Muller ponders centralisation in bid to make Olympic grade

IRELAND’S top women’s hockey players could be in line for a centralisation move that would see them based full-time in Dublin this September, it emerged yesterday.

Irish coach Gene Muller has confirmed he is considering a proposal in a bid to secure Olympic qualification in 2012, a plan which could put him and the Irish Hockey Association (IHA) on a collision course with clubs in Munster and Ulster in particular.

Muller wants his elite players at his disposal in the run-up to the 2011 European Championships, knowing that a top-four place would secure automatic Olympic qualification.