For the third consecutive year, the Department of Community Culture and Leisure’s Sports Development Unit held five hockey festivals around the Island during the week of 5th March. With a record number of participants, 56 teams from 32 local schools, the festivals were a huge success.
 
The festivals, kindly sponsored by Medis Limited, are part of the Sports Development Unit’s Primary School Sports Programme. Participating schools delivered at least six after-school hockey sessions for children in Year 3 and Year 4. Whenever possible these sessions also linked up with a local Hockey club and SURE Sports Leaders. This created a direct link to the clubs with qualified hockey coaches and leaders able to help facilitate the sessions.
 
Hockey Development Officer, Kerry Penswick said: ‘It’s great to see so many schools involved with the hockey and how this has progressed over the past few years. Initiatives such as this have been fundamental in the development of junior hockey in the Island’.
 
The festivals focused on the children enjoying playing hockey, for some of whom this would have been their first experience of the game. To help promote this, fair play was encouraged throughout, and the winners of fairplay award along with the overall winners from the festivals gained a place at the National Hockey Final, which took place on Wednesday 21st March at the NSC.
 
The Final gave 10 teams the opportunity to compete at the National Sports Centre, and they did so displaying a great standard of hockey. After a closely contested final, the winners were St Thomas’ with Ballacottier taking the runners up spot. Buchan were the winners of the Fair play award.
 
Sacha Lynch of Medis Ltd said: ‘Medis are keen to invest in the future generation of the Island. Working in partnership with MSR for the third year it is great to promote even more schools in the programme and providing the opportunity for local children to enjoy the chance to experience and develop talent in Hockey.’
 
Photo: Winners – with Medis representatives
 
For more information, please contact Kerry Penswick – Hockey Development Officer: 651572 or email kerry.penswick@gov.im
 
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