Sport In Profile UK Issue 10 | Page 26

marton Furness hockey club FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/SPORT_IP the last 3 years. Our ladies 1st team achieved promotion in the 2014/2015 league and then went on to win the Cup. As well as the ladies, we have seen our junior section develop over the years and we are keen to continue this development with the support of coaching partner, Sanctuary Hockey, and we aim to produce more high level junior hockey players, but also ensure hockey is available to all, at any level. Our men’s section is working hard in pre-season fitness and they have a strong desire for North League promotion after a disappointing season last year due to losing some key players to University. We are a family-orientated club and this is evident as we host an annual Dad’s/Mum’s and Lads/Daughters game.” 2015 “We have long term plans to develop the club venue but in the short term the plan is to recruit new members both playing, officiating and social. Our main priority for the rest of 2015 is to progress the first XI’s in both men’s and women’s and aim for promotion as well as retaining current league position for recently promoted sides. We also want to continue with our marketing of the club and try to source a major club sponsor to help support our coaching in the community.” Youth “Youth hockey is paramount for the club’s longevity and we invest a lot of time and effort into ensuring our junior section develops and that they have the opportunity to play age-relevant hockey. This is possible due to volunteer coaches who give up a lot of time delivering coaching sessions and travelling, sometimes long distances with the young players to competition. 26 Issue 10 We feel junior development is so important, that we enlist the services of Sanctuary hockey who provide all our coaching across the club. We promote hockey in low socio-economic and high ethnic minority areas by providing hockey coaching in schools, which is supported through Premier League for Sport (PL4S) Funding. We also have good links with the University and we aim to provide University students with the opportunity to play hockey but also gain some experience of coaching and hockey qualifications. We feel junior activity is crucial for the club’s development but also for the region, as the amount of hockey played in schools appears to be decreasing and some clubs are folding year on year due to a lack of numbers.” Community “We are most definitely a community club and we work closely with the Cricket Club and the social section to provide community activity. We have hosted numerous charity events such as the Rounders Vs James Cook Nurses Ward 25, Sponsored Walks and the 150th Anniversary event to name a few. As a whole we aim to annually host a family fun day to raise money for the club and charities close to our hearts.”