In recent weeks both Julie Fisher and Nigel McCullough have been recognised for their long standing service to hockey, being presented with the Winifred Templeton and Carson Clarke Awards.
Firstly, Julie Fisher of North Down Hockey Club was recognised at the Ulster Hockey AGM, being presented with the Winifred Templeton Award by former Ulster Hockey President Terry Templeton.
Fisher is a familiar face to many in Ulster, a regular umpire across all levels with both school and club competitions as well as being the Chair of the Umpires Development Committee.
Ever reliable, Julie is a constant feature at school semi-finals and finals during finals weeks in March and April giving up her spare time to help officiate during the busiest time of the year.
Meanwhile, throughout the regular season, she is a Panel Umpire and regularly involved in both Premier League and IHL matches, proving herself to be one of the top umpires in the country in recent years.
As well as her roles as an umpire, she is also heavily involved in the masters set up, both as a player and playing a key role in helping to organise events within the province including the Four Nations which gets underway this week at Playball, Stormont.
Last week, Nigel McCullough was presented with the Carson Clarke Memorial Award for his outstanding service to hockey.
Best known for the McCullough Cup, Nigel filled many roles in Ulster from 1975-2011 including becoming the youngest ever President in 1991 when he was 42- years-old.
He has served on nine different Ulster Hockey committees fulfilling roles such as Chair of Umpires Association, Vice chair of Disciplinary Committee, Chairman of Ulster Umpires Directors and Chairman of Irish Umpires Directors.
During that time he proved to be a reliable member of the various committees and Ulster Hockey board, missing just one of the 302 meetings which he was due to attend.
Congratulations to both award recipients!