Hockey club wins big with new kit for keeper

BEING in goal is not for the faint-hearted, admits Mikey Redman, fundraiser, coach and player at Dumfries Hockey Club.

“Oh, so you want to be a goalie?” he asks. “It’s not great being belted by a ball at 100mph! You really need a certain mentality for that.”

Ready for action … Dumfries Hockey Club’s younger members have great mentors to inspire them

Persuading youngsters to give hockey a go and making them stick with it amid all the competing distractions of teenage life is a challenge.

The club has 107 members, with ages ranging from six to 75. Fifty-seven of those are under-18s who are committed and love their sport.

It has five teams that compete in the West District Hockey League and make the 16-mile round trip every second weekend to play matches in Glasgow.

Mikey’s used to hockey playing second fiddle to the beautiful game in Scotland and doesn’t really mind.

“Hockey is a big minority sport. We find it difficult to compete sometimes because the main sports are football and rugby.

“So it might only appeal to a certain number of people. And there is only one hockey pitch in Dumfries and Galloway,” he says.

“But our club’s got four or five players who have won medals in the World and European Championships at masters hockey.

“They’re coaches and obviously great mentors for the youngsters, showing them ‘this is what you can do if you stick with it.’”

Both the sport and the club are growing in popularity and word of mouth is also changing the perception of hockey as being “just for girls”.

Removing financial barriers for youngsters who might want to join is vital. It costs just £10 a month to train every week.

“We’re cheap childcare!” says Mikey.

“They’re there for an hour, running around, getting fresh air, a bit of coaching, meeting people they otherwise wouldn’t because we’re not a school club, and making progress.

“That’s what it’s all about. We provide the equipment so if they haven’t got the money, they don’t need to worry about that.

“But once they get into it, they’re more likely to buy their own hockey stick. The kids love it,” he says.

So Mikey was chuffed when the club won a Tesco Stronger Starts grant towards a new youth-sized goalkeeper kit.

The kit fits ages 12-16 and costs a whopping £750. “You’ve got your body armour, you’ve got your legs, your feet and your helmet,” says Mikey. “It’s essential.”

Head-on tackle … some members of the team compete in the West District Hockey League

Since 2016, Tesco, in partnership with Groundwork, have awarded over £100million to more than 50,000 local projects through their grant programmes.

Last July, Tesco launched Stronger Starts, which commits £5million to schools and children’s groups to fund healthy food and activities every year. 

This summer, Tesco’s teamed up with The Sun’s Activity for All campaign, to support kids’ sport and holiday clubs with free funding.

“We applied for a grant for two goalie kits, which are very expensive. But obviously without a keeper, it’s very difficult to play hockey!

“We’re trying to build the youth team up as we want more people to take part,” says Mikey. “You know, if you only have one goalie and they can’t play, then it’s hard or the game has to be cancelled.

“So that’s what we applied for, money for potentially two goalkeeper’s kits.”

Mikey Redman … ‘Without a keeper, it’s very difficult to play hockey’

Once selected by a panel, three groups go to the “blue token” public vote in local Tesco stores. Customers can show their support by popping their tokens in the box of their choice after a shop. 

It is tempting to keep checking how you’re doing, admits Mikey: “We shop at Tesco so we were there quite often.

“You want everyone to do well. We were against a school for the disabled and you’re happy for whoever wins.

“We came third and that’s brilliant – we were awarded £500. It means we only had to use £250 out of our funds. We bought a full goalkeeper’s kit.”

Any of the younger players can now play in goal. “The kit is great and makes me feel safe – I just can’t wait to use it in a game,” says one young member.

Mikey adds: “The girl who’s mainly using the kit stopped being a goalie and left the club for a month or so.

“Once we got the brand new kit, it kind of persuaded her to give it another go. And she’s now played a couple of league matches for the second team. She’s only 13!” With the Paris 2024 Olympics under way, could we see her and other Dumfries Hockey Club youngsters at the Games in 2032?

Schools and groups can find out more and apply for a Stronger Starts grant at tescoplc.com/strongerstarts. Shop in store and pick up a blue token to help children thrive in your area.