Ireland star David Harte named world hockey's goalkeeper of the year

Irish hockey fans have long claimed national captain David Harte as one of the world’s best goalkeepers, and extra validation came yesterday as he was named as hockey’s top netminder for 2015.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) named Harte as goalkeeper of the year in their Hockey Stars 2015 awards, the Cork man becoming the first Irish winner of the biggest individual prizes in the international game.

Harte helped Ireland qualify for the Olympic games for the first time since 1908 and won the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award in all three of the Green Machine’s major competitions last year, including the European championships where they claimed a bronze medal for the first time. He held off stiff competition for the award from Olympic champions Germany; world number one Australia; European kingpins the Netherlands; and Canada — who also made a major breakthrough with Olympic qualification.