Hook Hockey

Cole key to Avoca’s five year development

Avoca have appointed IHA Hall of Famer Jonathan Cole to a new position as Director of Hockey with responsibility for the development and management of players and coaches at the Blackrock club.

The establishment of the position of Director of Hockey is a key element of the club’s five-year development plan and its ambition to have its Men’s 1sts and Ladies 1st teams competing at the highest levels in Leinster, Ireland and Europe by 2016.

Cole returns to the club he played most of his hockey with from 1972 to 1999 and won seven Leinster senior leagues and three Leinster Senior cups. He also won Senior League titles and an Irish Senior Cup with YMCA and represented Dublin University. He played 66 times for Ireland, 26 as captain, playing in a World cup, an Intercontinental cup and European cups.

He has coached men’s first teams at Pembroke Wanderers, Avoca, Corinthians, YMCA, Glenanne, Genesis ladies and the Leinster Ladies between 1995 and 2011 winning Leinster leagues, Senior Cups, and the European Cup Winners Cup (Glennane). He took his coaching badges in 1994, has chaired the Irish Hockey Association High performance committee and remains a member of its working group. He was inaugurated into the IHA Hall of Fame in 2009.

Avoca said in a statement they are “delighted to welcome Jonathan back to the Club and looks forward to benefiting from his vast experience and expertise”.

Elsewhere, the Leinster Hockey Association is holding an Open Forum on February 7, 2012 at 7.30pm in Bewley’s Hotel, Sandyford. This is the first year of the LHA and the Board and Sub Committees are eager to get input from clubs as to how they would like to see the association progress.

The Forum will be an opportunity to meet with members of the board and members from other clubs. They are looking for clubs to submit questions in advance of the forum to leinsterhockey@gmail.com. Questions will of course be taken on the night and answered to the best of the LHA’s ability.

To register attendance, please email your name and that of your club to leinsterhockey@gmail.com on or before February 3. Details of the Forum will also be available on www.leinsterhockey.org.