Craig Fulton: Financial uncertainty damaging Green Machine’s hockey hopes

Ireland’s sports funding model needs to be altered to help the nation’s hockey teams continue their recent progress, according to senior men’s coach Craig Fulton.

The South African guided Ireland to a record world ranking of 10th on the back of a European bronze medal in 2015 plus a first qualification for the Olympics in 108 years, but the Irish panel had to fundraise €220,000 to run their preparation campaign for Rio.

Having also asked supporters for €65,000 to partake in the Champions Challenge I in Argentina four years ago, Fulton wants Sport Ireland’s year-by-year funding model to be run along the lines of Sport NI, where funding is allocated on a four-year basis, to give Hockey Ireland more financial certainty.

“If you are trying to turn over players or try out a few things, you will know the money is there and what risks you can take to do it,” he told The Hook. “Funding is in place for January, February and March. We don’t know the final total for the rest of the year.”

His plans will be further hampered by the absence of some of his most experienced players at different junctures in 2017, as they prioritise the employers who allowed them take extended unpaid leave and sabbaticals last year. Ireland were the only outfit at the Olympics that aren’t full-time professional players.

Fulton was part of a large group of elite sports people from a range of disciplines to meet Minister for State for Sport Patrick O’Donovan to discuss a better way of allowing them to combine top-level sport with working lives.

“We want there to be a benefit for companies to be involved with high-performance sports and its athletes. We had a good chat with the junior minister about it and he realises there is a piece of work to be done for all sports to make sure that people don’t have to stop competing completely to make sure they have a career to go back to.”

Fulton added afterwards on Twitter that he was also speaking on behalf of the women’s team, who are currently in Malaysia for World League 2, the first qualifying step on their road to the 2018 World Cup.

They are facing into a hectic year somewhat undercooked, with funding cuts and the unavailability of opposition locally over the Christmas period leaving Graham Shaw with just seven days to tune up his squad, having had no meaningful games since last August.

Meanwhile, domestic hockey is back on the agenda this weekend after the Christmas break with a full programme of men’s EY Hockey League fixtures plus the return of the provincial leagues.