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News for 18 October 2016

All the news for Tuesday 18 October 2016


FIH releases Rules of Hockey 2017



Based on recommendations made by the FIH Rules Committee, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has released the Rules of Hockey 2017.

These will formally come into effect for International Hockey from 1st January 2017, with National Associations free to choose the date of their implementation.

In summary, there have been no major changes to the Rules of Hockey 2015 and the subsequent adjustment to Rule 13.2, which came into force February 2016, has now been formally incorporated.

The Rules of Hockey 2017 do contain a number of adjustments that feature in the already published Rules of Indoor Hockey 2017, as applicable to the outdoor game. The FIH believes that it is crucially important the both sets of rules are aligned as closely as possible and, in keeping with that philosophy, has included these adjustments in the Rules of Hockey 2017.

A summary of the adjustments to the Rules of Hockey 2017 can be found below.

    Rule 1.10      No equipment etc. to be placed inside the goals
    Rule 2.1        Clarification that decisions taken prior to correcting a team having more than the permitted number of players on the pitch cannot be changed if time and/or play has already been re-started
    Rule 2.2        Clarification that any change between goalkeeping options, even for Players with Goalkeeping Privileges, either on or off the pitch, must take place as a substitution
    Rule 4.2        Change of the description of ‘gloves’ to ‘hand protection’; specification of the size of hand protection which may be used, both for normal play and to defend Penalty Corners; addition of guidance regarding the use of knee pads when defending Penalty Corners
    Rule 4.3        Deletion of ‘single’ in colour of Goalkeeper shirt
    Rule 9.8        Adjustment to the guidance to ‘A ball is also considered dangerous …’
    Rule 9.16      Addition into guidance that if a ball hits discarded Penalty Corner defence equipment then a Free Hit will result if outside the circle or a Penalty Corner if inside the circle
    Rule 13.2      The changes to Rule 13.2, which were posted to the FIH website on 16 February 2016 as an adjustment to the previous Rules, are now formally incorporated
    Rule 13.7d    Tidying up of two paragraphs of repeated guidance concerning the completion of Penalty Corners
    Rule 13.8e    Addition of ‘once the whistle has been blown to start the Penalty Stroke’ for no movement of the Goalkeeper’s feet at a Penalty Stroke
    Rule 13.10d  Adjustment of the guidance for the caution/carding procedure for a Goalkeeper moving early at a Penalty Stroke, bringing it into line with the Indoor Rule
    Addition of the new ‘Corner’ signal in the Umpiring Signals section

All changes or clarifications in the Rules of Hockey 2017 are indicated by a line in the left hand margin against the relevant text. To download the Rules of Hockey 2017, click here.

Given the minimal nature of the changes, it is not the intention to print Rules booklets for this edition of the Rules of Hockey. As usual, National Associations are free to reproduce or translate the booklet for distribution or re-sale. Reprints must replicate the appearance of the Rules and incorporate the following text: ‘Reprinted with permission of the International Hockey Federation’. The Rules of Hockey will be posted to the FIH website, into the National Association and Continental Federation Workrooms and e-mailed to FIH listed Umpires, Umpire Managers and Officials. FIH is also continuing to investigate alternative methods for the distribution of the Rules of Hockey 2017.

FIH site



Stephen: Ignore fallen giants Pakistan at your own peril

by S. Ramaguru

KUALA LUMPUR: Although Pakistan are down in the dumps in recent years, they are still a bane for Malaysia in world hockey.

For the first time in their history, the Pakistanis missed the cut for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.

Still, Malaysia have difficulties in beating them.

The fourth edition of the QNET Asian Champions Trophy, which starts in Kuantan on Thursday, will see Malaysia open their campaign against Pakistan.

The Pakistanis, coached by former international Tahir Zaman, arrived Monday morning to defend the title they won in 2012 and 2013.

Malaysia coach Stephen van Huizen said they will not take down-and-out Pakistan for granted.

“Pakistan still have the talent and the only thing is that results have not gone their way in recent years.

“But no team will take it easy against them. We want to get off to a winning start but opening ties can go either way,” he added.

History, however, is not on Malaysia’s side as they have never beaten Pakistan in the tournament – losing 3-2 in the inaugural tournament in 2011, securing a 2-2 draw in 2012 and losing 1-0 in 2013. The tournament was not held in 2014 and 2015.

For this campaign, Pakistan have a blend of experienced and young players in their 18-man squad.

Said Tahir: “We are preparing for the World Cup qualifiers in 2017. But for now, we will try our best to retain the Asian Champions Trophy.

“We have played in Malaysia many times and there is a good atmosphere here. A number of our players have also played in the local league here and are familiar with the conditions.

“I do not see any major hitches for us. Like us, the other teams are also hoping to do well to collect valuable world rankings points.”

Pakistan will warm-up for the tournament by playing a friendly with Japan at the Kuantan Hockey Stadium on Tuesday.

The other teams in the six-nation tournament are India, South Korea, Japan and China.

The Star of Malaysia



SOJC: Malaysia in for a tough time

By Jugjet Singh

THE Sixth Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) promises high quality matches as most teams will be using the tournament as a final preparation for the Junior World Cup in Dec 8-18 in Lucknow, India.

Organised by the Johor Hockey Association, the SOJC will be held on  Oct 31 to Nov 6 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium, and entry is free.

The six competing are Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and hosts Malaysia with England and Japan making their debut.

Only Malaysia will not see action at the Junior World Cup and team manager Yahya Atan was the first to admit that it will be a keenly contested tournament.

"All the five other teams are in the final stages of preparation for the Junior World Cup and will potentially be the early favourites for the title," said Yahya.

"We will no doubt face strong opponents but at the same time our players too have benefited from playing in the Australian Hockey League as part of our preparations for the SOJC."

Yahya added that the team will be going to Johor Baru on October 24 and the final list of players, coached by Wallace Tan and Amin Rahim will be announced this coming Friday.

Two juniors, Najmi Farizal Azlan and Nik Aiman Nik Rozemi who are eligible to play in the Under-21 tournament have been selected for duty with the senior national team that will compete in the Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan on Oct 20-30.

However Najib Hassan, another player in the senior training squad, has been given the nod to join his junior counterparts.

The team can count on Rizwan Azmi, Firdaus Omar, Lukman Nur Hakim, Nor Azmi Rahman, Syed Shafiq Syed Choulan, Amirul Aideed,  Ashran Hamsani, Rafizul Ezry Mustafa, Norsyafiq Sumantri, Sufi Ismat Rohulmin and Akhimullah Anuar, all of whom were in Perth, Australia for the AHL.

Yesterday, several sponsors presented their contributions towards the tournament to YAM Tunku Idris Iskandar ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Tengku Temenggong Johor.

The total sponsorship received was RM1.450 million.

Also present was Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Johor Hockey Association President Datuk Haji Jais Sarday and Deputy President Datuk Manjit Majid Abdullah.

Leading  the list of contributors were the Johor State Government with RM500,000, followed by Astaka Padu RM200,000, Johor Corporation, UM Land, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Yayasan Harmoni, JBB Builders, all contributing RM100,000 each.

Jugjet's World of Field Hockey



JHA get RM1.45mil sponsorship

by Mohd Farhaan Shah

JOHOR BARU: The organisers of the Sultan of Johor Cup hockey tournament, Johor Hockey Association (JHA) have received a shot in the arm to run the tournament.

JHA have received sponsorship totalling RM1.45mil for tournament that will be held at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium from Oct 31-Nov 6.

Besides Malaysia, the other competing teams in the sixth edition of the Under-21 tournament are Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, defending champions England and Japan. Except for Malaysia, the other five teams are using the tournament to prepare for the Junior World Cup in India in December.

Malaysia team manager Yahya Atan admitted that the tournament would be a keenly-contested affair.

“We will no doubt face strong opponents but our players have benefited from playing in the recent Australian Hockey League (AHL),” said former international Yahya.

Malaysia finished third in the tournament last year.

Meanwhile, the JHA are in the midst of forming a club to represent the state in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) next season.

Said JHA president Datuk Md Jais Sarday: “We already have a list of players to be absorbed into this club. All the 40 players, between the ages of 17 and 18, were picked from the Johor Hockey League. But if there are any players interested to play for us, we welcome them with open arms.”

The Star of Malaysia



Saint Ger land big blow on Racing



Saint Germain bounced back from their EHL exit to take their biggest win of the French league campaign with a 2-0 win over reigning champions Saint Germain.

The game centred on two goals in two minutes around half-time when both Thomas Pauchet and Martin Genestet scoring the vital goals, moments after Racing had a goal from Maxime Cheron disallowed, kickstarting the series in the 30th minute.

Pauchet shot home from a tight angle in the 31st minute. Soon after, Hugo Genestet laid on the perfect pass for older brother Martin to score to make it 2-0 in the 32nd minute.

Racing fought back and tested Martin Zylbermann but he made a series of saves while Simon Martin-Brisac missed a penalty with seven minutes to go.

The two sides are now level on 14 points at this stage of the campaign with Saint Ger currently having a game in hand against third placed Stade Francais which will be played on November 20.

Stade are third after a 3-0 win over Le Touquet while FC Lyon are up to fourth with a 4-2 win over Wattignies. Lille and Montrouge both dropped a couple of places following their 1-1 draw with goals from Maxence Lecointe and Mikail Azak providing the tie.

Euro Hockey League media release



Casasayas and Polo soaring in Spanish league



Real Club de Polo de Barcelona continue to set the pace in the Spanish Honor Division with their fourth win from four, seeing off fellow EHL side Atletic Terrassa 3-1.

Alex Casasayas, who has scored five goals in four games, was the star of the match at Can Salas. The Catalan striker was the author of two goals in the third quarter, netting in the 36th and 38th minute for a 2-0 advantage.

Santi Morera got one back for Dani Martin’s side but, just a minute later, Xavi Lleonart sentenced the match to keep your team as leader of the competition.

A comfortable 5-0 win for Club de Campo over CD Terrassa saw them stay in a share of second place with reigning champions Club Egara with three wins from four games.

Pau Quemada scored twice for Egara in Las Palmas with Jordi Farres also on the mark in a 3-1 win over UD Taburiente.

FC Junior remain in the top four ahead of Atletic thanks to their 1-1 draw with RS Tenis. It means Atletic can move into the top four if they win their game in hand when they play their back match against FC Barcelona.

Euro Hockey League media release



Scottish National League serves up a GOAL-FEST


Clydesdale Western v  Edinburgh Uni

Kelburne Bromac confirmed that they are well placed to retain their league title after a close 3-2 win over last year’s runners up Grove Menzieshill. Nick Finlayson and Hamish Galt swapped goals before two by Man of the Match Jonny Christie turned the contest in Kelburne’s favour.

A second half penalty by Ciaran Crawford narrowed the gap but still left Kelburne with three important points.

Watsonians lost their outright lead in the first division of the National League, suffering an agonising defeat by the odd goal in thirteen – yes thirteen - to Hillhead.  This was Hillhead’s first win of the season, their main scorer being Callum Duke with a hat trick, while Craig Paterson, Chris Wilson, Fraser Ward and Andrew Hilton added one apiece. Watsonians must be devastated to have scored six themselves and still lost!

A hat trick of penalty corners by Adam Mackenzie, two in the first half and one early in the second, eased Western Wildcats to a 4-2 win away to Gordonians.  The Aberdeen side did get back into the match at 1-3 but Western struck again before a late corner for Gordonians.

Grange maintained their position two points behind the leaders with a convincing 7-2 win over Clydesdale. The win keeps them in touch with two points behind the leaders.

In Women’s National League 1, Milne Craig Clydesdale Western maintained their lead at the top of the table with a narrow 1-0 victory over Edinburgh University. The students had an edge in the play in the first half and must have been disappointed not to have made it count. Still it was all to play for in the second period from 0-0 but it was Western who grabbed what proved to be the only goal of the game midway through the second period.

Having hit the post earlier, Jenny Eadie netted from a penalty corner but the game was far from over. Late on Edinburgh had a penalty corner which might have seen them snatch a point but for a great save by Western goalkeeper Mairi Fletcher.

Grove Menzieshill maintained their second place behind Western on goal difference with a comfortable 4-0 win over Hillhead. Of the four goals two were scored by Ailsa Wylie while Katie Stott and Lauren Kingston bagged one each.

Dundee Wanderers have yet to show the form that took them to third place last season and had to come from behind to draw 2-2 with Erskine Stewarts Melville, the first point for both teams.

Watsonians recorded their first win of the season, 4-1 over CALA Edinburgh, the latter remaining bottom of the division. Western Wildcats clocked up their third win of the season with a 1-0 win over a tough Kelburne side.

Scottish Hockey Union media release



No. 6 Maryland's big second half beats No. 5 Penn State

Maryland Athletics


Three straight second-half goals lifted Maryland to a win at Penn State. Maryland Athletics

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The sixth-ranked Maryland field hockey team (12-3, 6-1 Big Ten) won 5-4 at No. 5 Penn State on Sunday to clinch at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season title. This is the fourth straight season the Terps have won at least a share of their regular-season conference title. Maryland is 21-2 in Big Ten play since joining the league in 2014.

After the teams were tied at half, Maryland scored three goals in the second half to go up 5-2. Penn State (12-2, 4-2) scored twice in the final eight minutes to make it a dramatic finish.

“What an exciting game,” head coach Missy Meharg said. “Penn State is so athletic, well coached. To get nine goals out of two very good attacking teams is so exciting. You have to be ready to play in those tight, one-goal situations. We couldn’t be more proud of the women today. They played together the whole time. We had many young players play lots of different positions and that’s been our strength this season.”

Fifth-year senior Welma Luus wasted no time getting Maryland on the board first when she cracked a hard shot into the cage from five yards out just 2:30 into the match.

Just over a minute later, Penn State tied the game when Brooke Birosik scored.

Freshman Madison Maguire gave the Terrapins the lead back when she scored off a rebound on a penalty corner in the 16thminute. After the Penn State keeper stopped the first two Maryland shots, Maguire found the lower corner of the cage for the score.

The Nittany Lions tied it up later in the first half when Madison Morano deflected in a score off of penalty corner with 8:08 left in the period. The teams would stay tied at half.

Freshman Kelee Lepage broke the 2-2 tie when she subbed in, then scored off the rebound on her own saved shot in the 42nd minute. Penn State used its video referral on the play and after the review, the play was confirmed.

Less than two minutes later, Luus deflected in a pass from Emma Rissinger to make it a 4-2 lead for Maryland. Rissinger sent the ball in from the left side and Luus deflected it in from just in front of the goal.

In the 59th minute, Maryland was awarded a penalty corner, but after a Penn State defender made contact with Grace Balsdon, the Terps were awarded a stroke. Balsdon took the stroke and buried it, giving the Terrapins a 5-2 lead with 11 minutes to play.

Just over four minutes later, in the 63rd minute, the Nittany Lions scored off a long shot from the edge of the circle by Katie Dembrowski. A minute and a half later, Penn State cut the Terps’ lead to 5-4 when Aurelia Meijer scored off a penalty corner with under seven minutes to play.

Maryland took 13 shots to the Nittany Lions’ nine and had five penalty corners to three. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Sarah Bates made one save in the second half.

Maguire was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week Tuesday for the first time in her career.

NCAA



Indian hockey legend Balbir Singh Sr’s inspiring outlook

NEW DELHI: As a triple Olympic gold winner in hockey (1948, 1952 and 1956), independent India's first flag-bearer at the Olympics, an astonishing goal-count and at 93 India's oldest living Olympian, Balbir Singh Dosanjh - simply Balbir Senior to many - is an institution in himself.

Though, sadly, he does not find his name taken in the same breath as the legendary Dhyanchand.

In a touching tribute to Indian hockey, the Olympic Channel has released the following clip in which Balbir Sr warmly recalls some of his success on the hockey field while giving tribute to his team-mates, as well as sharing a few insights into his approach towards the sport.

A must-watch for all Indian hockey fans.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

The Times of India



International woman hockey umpire returns home

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top woman hockey umpire Binish has returned home after supervising the matches in the qualifying rounds of the Women’s Asia Cup in Bangkok.

Binish officiated in as many as five matches including the semi finals of the event.

“It was a big honour for me and my country to supervise that number of matches in an international hockey event,” she said on Monday after returning from Thailand.

Binish, country’s first ever international hockey umpire, has now twenty six international matches to her credit in six appearances.

Binish umpired the matches between Indonesia-Uzbekistan Thailand-Chinese Taipei, Chinese Taipei-Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei-Indonesia and Hong Kong-Sri Lanka.

“I am very delighted that tally of my matches has gone up and it is because of the support I am getting from Pakistan Hockey Federation and the Asian Hockey Federation,” she said and added: “The PHF is making all out efforts for the grooming of female umpires and I was highly encouraged by the PHF since I become international umpire in 2013.”

She praised the performance of the Pakistan women’s team in the qualifying rounds in Bangkok.

“Pakistan team was formed after a gap of three years and they reached the semifinals of the event to create history and the credit goes to present management of the PHF headed by Khalid Sajjad Khokhar and Shahbaz Ahmad Senior,” she concluded.

The Daily Times



FIH announces nominations for upcoming Presidential and Executive Board elections

Vote will take place on 12 November


FIH President Leandro Negre is coming to the end of his term Photo: Nathan Ryan

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has announced the nominations for their Executive Board Member elections which will take place at the Hockey Revolution Part II Congress in November.

The vote will take place on Saturday 12 November 2016 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with five positions on the Executive Board to be voted in.

This includes the role of President, with Leandro Negre’s term in office coming to an end following the Spaniard’s eight year period presiding over the Federation.

Three candidates have been officially nominated by their National Association for this role. They include Australia’s Ken Read, India’s Dr Narinder Batra and Ireland’s David Balbirnie.

On the Executive Board, Members Mary Cicinelli from Canada and England’s Sue Catton will be standing for re-election while Netherlands Jan Albers and Pakistan’s Qasim Zia have chosen not to stand for another term in office.

This means that four positions as Ordinary Members of the FIH Executive Board will be elected at the Congress, or five if current Board Member Dr Narinder Batra is elected as President.

The female candidates in addition to Sue Catton and Mary Cicinelli are Danae Andrada from Uruguay and Hazel Kennedy from Zambia whilst male nominees are Eric Cornelissen from the Netherlands; Spain’s Santiago Deo; outgoing Athletes' Committee Chair Michael Green from Germany; USA’s Shawn Hindy and Tayyab Ikram from Macau.

Continental Federation Presidents will remain on the Board until their next continental elections. They include Egypt’s Seif Ahmed (Africa), HRH Prince Abdullah Shah of Malaysia (Asia), Netherlands Marijke Fleuren (Europe), New Zealand’s Pam Elgar (Oceania) and Argentina’s Coco Budeisky (Pan America).

They are supported by the Ordinary Members of the Executive Board, all of whom have another two years in office to complete their existing terms - Dr Narinder Batra (India), Marc Coudron (Belgium), Maureen Craig-Rousseau (Trinidad and Tobago) and Pamela Stuper (USA).

The FIH Athletes’ Committee is also represented on the Board, ensuring that athletes play an important role in determining the future of hockey. Departing Chair Michael Green from Germany will be replaced on the Board by incoming Joint-Chair Annie Panter from England.

The election of the FIH Executive Board will be part of the 45th FIH Congress on 12 November following several days of action packed activity in Dubai.

Executive Board and Continental Federation meetings will take place between 9-10 November in addition to the inaugural Turf and Field Forum for organisations involved in the FIH Quality Programme for Hockey Turf.

The Hockey Revolution Conference will then take place on Friday 11 November, providing updates on the latest news from the Hockey Revolution including an exclusive preview of FIH’s plans for the immediate future. This precedes the Hockey Revolution Awards Dinner later that night.

For more information about the upcoming FIH Hockey Revolution Part II Congress in Dubai, visit: http://www.fih.ch/inside-fih/fih-congress-2016.

FIH site



Scottish Hockey Head of Performance


Andy Tennant

Scottish Hockey is delighted to announce the appointment of Andy Tennant as Head of Performance of Scottish Hockey.

Andy’s exceptional track record over nearly 13 years at Cricket Scotland, most recently as Performance Director, where he was instrumental in leading the transition to a fully professionalised high performance system and in developing clear performance pathways led by a team of talented coaches, made him the ideal candidate for the role.

For Cricket Scotland Andy leaves both Scotland men’s and Women’s teams in a healthy position with results improving and a widening pool of emerging talent.

With our international hockey teams competing at the top levels of European and World hockey, this appointment comes with great opportunities ahead for all our elite teams.

Tennant said, “For a number of reasons I believe the time is right to seek a new challenge and I am looking forward to working in a great commonwealth and Olympic sport. My drive and passion has always been to help Scotland teams win and I look forward to continuing that with Hockey. I have loved my time working for the betterment of cricket in Scotland and plan to remain involved in the sport in some coaching capacity.”

David Sweetman, CEO of Scottish Hockey, said, “I am delighted to welcome Andy to Scottish Hockey. We interviewed an exceptionally strong field and Andy impressed throughout the process. Andy has a great background in coaching, pathway, and international performance and we are looking forward to him starting in January.”

CEO Malcolm Cannon, said “All at Cricket Scotland wish him every success in the new role and we are sure that his lifelong association with the game of cricket has not completely ended.”

Andy will be in post on 4 January and we wish him all the best in his new position.

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Quicksticks a hit with teachers and pupils alike


Two young players in the thick of the Quicksticks action in Cheltenham

Following on from the success of Great Britain Women’s Hockey Team in Rio, England Hockey continue to support physical education and school sport. As part of this commitment England Hockey recently visited Cheltenham to deliver teacher training to local primary school teachers and a Quicksticks session to students at Tirlebrook Primary School.

Twenty eight children from years five and six enjoyed playing Quicksticks which is England Hockey’s introductory four-a-side game for seven to eleven year olds. The game involves sticks with coaching points on them, a bigger, lighter ball which is easier for players to control and session cards and lesson plans which makes delivering great sessions simple for teachers.  Information about Quicksticks equipment and resources can be found with the following links:

http://www.youthsportdirect.org/catalogsearch/result/?q=quicksticks

www.playquicksticks.co.uk

https://hockeyhub.englandhockey.co.uk/


Youngsters enjoying their quick sticks experience

We asked some of the children to tell us what they enjoyed about Quicksticks and were greeted with plenty of enthusiasm:

Rachel said “It’s really fun and energetic! You can move around with the ball in space because there are fewer players on a team.  Today I’ve learnt to play hockey a bit more, and I really enjoyed it!”

Zack said “It’s fun getting everyone involved and not leaving anyone out. Quicksticks gets you active and involved and I like how we can play with both year five and six and with girls and boys.  It’s really active and you get to be with your friends and play lots of games.”

Later in the day Demy Dowley, England Hockey’s Talent Development Lead Coach delivered a Quicksticks workshop to twenty five local primary school teachers. The workshop provided the teachers with lots of hints and tips to be able to deliver fun and engaging sessions to students through small sided game play.

Tara Godsall a teacher from Oakwood Primary School in Cheltenham said ‘It has been great to see the different ideas we can use in our sessions and how we can change the games to involve a whole class at once time has been useful because that’s always been a challenge. One of the things we’ve been talking about has been around incorporating the game throughout the session as part of the practices so the children are playing and learning all of the time without really realising it.”


Quicksticks gets the thumbs up from the pupils

Abi, a teacher from Tirelbrook Primary school said ‘I like the fact that the element of fun has been emphasised throughout the workshop as PE is a subject where children can really enjoy themselves. I would say it doesn’t matter if you are a PE lead or a primary school teacher these workshops are great to find out how to provide great hockey sessions to the children and how to help them enjoy the game.

Over the next few months England Hockey will be running a series of free teacher training workshops for both primary and secondary schools as well as a variety of other initiatives to support delivery of hockey within schools.

England Hockey Board Media release



Tickets please!


Helen-Richardson-Walsh and her new bus

For Helen Richardson-Walsh, international gold medals are a bit like buses: She waited 13 years for one, then two came along at once. It is therefore rather appropriate that this past weekend, the European and Olympic gold medal winner had a bus named after her by Nottingham City Transport.

Nottingham paid homage to two of their Olympic heroes, Helen and gold-winning T42 champion Richard Whitehead by naming buses after them.

Fittingly, Helen’s bus is the Number 8, the same number she wears on her shirt and wonderfully, the bus that her mother, still a resident in West Bridgford, regularly uses.

“As she was brought up in Nottingham and played for West Bridgford Hockey Club, naming our number 8 after her was the perfect way of congratulating Helen on her amazing Olympic win!” said Nottingham City Transport Marketing Manager, Anthony Carver-Smith. “It gives us added pleasure knowing that Helen’s mum also regularly travels on what will now be her daughter’s very own bus!”

Helen Richardson-Walsh, speaking at the grand unveiling said:

“I am honoured and thrilled to have a bus named after me in a place that will always be close to my heart. I will be forever thankful for the people of Nottingham, and the great city for giving me the best possible start to my life and sporting career, and I’m delighted to be able to share the success of our Olympic Gold with you all.”

Both named buses were part of Nottinghamshire’s celebration of local Olympic and Paralympic athletes which took place at the East Midlands Conference Centre on the afternoon of 16 October.

Carver-Smith added, “Both Helen and Richard are a credit to Nottinghamshire and the newly-named buses will remind our customers and people across the City of those very special gold-winning days in Rio!”

Not bad. Olympic Champion. European Champion, having a bus named after her. How many people can say that?!

For the full story, visit the Nottingham City Transport website.

England Hockey Board Media release

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