The 2024 Coaching and Umpiring Awards continue with Stephen Cuddy, Mark Cuddy and Brian Mockford being recognised for their work over the last season.
Firstly, Stephen Cuddy was awarded Children’s Coach of the Year for his work with Cookstown Hockey Club and Cookstown High School.
Cuddy has played a key role in the development of young players in the Cookstown area as he worked across several age groups across both the school and club teams.
His club and school teams were also highly successful during the 2023/24 season and won the Ferris Cup, Richardson Cup, Bannister Bowl and the John Waring All-Ireland Schoolboys Championships.
Meanwhile, Cuddy was also in charge of the Ulster U18 Boys (alongside Paddy Grimes) as they were crowned Interprovincial Champions back in November.
Upon receiving his award, the Cookstown coach said;
I am deeply grateful to Ulster Hockey for this award and to my home club Cookstown for the nomination. To be honest I’m a little embarrassed because this year’s success at CHS and CHC is due to a collective effort from a group of committed and talented coaches—I just happen to shout the most on the sidelines! A huge thank you to the CHC committee for their unwavering support, especially when I have ambitious equipment requests! I am also thankful to Principal Miss G Evans and Head of PE Michael Haycock at CHS for their consistent support with the school teams.
I’ve had the privilege of working with exceptional coaches over the years. Stephen Watt, Paul Revington, Michael Haycock, Stephen McCartney, Shirley McCay, and Patrick Grimes have all left indelible marks on my coaching journey. I owe them a huge debt of gratitude for their support and guidance over the years.
I cannot forget to thank my wife, Jude, for her unwavering support despite my demanding coaching schedule. And lastly, and most importantly to the boys at Cookstown, you guys are the real MVPs. I know my shouting can get old, but I hope I’ve been able to help you along the way. Keep loving the game and giving it your all!
Our next winner is Mark Cuddy who was presented with the Young Coach of the Year award for his work with Cookstown Hockey Club, Cookstown Primary School and Ulster Hockey.
The youngster has been involved in several coaching roles over the past year with both Cookstown Hockey Club and Cookstown Primary School.
Meanwhile, he has also made the step into senior coaching as he took on the role of coach at Dungannon Ladies where he was in charge of the 2nd and 3rd XIs.
Cuddy has also been involved with Ulster Hockey as he worked as a coach at our holiday camps during the Easter break.
Upon receiving his award he said:
“I’m honored to receive the Young Coach of the Year award from Ulster Hockey. Winning it was a complete shock. Thanks to Cookstown Primary School for nominating me.
At Cookstown HC, coaching is highly valued, and I learn from many experienced coaches. I appreciate the support and opportunities the club provides for young people.
I’m grateful to CPS, CHC, Dungannon Ladies, and Shirley McCay at Ulster Hockey for the chances to learn and grow. Being part of the coaching team that helped the u11 CPS team win the Pearson Cup was a big highlight this season.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to be part of the u13 Ulster boys team coaching staff travelling to Beeston in June. Thank you, Ulster Hockey, for this opportunity.”
Our final award saw Lisnagarvey Hockey Club’s Brian Mockford named the 2023/24 Club Umpire of the Year.
Mockford played a massive role at the Comber Road club this season and he fulfilled the significant role of implementing a development plan to grow the number of club umpires at the club & the interest in umpiring across our sport.
The Garvey man also Umpired games on a regular basis whilst also establishing an umpires committee & WhatsApp group which is used to appoint umpires to matches during the week and to share learnings and experiences. This has resulted in reducing the last-minute phone calls to secure umpires for games and has allowed Lisnagarvey to supply 2 umpires to games and help other clubs.
Continuing his own development through taking on more challenging matches and watching high-performance teams with other umpires to share views and learn In addition, Brian has launched a weekly UMPIRES THURSDAY post on the Lisnagarvey social media platforms.
