Members of the Old Fort Hockey Club last Thursday extended their coaching sessions to the St. Joseph’s High School where students were taught the rudiments of the game.
The club is the first affiliate of the Guyana Hockey Board to answer the call from the parent Body to increase the base and popularity of the sport among the youths.
Old Fort player Dwayne Alleyne demonstrates to students of St. Joseph’s High School how to grip the hockey stick.
Speaking with Kaieteur Sport recently, Club President Ivor Thompson, who also serves as the Vice-President on the Board disclosed that over the past few years, the GHB had noticed a decline in the influx of new players to the sport and it was decided that individual clubs be granted the approval to adopt a couple of schools with the intention of teaching the game to the students.
“We have recognised the need to return to the tested and proven avenue of encouraging players to come into the sport, hence we’ve asked clubs to help in this regard,” Thompson stated.
President of the GHB Phillip Fernandes, who has returned to lead the Board, had outlined in his report the need to increase the level of players coming into the sport and had urged clubs to improve its coaching pool so that they become more equipped in terms of personnel to get into the schools and teach the sport.
It is intended that all three of the major clubs in the country assist in this exercise.
Those who participated in the sessions last Thursday included Mikhail Smith Dwayne Alleyne and Jason De Santos.