Heady days but forum looks to tackle sport’s lingering issues

Back in 2011, those at the coalface of Munster men’s and boys’ hockey got a major fright on a winter’s night in Mallow.

Players, coaches, administrators and umpires alike were faced with the scary reality that underage numbers dipped from 479 to 400 in just two years.

Things are better now; the numbers have crept back up to 496, the highest since records began in 2008. Hundreds more schoolboys are also being exposed to hockey via a variety of initiatives led by the Irish Hockey Association and some of the province’s more proactive clubs.