A former England hockey international has praised the standard of the sport in the Island.
 
Matt Taylor, who was capped 19 times by England, brought his hockey camp to the National Sports Centre in Douglas last week.
 
The two-day event was attended by 55 young people aged eight to 17.
 
Hannah Pullen, Hockey Development Officer with Manx Sport and Recreation, part of the Department of Education and Children, said: ‘The camp introduced the sport to potential new players and offered high-quality coaching to those who are already playing, who learned new techniques and skills that can be transferred to schools and clubs.
 
‘This ties in with our strategy of increasing levels of activity in young people and increasing the number of children involved in community sport.’
 
Matt has brought his camp to the Island several years in a row and he said: ‘Every year we come to the Island we see an improvement in the level of hockey. This is credit to the players and, of course, the coaching on the Island. It has improved tremendously since our first visit five years ago.’
 
Matt also staged a coaching clinic at which 13 coaches were taught the latest techniques and drills.
 
Matt was accompanied by three coaches from the UK – David Ames (ex-Ireland international and a member at Matt’s home club, Beeston Hockey Club); Sophie Robinson (Wales women’s team and Beeston Hockey Club) and Lucy Holvey (Beeston Hockey Club) – and a local coach, Alex Bell, who now plays at Beeston.
 
For more information on how to get involved in hockey, ring Hannah on 651572 or email her at Hannah.Pullen@gov.im.