SPORT and Charlie Farrow, English Hockey's new regional development manager for Network East, go hand in hand.The 35-year-old goalkeeper has been playing hockey at club level for 20 years and is now captain of Ipswich East Suffolk in Premier Division A of the Printwize East League.

By Martin White

SPORT and Charlie Farrow, English Hockey's new regional development manager for Network East, go hand in hand.

The 35-year-old goalkeeper has been playing hockey at club level for 20 years and is now captain of Ipswich East Suffolk in Premier Division A of the Printwize East League.

He is also a more than useful cricketer and for several years was employed by the Ipswich Indoor Cricket Stadium.

However, hockey remains his first love and he is excited by the new challenges that lie ahead, after taking over the manager's role at the office in Bury St Edmunds from Clare Macleod.

His area covers Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire and he is looking forward to dealing with all aspects of his new job.

Farrow said: "One of my roles is to liaise and work with volunteer workforces in the region, acting as a link between professional staff and those who do such fantastic work for hockey and make the whole thing work.

"I have always worked in a sporting environment while hockey is a game I have enjoyed for years. Because I have a background in sports administration and marketing I feel this new post is ideally suited to me.

"I am aware that I have a huge region to cover but I hope those involved in hockey will view me as their contact."

However, he added: "Hockey as a game has changed since the days of grass and the clubs, which are the heart of the game, need to find ways to rediscover the social interaction lost with the advent of artificial pitches.

"Matches are played at differing times from early mornings to late afternoons, which restricts some of the social side of the game.

"Communication could be improved between the Hockey Association and the grass roots level and equally between the grass roots level and the HA.

"There is sometimes also a lack of communication between clubs, especially in the area of junior development. Some tend to work in isolation and if I can help bring them together then I will feel that I have achieved something worthwhile."

Junior hockey is something on which Farrow is also very keen and as voluntary co-ordinator at his own club for the past four years, has seen the youth ranks rise to more than 100, catering for those from under-nine to under-15.

Farrow, who holds a Level 2 coaching badge, will target coach education as one of several development areas in his new role.

"We want to see more players especially young people take up coaching and umpiring and to that end I shall be working closely with people already in involved in those particular fields," he said.

Farrow will also work in partnership with local authority sports development officers, Sport England and organisations such as Sports Coach UK.

Farrow can be contacted by phone on 01284 756930 (office) or 07811 336895 (mobile) or by e-mail at ehardme@globalnet.co.uk