Dual roles split as Irish coach Passmore moves upstairs

DAVE PASSMORE yesterday stepped down as the Irish senior men’s hockey coach but will take on the full-time role of high performance director, as part of the Irish Hockey Association’s (IHA) decision to split the roles.

The IHA has agreed the move with the Irish Sports Council and Sport Northern Ireland, meaning Passmore, who had been occupying both posts, will now focus solely on the high performance director job.

The search is already underway for a new senior men’s coach, while Passmore will continue in the job, alongside assistant coach Craig Fulton, until his replacement is appointed.

Passmore said the move was vital for Irish hockey to achieve its ambitions, though he admitted he will miss the day-to-day coaching role.

“If we are to be successful in achieving our ambitions for the international teams moving forward, it is essential that I concentrate on putting in place the structures and processes to achieve these goals [as high performance director],” he said.

“It has been difficult to break away from coaching, as this is my passion, but fulfilling the two roles to full effect is not possible. I look forward to working with the new national coach to ensure this squad reaches its full potential. It is a young group with the perfect age profile to be successful in 2010 and 2012.”

Passmore also paid tribute to his players for “embracing so much change” during his tenure.

A former coach of Cork Harlequins, Passmore joined the IHA in 2005 after successful stints with the England U18 and U21 women’s teams, winning gold and silver medals respectively.

While he has presided over some notable results — last year’s win over world champions Germany and tournament draws with Spain and Pakistan among the highlights — his side narrowly missed out on qualification for the Beijing Olympics.

Passmore has also successfully introduced new blood to the side this year, following the retirements of Mark Irwin, Jason Black, Paddy Brown and Andrew Barbour, with Mitch Darling and Tim Lewis the standout young guns thus far.

IHA chairman John Dennis lauded the strides made during Passmore’s time.

“The standard of technical ability, tactical understanding and fitness levels have moved on significantly during this time,” he said.

“We are now widely acknowledged as a force to be reckoned with worldwide.”

The IHA is now inviting applications for the vacant position of senior men’s coach. Full details are available on www.hockey.ie/vacancies.

Meanwhile, Passmore has a more pressing task on his hands in Cardiff today as an experimental Irish side take on Wales in the first game of their season-opening double-header.

Ireland women’s coach Gene Muller has opted to rest his squad, allowing Guy Garrett the chance to test his Ireland A outfit against a full Welsh side.