SOF donates £60,000 to College Hockey appeal

Andrew Cook (Director of Development at the College) writes : Many thanks once again for the Societies generous donation, which is very much appreciated by all at the College not least the pupils.

As background Andrew has provided the following about Creating a Legacy of Hockey

From Year 3 right through to Year 13, Framlingham have a seamless hockey programme that helps aspiring athletes and amateurs alike.

Above all, developing a love of the game right through the age groups comes first and foremost; for pupils to go out, pick up a stick, feel free and love every minute of it, that’s what makes us; and our pupils, tick when it comes to hockey. We foster a love of the game for all abilities and aspirations in our exciting training environments.

This approach has resulted in several OF’s and current pupils gaining representative honours including Georgie Gardens (Senior England, 2024), Beth Gardens (England U21, 2024), Holly Hartley (England U18, 2024), Anna Cogdell (England U18, 2024), Holly Dring Richardson (England U21, 2024), Georgie Gardens (England U21, 2024), Daisy Ford (England U21, 2024) and Tessa Hipp (Switzerland U18, 2024). In addition to which, our hockey program has resulted in many students accepting hockey scholarships to universities in America including among others Stanford, Berkely and Yale.

Maintaining our position at the forefront of UK school’s hockey will only happen if we are able to attract world class coaches, recruit pupils with an ambition in the sport irrespective of financial means and maintain the exceptional facilities currently available.

Most recently, and so as not to disrupt our hockey program at Framlingham, we needed to move quickly over the Summer (2024) to upgrade the Inskip surface. This endeavour required significant funding; in excess of half a million pounds, and although the College had budgeted within their annual Capex expenditure to maintain their commitment to hockey and our facility development program, it comes at a challenging time politically and economically.

Hockey must continue to be a cornerstone of our athletic program at Framlingham College, our aim is to add further national titles, support elite player development and nurture those with future international ambitions, whilst not losing sight of the need to create an environment for all to enjoy the game at whatever level.

The objective of this campaign is to create a platform from which to garner support from the hockey community past, present and future. We remain extremely grateful for the significant contribution from the Society of Old Framlinghamians who have donated £60,000 already and in so doing, become a catalyst for others to support the future legacy of hockey at Framlingham College. Funding will ensure we can future proof hockey at Framlingham College. With your support we can invest in three key areas:

1. Infrastructure development – astro pitch resurfacing, video technology and indoor hockey facilities.
2. Bursarial support to attract young hockey players who may not have the financial means to benefit from a Framlingham College education.
3. Additional coaching resources including specialist areas such as GK coaches.

There will be a launch event on 16^th March 2025 and the details are:

Date: Sunday 16^th March 2025

Venue: Framlingham College, Inskips & Fowler Pavilion

Times: 10:30 – 16:00

Event: Triangular mixed hockey tournament featuring Staff, Pupil & OF teams

To register your interest in joining us on Sunday 16^th March at Framlingham College or to donate please contact Andrew Cook via acook@framlinghamcollege.co.uk

Thank you in advance for your support.