Irish hockey looks to new dawn with Varian

THE ongoing restructuring of the Irish Hockey Association (IHA) took a significant step forward yesterday with the appointment of 32-year Paul Varian as the association’s first chief executive.

Varian has 10 years experience in the private sector, both in Ireland and abroad. His chief background is in corporate conferences and events and that will be pivotal in implementing the IHA’s strategic plan which was unveiled last year.

That plan also called for the drafting of a new constitution which is to be unveiled to the clubs on December 5. The IHA also plan to unveil a ‘high-performance’ director in December. In addition, an announcement on the new Irish men’s senior team coach will also be made this Monday