A 14-year-old from Crawfordsburn has captained the Ulster under-16 hockey team to a series victory at the Scottish National Series in Glasgow, despite living with epilepsy.

Sofia Chambers began experiencing seizures in January last year and was diagnosed with epilepsy two months later. She was prescribed medication, which initially caused severe fatigue. Consultants have since advised that she has adjusted to the medication as she grew, and she has now been seizure-free for 18 months.

The Strathearn School student continues to experience exhaustion, which can force her to go to bed early and miss training sessions. Despite this, she progressed through a series of Ulster Hockey trials.

In October, she was nominated by her school for the Ulster Under-15 Regional Development Programme. After passing the first round of provincial squad selections, she delivered a player-of-the-tournament performance at the Ulster Festival. That earned her a place on the team that faced Connacht, Leinster and Munster at the National Festival.

From those performances, the full under-16 panel was selected for the trip to Glasgow, where Ulster played three matches against Scotland’s under-16 national side. Chambers led the squad as captain in the opening game, which Ulster won 4-3. The side lost the second match 4-2 and drew the third 2-2, but clinched the overall series title.

Her mother, PE teacher Sophie Chambers, said her daughter’s achievement is testament to her talent and character. She noted that Sofia has been sporty from a young age, as both parents are PE teachers, but has forged her own path despite the challenges of epilepsy. She described her as a leader on the pitch.

Sofia holds ambitions to study medicine and to play hockey for Ireland. She previously represented Ireland in tennis but gave up that sport to concentrate on hockey. Her next outing will be for Ulster at the Hockey Ireland Under-16 Interprovincial Tournament, scheduled for 26 to 28 August.