have been fortunate enough to play with throughout my camogie career. 

"I'm not going to start naming people as I would miss out on someone important and to be honest, everyone I met has an impact on me,” O’Regan added.