Mark Tumilty steps down as Ireland men’s hockey head coach

Hockey Ireland is on the hunt for a new senior men’s head coach after Mark Tumilty’s decision to step down from the role.

The former Irish international was appointed in 2019 on a short-term basis but his position was made permanent the following year.

Tumilty led the team to a 10th-place finish at the World Cup in August, Ireland’s highest ever placing in the tournament. However, Hockey Ireland confirmed he has now decided to “take a break from the demands of international coaching”.

“We respect his decision and wish to express our sincere appreciation for his leadership, dedication and contribution to the development of the senior men’s team,” Hockey Ireland added.

A formal recruitment process to select Tumilty’s successor will start next week, aiming to make an appointment by the end of December. Neville Rothman, Tumilty’s assistant coach, will take over in an interim capacity.

“Coaching Ireland has been a tremendous honour and something I’ve been incredibly proud to do,” said Tumilty. “After a significant period of commitment to the programme, I feel this is the right time for me to step back and take a break from international coaching.”

“I’d like to thank the players, coaching and support staff, Hockey Ireland and everyone who has supported the team during my time in the role. I wish the squad and the wider programme every success as they move forward.”

Tumilty had expressed frustration after the World Cup over the state of the game in Ireland, particularly the standard of the league. That hasn’t been helped by an ever-increasing number of Irish internationals moving to clubs in Europe, notably in Belgium and the Netherlands.

His sought a longer term strategy to boost standards in Ireland through the development of coaching and an improvement in facilities, particularly pitches.