Hello To All IIHA Members:
As 2015 is now upon us, I would like to take this moment to give you all a quick update on what lays ahead for hockey in Ireland.
What will be first and foremost for us all is the longing question of a rink in Ireland. The executive has been working tirelessly this past year on this issue. We have identified two locations in Dublin that we feel are viable for a rink. What lays ahead of us now is working to obtain funding to pursue these avenues. I assure you all that this issue is number one on our list. I hope with more hard work and a bit of luck 2015 will be the year we get a rink back open in Ireland.
Through continued hard work and diligence the IIHA executive plans on submitting an application for membership to the Irish Sports Council. In todays current climate membership to the Sports Council is key for all National Governing
Bodies of sport. The executive, upon completion of this years audit, hope to have the application to the Sports Council by May.
For the first time, 2015 will be the year that the IIHA establishes our Junior Development Program. This will entail players from across the country coming together to train and play as one squad. The plan is to train these kids on the ice, off-ice, and in classroom settings. The IIHA will be working in conjunction with our member junior clubs to provide the highest level of coaching and mentoring available. It is our intention that these teams will be able to compete with teams from Northern Ireland, the UK, and with international based clubs.
To expand on what has already begun, the IIHA will work closely with IHNI and IHUK to establish our cross-border initiative. Several of our senior teams have already begun playing against teams from Northern Ireland. We hope to begin games on a junior level this spring.
These are a few points that the IIHA executive and committee members are working to achieve on our members behalf. Going forward throughout 2015 I will be posting a monthly update to keep you all as informed as possible as to what is happening for hockey in Ireland.
On behalf of everyone at the IIHA I would like to wish you all a happy and prosperous 2015 and I look forward to seeing you all on ice soon.
Sincerely,
Aaron Guli
PRESIDENT, IIHA