MENS HOCKEY: Finally, after the fuss and delays, the hastily assembled interprovincial tournament will have an Irish coach casting his eye over players this weekend at Grange Road with a view to next year's European Championships in Rome.

David Passmore, who was yesterday named by the Irish Hockey Association (IHA) as acting high performance director and men's senior coach, will fulfil that role. The creation of a full time position as acting high performance director is a significant development and indicates the importance of high performance programs for the international athletes.

Passmore's appointment comes only days after the appointment of hockey's first chief executive officer Paul Varian.

The 37-year-old will take on the function for the next 12 months beginning in March of next year and will then fill the position of men's senior coach, when he has completed his commitments to English Hockey.

He is currently a full time high performance coach with English Hockey and coach of the successful England B and under-21 women's team, which won silver at the 2002 European Championships and bronze in 2004. His other experiences have included assistant roles with both the men (2001) and women's senior squads, including the Sydney Olympics.

In his current role, he is responsible for all aspects of the England B and under-21 squads while also overseeing the under-18 and under-16 squads (both silver medallists in Europe this year).

He has also coached successfully at club level with Maidstone (unbeaten in 52 league matches) and Cork Harlequins (All-Ireland Cup finalists, Munster champions and club championship runners-up in 2004).

"This is a fantastic opportunity for me and one I am looking forward to immensely.

"There are some very talented athletes in the country and their current world ranking does not reflect this.

"I firmly believe that with some hard technical work their potential can be realised and a top 12 ranking is a realistic target over the next few years," he said.

"The performance director's role will enable Irish hockey to structure in a way that will best support international success at all levels of the game for the future.

"I am looking forward to working with the coaches to support them, and their programs."

Passmore currently lives with his wife and five children in Kilmallock, Limerick.