Scottish Hockey scores funding boost

Monday 27 February 2006

Scottish Hockey is to benefit from a major cash injection. Sports Minister Patricia Ferguson today announced a £639,000 sportscotland investment in the Scottish Hockey Union (SHU) which will support players at all levels.

The investment, of which £403,000 is sportscotland Lottery funding, includes £316,000 for the Athlete Support programme and elite coach development, £273,000 for staffing, player improvement and long-term development and £50,000 for coaching, volunteering and club development.

Sports Minister Patricia Ferguson said: "Hockey is an extremely popular sport in Scotland and this funding will support the game from grassroots right through to the elite level. I'm sure this announcement will provide a welcome boost for our teams as they prepare to make Scotland proud at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next month."

At elite level, sportscotland's high-performance and Athlete Support investment contributes towards the long-term medal success of the Scottish senior and junior teams. Both the senior men's and women's national squads are to head to the Commonwealth Games next month in Melbourne; this will be the first time the Scottish men's team will be competing in the Games. Following on from Melbourne, the women's team will be in Rome late April for the qualifying rounds of the World Cup, set for Madrid this autumn. The women qualified for the World Cup based on last summer's performance in the European Championships in Dublin. The women have also qualified for the first time for the Indoor World Cup in Vienna in early 2007.

In November 2005 the SHU appointed a new performance manager, Callum McLeod, to lead and develop towards Melbourne and London 2012. Much of this work is with both the Area Institutes and the Scottish Institute of Sport, where hockey is a core sport.

Hockey also has strong backing through the Institute network with sportscotland supporting the East and West of Scotland Area Institute coaching positions. Institute staff provide coaching, sport science, sports medicine and strength and conditioning support for the players. Rather impressively, 85% of each senior squad has progressed from the younger Scottish junior ranks from the Area Institutes. This year a target of the Player Improvement plan is to have an under-16s programme designed to introduce players to international hockey.

Two of Scottish hockey's rising stars are teenagers. Most recently, Nikki Kidd, who at 18 is the youngest member of the Commonwealth Games women's hockey squad, was voted the female UK Youth Player of the Year. Kidd is sportscotland Athlete Support funded. Another up-and-comer, Kenny Bain, aged 15, was shortlisted in the final 10 for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year awards. He was the only Scottish athlete on the list.

At grassroots level in Scottish hockey emphasis has been placed on providing quality coaching and youth participation programmes to strengthen the number of young people enjoying the game and developing young talent. Hockey continues to be a sport played widely within the Scottish school systems. Through investment in to the work of the SHU's development manager, there is coordination between the Active Schools Network, local hockey development groups and hockey development officers, with access to educational, teaching and coaching resources.

"Hockey is an extremely popular sport in Scotland and this funding will support the game from grassroots right through to the elite level"

Based on the number of junior and youth teams, it is estimated that there are approximately 17,000 juniors playing hockey on a weekly basis. There are a total of 122 senior clubs, 35 junior clubs, 83 affiliated secondary schools and 36 affiliated primary schools involved in hockey across Scotland. In 2005 alone, 12 additional clubs also became involved at the youth competition level.

Brent Deans, CEO, Scottish Hockey Union, said: "We are very pleased to have received this level of support from sportscotland. This investment reflects the continued progress hockey has made over the past decade and will enable us to continue to fulfil our current business plan. Our partnership with sportscotland in delivering sport from grassroots to elite level not only involves players, it also involves a myriad of volunteers at school, club and international level who are a key factor in the development of the sport."

Julia Bracewell, Chair, sportscotland, said: "We are delighted to invest £639,000 in to the Scottish Hockey Union to get our youngsters across Scotland participating in hockey and improving their overall performance.

"At the elite level, in this Commonwealth Games year, we are proud to have supported so many of the members of both the men's and women's hockey teams. I am sure that the Athlete Support funding, both past and present, will have made a significant contribution to enable them to undertake the best possible training and preparation programme ahead of Melbourne. We wish both teams good luck on the pitch this March."

• Athlete Support funding supports the training and preparation programmes for elite athletes who have demonstrated the potential to win medals or equivalent, in significant international competition and events.
• A list of the athletes benefiting from the athlete support is detailed below. Athlete Support funding is now largely administered through the governing body.
• All athletes who receive Athlete Support will also be supported by the sportscotland medical scheme.
• Last year the SHU and the Scottish Institute established the High Performance Group (HPG) to manage the implementation of an integrated performance plan through the regular, formal meeting of all stakeholders with an interest in performance hockey.
• Scotland's men's national team play Trinidad & Tobago on Tuesday 28 February at 7.30pm at the National Hockey Academy, Peffermill, Edinburgh, a sportscotland Lottery funded building.

Identified athletes receiving Athlete Support funding 2006-07

Senior Men

MICHAEL CHRISTIE, Paisley PA1 
JONATHAN CHRISTIE, Paisley PA1
PADDY CONLON, Dublin
ALLAN DICK, Kirkcaldy KY2
STEPHEN DICK, Kirkcaldy KY2
GRAHAM DUNLOP, Glasgow G41
GARETH HALL, Paisley PA1
CRAIG HARPER, Forres IV36
KRIS KANE, Glasgow G62
MICHAEL LEONARD, Edinburgh EH11
ADAM MacKENZIE, Kirkcaldy KY2
DAVID MANSOURI, Glasgow G61
VISHAL MARWAHA, Glasgow G62
ANDY McBRIDE, Edinburgh EH11
ALISTAIR McGREGOR, Ellon AB41
DAVID MITCHELL, Motherwell, ML1
GRAHAM MOODIE, Cheltenham GL53
CHRIS NELSON, Paisley PA13
DAVID RALPH, Loughborough LE11
MARK RALPH, Paisley PA3
DEREK SALMOND, Edinburgh EH14
ANDREW SEWNAUTH, GLASGOW G61
DOUGLAS SIMPSON, Glasgow G33
NIALL STOTT, Dundee DD3

Senior Women

ALISON BELL, St Andrew KY16
VIKKI BUNCE, Dundee DD3
JANE BURLEY, Glasgow, G41
CARMIN DOW, Forfar DD8
KATRINA CAMERON, Edinburgh EH14
LOUISE CARROLL, Dundee DD4
AIMEE CLARK, Elgin IV30
LINDA CLEMENT, Edinburgh EH12
HOLLY CRAM, Glasgow G13
LORNA DOBBIE, Glasgow G77
CATRIONA FORREST, Glasgow G43
LOUISE GORDON, Glasgow G40
SAMANTHA JUDGE, Edinburgh EH11
JULIE KILPATRICK, Glasgow G46
DEBBIE McCLEOD, Dundee DD5
LOUISE MUNN, Dundee DD6
CATH RAE, Edinburgh EH7
ALISA ROBERTSON, Dundee DD2
EMMA ROCHLIN, Glasgow G46
ALISON ROWATT, Edinburgh EH6
CATRIONA SEMPLE, Dundee DD3
RHONA SIMPSON, Glasgow G41
CHERYL VALENTINE, Dundee DD3
ABI WALKER, Glasgow G3

Total Athlete Support (Senior Men/Senior Women, Under 21s Men/Women): £219,000