The Bermuda Hockey Federation are continuing their search for a full-time head coach to help revitalise the sport, as they prepare for the new season.

Having endured dwindling numbers within its members for a number of years, the federation advertised for the position, both on island and further afield, back in March, with the aim of restructuring their coaching hierarchy in the hope of growing the sport’s popularity back to its past levels.

However, initial attempts to find a suitable appointment proved fruitless with the federation still actively looking for the ideal candidate with help from their partners within the Pan American Hockey Federation as well as with the SportWays company in Holland, to help facilitate coaches for a Summer weeklong camp, which saw a 40 per cent increase in numbers over last year.

In preparation for the upcoming season, the federation’s Saturday afternoon Fubnstixs programme is now open for registration, and starts on September 14. The programme is designed to help young players between the ages of five to 12 the opportunity to learn the sport in a fun and engaging environment.

In addition and building on the success of last year’s under-21 female programme, the federation are also working on implementing a under-16 male youth programme, aiming to create a pathway from the Saturday afternoon sessions and prepare players for the next levels of field hockey, local league matches and ultimately international competitions.

Meanwhile, as president of the federation, Keith De Silva, attended this year’s Pan American Hockey Federation congress in Lima, Peru.

He he had the opportunity to discuss the sport with other Caribbean islands to converse and collaborate on their concerns and also how best to co-operate in order to help grow the sport across the region.

As part of the congress, De Silva was also presented with the President award for outstanding development work for the sport in Bermuda.