It hardly seems like 18 weeks since the last club season concluded with Hermes becoming Irish champions for the first time. But 18 weeks it is, and this weekend the new campaign gets under way in Leinster where the league has found a new sponsor in Penneys.
The top three Division One clubs last season have changed their coaches, with Aidan Kidney replacing Peter Darley at Hermes, Orla Bell taking over from Ivan Ovington at Old Alexandra and Siobhán Keogh succeeding Tom O'Donoghue at Irish Cup holders Loreto.
There's been plenty of player movement, too, with Hermes adding Aoife Mitchell (ex-Trinity) and Alma Carey (ex-UCC) to their ranks, but losing Dawn Kelly who will be away for the year.
Loreto have lost four of the players who helped them retain the Irish Cup and win European gold last season - Aoife Pomeroy (retired), Rachel Brophy (now Pembroke Wanderers) and Sarah Rand and Sarah Scott, both of whom have moved to England - but have added under-21 internationals Jessica Lynch (ex-UCD) and Sinéad Walsh (ex-NUIG) - while Sarah Cooney and Nikki Keegan will both be full-time since finishing school.
Pembroke Wanderers have brought in Brophy, Aoife O'Gorman and Siobhán Kane from Genesis and Katherine Little from UCD. They have lost Orla Bell and Wendy Hobson, who has joined division one newcomers Three Rock.
Corinthian welcome back Sarah Walker, from UCD, and Susie Geoffroy, who was in England, and they have enlisted Pascale Caillabret from Pembroke Wanderers.
Goalkeeper Rosita Wolfe will, however, be unavailable for at least part of the season.
Genesis will have Harold de Jong and Annette Fortune at the helm, after Siobhán Keogh's departure, while Una McCarthy is back in charge at Railway Union.
Ireland's senior internationals have been told by coach Riet Kuper to not play club hockey until September 28th - after which they can play for and train with their clubs when it does not interfere with their training programme. Their weekend training sessions with Ireland will recommence in November and from then until their return from the Olympic qualifiers in New Zealand (March 19th-28th) will be unavailable to their clubs.
Ballymoney, with three players in the Irish squad (Lynsey McVicker, Angela Platt and Bridget McKeever), will be the hardest hit of the Ulster clubs by the rule, but defending champions Pegasus, unusually, have just one player on the panel (Katharine Maybin) following the international retirements of Arlene Boyles, Claire McMahon and Karen Humphreys this year, as well as Pamela Magill's withdrawal from the panel and Heather Mullan's inability to accept a call-up.
This and the addition of Irish under-21 players Sarah Wilkinson and Kirsty McCollum means Pegasus are favourites to win their seventh Ulster title in a row.
LEINSTER LEAGUE - Division One: Corinthian v Three Rock, Whitechurch, 1.0; Pembroke Wanderers v Genesis, Serpentine Avenue, 1.30; Loreto v Railway Union, Beaufort, 3.0. Division Two: Hermes II v Glenanne, Booterstown Avenue, 1.15; Old Alexandra II v Clontarf, Milltown, 1.30; Pembroke Wanderers II v Diocesan, Serpentine Avenue, 3.0; Muckross v Our Lady's, Milltown, 4.0; Loreto II v Corinthian II, Beaufort, 4.30.
ULSTER LEAGUE - Section One: Randalstown v Ards, Antrim Forum, 2.30; Ballyclare v Belfast Harlequins, Valley Leisure Centre, 2.30; Coleraine v Portadown, UUC, 2.30; Victorians v Pegasus, Olympia Leisure Centre, 1.0; Ballymena v Ballymoney, Ballymena, 2.30.
