Southern Fried launches hockey academy

Southern Fried Hockey is delighted to today announce the formation of a brand new hockey academy, which will begin operation in Munster during the forthcoming 2011/12 season. The Southern Fried Hockey Academy (SFHA) will be headed up by Andrew Gray, a 25-year-old Level 2-qualified coach and umpire of interprovincial standard who is committing to coaching full-time this season. Andrew, who is also captain of UCC’s first team, is a former Munster U16 boys coach and is also at the helm of the Munster U18 boys side for 2011/12. You can find out more about his hockey CV here. The Southern Fried Hockey Academy aims to help children and adults alike have fun playing the sport we love, develop more elite players, increase the volume of beginners exposed to hockey and expand the sport within the province of Munster.

Aiming to combine top-quality coaching with great value, the SFHA will operate traditional week-long summer camps for children of all abilities, as well as shorter, intensive mini-camps during mid-terms and at Christmas and Easter. One-day sessions – for coaching specialist skills such as drag-flicking – will be available, and the SFHA will also develop an elite programme to help players with ambitions of representing their province and country improve their skills, technique and preparation methods. Places at all of these hockey camps can be booked online, and payment can be made securely through PayPal for ease of use and peace of mind. In addition to the more traditional coaching practises, the SFHA is also committed to helping hockey players at all levels improve on their own time, via a series of weekly instructional videos focusing on the execution of specific skills. The first of these is live on the site now! On a more light-hearted note, the SFHA academy will also be visiting clubs around the province throughout the season, video cameras in tow, to find out which teams are the kings or queens of the Crossbar Challenge. There are many more exciting projects ventures to be ironed out over the coming months, but in the meantime, there are plenty of ways to get involved. COACH WITH US! The Southern Fried Hockey Academy is committed to providing an outlet for bright coaches from around Munster to hone their skills. Interested in working with us? Fill out the application form here. BUY A  T-SHIRT! Help spread the word of Southern Fried Hockey, by being one of the first people to get your hands on our first range of new t-shirts. Men’s sizes are currently available to buy from our online shop here, and we are expecting the delivery of the women’s sizes in the coming days! STAR IN OUR VIDEOS! Much and all as we have a blast recording our instructional videos, we’re already sick of looking at each other. If there’s a specific skill you think you’d be good at demonstrating and explaining on film, tell us why via email to alan(at)southernfriedhockey.com or andrew(at)southernfriedhockey.com.