The Scottish Institute of Sport, in partnership with the Scottish Hockey Union has announced the appointment of Keith Joss as women’s high performance hockey coach as well as national team coach.

Joss’ appointment, which takes effect from 4 December, will see him assume responsibility for the hockey women’s programme, which delivers high quality coaching and integrated support programmes to Scottish players.  He currently holds the position of interim coach to the national squad and has played an integral part in rebuilding the team following the retirement of several senior players after the World Cup qualifiers. 

In the short term, Joss will be responsible for ensuring the Scottish team win the EuroHockey Nations Trophy, to gain promotion back to the Championship division and to assist as many of the team as possible secure a place in the GB team for the forthcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.

Commenting on his new role, Joss said, “I’m very much looking forward to working with the Scottish Institute of Sport and Scottish Hockey on a permanent basis to develop the sport in Scotland. The talent is there and my job will be to build on the good work already done and create an environment where this potential can be realised. Having worked with several of the Under 21 team in the past, I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to work with many of them again as they progress in to the senior team.”

Joss has been aligned to Scottish Hockey since 1993 when he coached and managed the Under 16 Boys team.  His career progressed from there, working with Under 18 Boys, Under 21 Women and acting assistant coach for the Senior Women’s team. During this time he has had many career highlights, most notably the 2002 European Junior Nations Cup in Spain where the Scottish team finished three places above their ranking, one of two fourth place finishes in Europe’s elite competition. 

Brent Deans, chief executive officer at Scottish Hockey, commented on his appointment saying, ”Keith Joss has already proven that he is up to the challenges that this role will bring. His key focus will be developing the individual players as well as the team as a whole in a bid to give the players the best chance to succeed on the world stage.”

Marty Aitken, performance director at the Scottish Institute of Sport added, “Keith is a good home-grown coach with a proven track record, who is now ready to take the next step in his impressive career.  By working closely with Scottish Hockey, Team GB, UK Sport, sportscotland and the Area Institute’s of Sport we are confident that the team will deliver an integrated programme of support services that will enable the women’s national team to fulfil their competitive targets.”

GB performance director for hockey David Faulkner concluded, “GB hockey look forward to working closely with Keith to benefit Scottish athletes who have the potential to represent Great Britain in the Olympic Games.”