Simon Pearson joined the Tribe field hockey team just prior to the start of the 2018 season as a volunteer assistant. Pearson will help with all aspects of on- and off-field administration of the nationally-recognized Tribe hockey program during the 2018 season, with an emphasis on video analysis.
Pearson has been coaching in his native Ireland since 2011, when he earned his Level 5 Certificate in Sports Coaching with Merit. Most recently, he's been serving as the head coach of Ladies 2 team for Muckross Hockey Club, leading the team to the championship of Hockey Ireland Division 3/4 Cup and promotion to division 2. He also assists with coaching both the Muckross Ladies 1st XI and the Muckross Junior section for developing players.
Pearson is also active in the coaching ranks with the Ireland Hockey Association, holding a Level 1 coaching certificate and has completed all but the final assessment for his Level 2 certificate. He is the video analyst and coach on the Irish U16 boy's team, and has served in the same role for the Leinster U16 team in 2016. In 2017-18, he coached the Leinster Junior Inter-Provincial team and the Kings Hospital school team, after coaching several secondary and university teams in the previous years. Pearson coached the Trinity College Dublin Ladies 2nd team in 2016-17, after coaching the Ladies 3rd team and assisting with the Ladies 1st team in 2015-16.
Alongside his coaching career, Pearson has also been a very successful athlete in his own right, playing on a junior men's interpro team in 2014, 2016, and 2017. He captained the King's Hospital School in Palmerstown's 1st XI hockey team in 2009-10, and was named the Junior Player and Senior Player of the Year for Weston Hockey Club in 2009. Pearson also captained the school football teams and played with Baldoyle Football Club, and during his younger days, was ranked No. 3 in mirror sailing in 2005-06 by the Irish Sailing Association while winning both gold and silver team racing medals. In 2015, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Sports Management and Coaching from the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown.