Hockey Ireland is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Tumilty as Head Coach for the Irish Senior Men as they face into their final weeks of preparation for their upcoming Olympic Qualifier against Canada this October. Mark’s appointment is accompanied by that of Jason Lee as the new Assistant Coach to the men’s team.
Speaking on the announcement, new Head Coach Mark Tumilty said, “I am extremely proud to be offered the opportunity to coach the Irish Senior Men’s team. It has all happened very quickly and it would not have been possible for me to take this role without the support of my wife Cara, my children and my employer, Ulster Bank.
I relish the challenge we face as a group over the next 6 weeks, to achieve Olympic Qualification. I look forward to working with the players, coaching team and support staff. It is a difficult draw, but to play any team at this stage of Olympic qualification was going to be challenging. However, I feel if we can get our preparation correct in the coming weeks – both on and off the pitch – we will give ourselves an excellent opportunity to qualify for Tokyo 2020.”
Having watched the Irish men play a lot over the years, newly appointed assistant coach Jason Lee has “always marvelled at their unity, determination and skill. It often felt like other people recognised their strengths more than they did themselves. There’s nothing better than the excitement of playing in big games like this and I think my main job will be to help Mark and the team focus on showing us what they can do, and with a bit of luck, they’ll have a great chance.”
Hockey Ireland Performance Director, Adam Grainger, had this to say on the announcement, “We are delighted to have secured both Mark and Jason for these coaching positions, and we are very grateful for them both coming on board at such short notice. Together they bring a good mix of Irish and International hockey knowledge.
We have a number of camps scheduled to take place in the coming weeks ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers and the team’s focus remains clear. This is a great opportunity for the players to come together and get ready to take on the qualifier at the end of October.”
Both appointments are short-term, with Mark based here in Ireland while Jason will travel over from the UK as appropriate for upcoming camps.