THE Guyana Hockey Board (GHB,) in its continued effort to develop the sport locally, plans to continue its schools programme and intends to include a few more city schools.

According to GHB president Philip Fernandes, Queen’s College, Bishops’ High School and School of the Nations are among the few schools that are being considered to benefit from the Board’s development plans this year.

Fernandes, a former national midfielder player said an inter-school tournament will be scheduled for the first half of the year and the board plans to assist the Western Dragons, the only team currently in West Demerara area, with their developmental plans.

He said assistance will be rendered through members of the GHB coaching committee volunteering to run sessions at Uitvlugt at weekends.

According to the GCC head coach, plans are on stream to host an Olympic Solidarity coaching clinic locally to further develop the knowledge of local coaches as well as to broaden the base of coaches who can then serve in the Board’s school development programme.

With regard to facilities, Fernandes lamented the fact that Guyana is probably the only Caricom country without an artificial surface and this, he said, the Board would be paying special attention to this year.

“Of course our long-term goal is always to secure an area that can house an artificial surface for hockey. We are hoping once again for some assistance with this from the Ministry of Sport, which can give us the prerequisite to then appeal to the International governing body (FIH) for assistance with funding to purchase and install such a pitch.

This is vital for the continuity of the sport,” Fernandes lamented.

He added that the GHB would be reviewing the National Park facility as a hockey match venue, and they would be securing the use of an additional field as the GHB has lost the use of both the Everest and the Police ground at Eve Leary for the sport.

In terms of ongoing development, Fernandes, who represented Guyana at the 1987 Pan American Hockey Tournament which was staged in Trinidad and Tobago, said clubs have undertaken to reintroduce hockey to schools and programmes have begun at North Ruimveldt Multilateral School, St Joseph High School, Marian Academy, Mae’s School and St Stanislaus College.

The GHB is happy to have successfully completed 8 tournaments for the year. For the first time there was a tournament at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence and this was a huge success. The field at Providence is without doubt one of the best in the Caribbean and made for a very high quality of hockey as a result.

The business executive declared that 2009 was a successful year in terms of the staging of local competitions as well as clubs’ participation in international events.

“The Diamond Mineral Water Tournament was another success and great praise must go to the organising committee composed of myself, Rawl Davson, Ivor Thompson, Devin Hooper and Gregory Sills along with Brian Asregado, Alisia Katideen, Dwayne Scott, Troy Peters, Lawrence Farley and Chris Woodroffe.

“The outcome of the tournament shows that Guyana is still performing at a competitive level regionally in the indoor game despite our lack of available indoor facilities for training.”

Re competitions for this year, Fernandes said, he anticipates the usual full calendar of local tournaments and hopes to expand on the one-day tournament played at the Providence stadium with a multi-day tournament.

“We hope also to participate in both the Central American & Caribbean Games being held in Puerto Rico (July) and the Pan American Indoor Cup in August (Venezuela).

Tournaments held last year included the Mr Toppers Indoor Championships at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall of which the men’s first division winners were GCC. The second division and the ladies winners were Carib Degenerates and Flora GCC Tigers respectively.

GCC also won the men’s category of the Digicel/Bounty One-Day Tournament at the Providence stadium, while Flora GCC Tigers and Hikers were joint winners of the ladies’ category.

The division one winners of the Noble House Goals Galore Handicap Tournament were GCC ‘A’, while Hikers `B’ won the second division.

The Banks/Infab Night Hockey Tournament was won by Hikers men, while the Farfan and Mendes Men’s First Division League was won by Hikers.

Hikers also won the John Fernandes Insurance Limited second division tournament.

GCC won the men’s first division of the GT &T National Indoor Championships. Western Dragons won the second division category while Flora GCC Tigers won the ladies’ category.

Hikers also won the men’s category of the Diamond Mineral Water International Indoor Hockey Festival while Malvern of Trinidad and Tobago won the ladies’ category.