Scottish Hockey received welcome news today when Minister for Communities and Sport, Stewart Maxwell, announced sportscotland will invest £645,384 in 2008 to develop the sport across Scotland.
The funding, of which £432,384 is from the sportscotland Lottery Fund, will support the development of the sport at every level increasing participation and improving performance. At the performance end of the player pathway the focus is on the Beijing Olympics and Scotland has seven players still in contention for places in the British team. Glasgow girls Abi Walker and Laura Bartlett are flying the flag for the women’s game while Stephen Dick (Kirkcaldy), Niall Stott (Dundee), Mark Ralph (Paisley), Graham Moodie (Edinburgh) and keeper Ali McGregor (Aberdeen) all have the potential to make the men’s team.
Sport Minister Stewart Maxwell said: “The Scottish Government is committed to increasing participation in sport and making the country more active.
“Hockey is a popular sport among our young people with over 30,000 taking part each week. This £645,384 investment in Scottish Hockey will be used to build on this and sustain participation and help improve the performance of our sports men and women who I hope will be successful at the Beijing Olympics.”
With some 94% of Scotland’s senior teams having come through the junior ranks, it’s clear that the development pathways supported by this funding are making an impact. Planning for future Olympic and Commonwealth Games athletes is already in place. Scotland’s young hopefuls recently took part in the Great Britain Super League. The competition brings together players from all of the home nations giving the GB Performance Team the opportunity to identify the players who could represent GB at the 2012 Olympic Games. It also provides high level competition for Scotland’s young players giving the national team the experience they need to perform on the world stage.
Stewart Harris, Chief Executive sportscotland said: “We are delighted to invest £645,384 in the sport of hockey. The development pathways put in place by Scottish Hockey provide talented young players with the opportunity to fulfil their potential. The funding will enable more opportunities for people to access quality hockey coaching provision and ensure that Scotland continues to be well represented at the highest level.”
Welcoming the investment, Brent Deans, Chief Executive Officer of Scottish Hockey said: “Support received from sportscotland is a significant contribution to the overall development of hockey in Scotland. We’ll use the funds wisely to push the sport forward, across the board, giving all athletes a chance to succeed.
“Our future is bright and we look forward to continuing our partnership with sportscotland to prepare hockey players from grassroots level all the way up to top class competition like London 2012 or Glasgow 2014.”
Notes to Editors
- In 2007 sportscotland invested over £10 million in 54 sports governing bodies.
- The annual investment in Scottish Hockey of £645,384 is made up of £432,384 from the sportscotland Lottery Fund and £213,000 of sportscotland funding from the Scottish Government.
- Scottish Hockey also receives support from the Scottish Institute of Sport, the high performance arm of sportscotland.
- Three Scottish umpires have been selected to officiate at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Anne McRae, David Leiper and Andy Mair have all been appointed by the International Hockey Federation.
