Neale Richmond (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for allowing me to make a brief intervention this afternoon. Much has been said already and I do not intend to repeat any questions. I want to pick up on some points made in the opening statement and flesh them out.

The first point arises from an infrastructural point of view. How many employees does Hockey Ireland have? What is the aspiration when it comes to development officers? People have talked about broadening the sport in places like Connacht or in the wider society. However, we have seen from other sports the importance of development officers and co-ordinating with physical education teachers who want to bring in the sport and work with local sports partnerships. What is the strategy for rolling out, as Dublin GAA did for hurling and camogie ten or 20 years ago? How can that be replicated?

Deputy O'Keeffe touched on infrastructure and pitch access. It is great to hear about the new clubs in Tipperary working with facilities in Waterford but hockey pitches are expensive. I am not only talking about the national stadium, UCD or the temporary pitch that was so brilliantly used by the Irish hockey team in Energia Park. I have in mind the standard pitch that will run through the day as well. My constituency is something of a hotbed for hockey. Two clubs have a waiting list for every girls team from junior infants up to under-16 level. That is simply because there is insufficient pitch time. I have spoken to people playing hockey in Australia. They say they have training sessions at 11 p.m. or midnight. That may be because it is 40oC during the day but it is a matter of being inventive, as well as being cognisant of planning conditions that only allow floodlights to be on until 10 p.m.

The final point has been brushed on briefly by everyone. It relates specifically to the current players and concern about player welfare. It is not a professional sport. How does a player balance becoming an Olympian and playing at elite level with a day job or college? What is involved in the average day? What support do the players get from Hockey Ireland? What if the employer is not sympathetic? What about family members? The Hockey Ireland representatives referred to the goal for the hockey league and television rights or aspirations to be online. Many players have been playing abroad recently, including those on the Irish team. They have played on the Continent or under collegiate system in the USA. I assume the aspiration, like other sports, is to have every Irish international playing in Ireland around the clock. How can that be achieved? What is afoot to try to achieve that?