sportscotland invests in hockey’s European dreams
Monday 23 March 2009
With the European hockey championships only five months away, Scotland’s preparations were given a helping hand today with an increased investment totaling £876,900 from sportscotland.
The investment is designed to support the development of the sport right across the board from participation to excellence, for players, coaches and officials. Scotland has an excellent record in representation at the top level both on and off the pitch and the funding will ensure that Scotland continues to deliver.
Louise Martin CBE, Chair of sportscotland announced the funding: “Hockey is a sport with an encouraging level of youth participation. Over 30,000 young people, both boys and girls, play on a regular basis and it is really encouraging to see a number of those players making their mark at Scotland and GB level.
“Seven Scots were part of the British team at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival where the women’s team won the gold medal and the men took bronze while Aberdonian Alistair McGregor was named in the FIH World Team of the year. Scottish Hockey has put the pathways in place to ensure that our young athletes have the opportunity to fulfil their potential and I am delighted that our investment of £876,900 will play a part in creating the next generation of hockey heroes.”
Endorsing the investment Sports Minister Shona Robison said: “Hockey is growing in popularity all the time and this investment will make sure the sport continues to develop and strengthen our national team ahead of the European championships and in the long term with preparations for the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and 2014.
“It is particularly encouraging that hockey is a sport especially enjoyed by girls. This government is committed to encouraging more people, particularly girls, to lead active, healthy lives and this funding will ensure this excellent record continues.”
While Scotland’s women will compete against the top teams in Europe in August, the men’s team is preparing to fight for promotion back to the top flight. The funding announced today has an important role to play in supporting the preparations for both teams, including the appointment of the coaches who have been tasked with ensuring both the men and women are in the top eight teams in Europe. Keith Joss has been appointed as coach to the women’s team whilst former GB coach Jon Royce will head up the men’s European campaign.
In the longer term the focus will be on preparing successful men’s and women’s teams to compete at the Commonwealth Games in both 2010 and 2014 and an additional £50,000 has been awarded to support these preparations.
Welcoming the investment, Brent Deans, Chief Executive Officer of Scottish Hockey said: “We are very excited by the prospects of what this investment will deliver for hockey. We particularly thank sportscotland for the increased support of the performance programme, as we build towards success in 2014. We now accept the challenges of improving our sport in all aspects.”
- In 2007/08 sportscotland invested over £11.5 million in 59 sports governing bodies.
- The annual investment in Scottish Hockey of £876,900 is made up of £635,900 from the sportscotland Lottery Fund and £241,000 of sportscotland funding from the Scottish Government.
- In 2006/07 Scottish Hockey received £652,584 from sportscotland. This year’s total investment reflects a realignment of existing monies for hockey from a number of sources including the Scottish Institute of Sport, along with an additional £50,000 Scottish Government funding towards Glasgow 2014 preparations.
- The Scottish men’s team will compete in the EuroHockey Nations Trophy in Wrexham, Wales from 1-8 August 2009.
- The Scottish women’s team will compete in the EuroHockey Nations Championship in Amsterdam, Holland from 22-29 August 2009.
- Hockey is a core sport for both the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games.