Finding the next Olympic hockey champions whilst giving school children a thoroughly good time are just two of the aims of the Croydon Schools and Youth Hockey Association since they gained a new lottery grant.

They are holding two courses over the Autumn half term to bring youngsters into hockey as players and umpires and are also set to improve the facilities available for primary schools after they received a cheque for £4919.

The new facilities and courses are intended to get youngsters interested in hockey at the grass-roots stage.

The lump sum will be used to purchase four hockey bags containing full goal-keeping equipment for all teams who play at Monks Hill and five equipment bags with balls and kits to based at St Joseph's, Applegarth, Byron, Ridgeway and Davidson primary schools, enabling them to organise local-area tournaments.

The money will also be used to pay for hockey for teachers' training courses, which will be organised in the new year for both primary and secondary teachers.

Particularly targeting young females, subsidised hockey courses in the Autumn half-term will occupy primary school children from 10am to 12pm, and secondary school pupils from 1pm to 3pm.

After a goal-keeping course on Monday, October 22, two training courses in hockey and in umpiring will run for the remainder of the week from October 23 until October 26.

The four-day course, featuring the most capped English international in any sport Karen Brown, will climax in a tournament played and umpired by the youngsters.

Anyone interested should contact Pearl Sethna on 020 8760 5592.

October 23, 2001 17:00