Hockey Ireland is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Tumilty as Head Coach for the Irish Senior Men. The appointment comes as the squad looks ahead to the European Championships next August.
Tumilty was initially appointed to the Head Coach role for the Irish Senior Men’s squad on a short term basis as they faced into their final weeks of preparation for their Olympic Qualifier against Canada last October. However, the position was extended into 2020 in line with a normal Olympic cycle. With European Championships scheduled for August 2021 and the World Cup qualification process getting underway in early 2022, Tumilty has used the past year to widen the Men’s panel and provide some younger players with the opportunity to step up, with the aim of making the squad more competitive.
Speaking on the announcement, Head Coach Mark Tumilty said, “It is an honour and privilege to be given the opportunity to coach the Irelands Senior Men’s team. I am really excited by the players we have available and look forward to developing those players over the next period. I want to develop an attacking style of hockey and to create an environment for all players to fulfil their potential during our preparation for the 2021 European Championships.”
Hockey Ireland Performance Director, Adam Grainger, had this to say on the announcement, "Hockey Ireland High Performance is delighted to reappoint Mark Tumilty as Senior Men’s Head Coach. Despite the disappointment of the unsuccessful qualification for Tokyo 2020, it was very clear from existing players and staff feedback that the leadership of Mark was well received leading into Vancouver qualifiers and subsequently. To date, 2020 has not allowed regular programme activity for the Senior Men, yet Hockey Ireland is very much looking forward to working with Mark, his Management Team and the players as they move forward towards their 2021 European Championships and beyond”.
