Campbell named new coach at South Antrim

Drew is no stranger to the Club having been at the helm when the 1st XI won Senior 2 in 2005.

He boasts a wealth of experience having gone on to oversee Mossley’s promotion to the Premier League in 06/07, as Senior 1 champions, before guiding Lisnagarvey to the Premier League title in 2010/2011.

Drew’s experience extends beyond that of domestic club hockey having taken charge of various Ulster (u16s, u18s and Senior Men’s) & Irish (u16, u18) representative sides. He has worked alongside some of the biggest names in Ulster and Irish hockey, most significantly in his roles as the Ulster Senior Men’s coach and Irish Senior Men’s assistant coach in recent years.

Drew, who will also coach at Friends’ School, has enjoyed a relative break from the game over the last couple of years but described the combined roles as a ‘dream’ and is eagerly awaiting the start of the new season.

On the appointment, Club Captain Lee Marshall commented, “With our Senior 1 rivals Portadown & North Down also on the hunt for a new coach this summer, it was imperative we acted quickly to ensure we got our man - and in Mr Campbell, we certainly haven’t Drew the short straw! Drew’s record speaks for itself in terms of boasting real championship winning credentials and I, along with the rest of the Club, am excited at the prospect of working under him this season. Even at this very early stage of the campaign, there is a degree of optimism about the Club. We have had several encouraging results during pre-season; most notably how we acquitted ourselves superbly against formidable Premier League opposition in the Anderson Cup/Plate a couple of weekends ago. Perhaps more pleasing, however, is just how well the group has responded to Drew’s ideas and philosophy both on and off the pitch over the past 8 weeks which will hopefully stand us in good stead in the coming months. Drew’s appointment, coupled with the fantastic facilities we now have at Friends’ School, has given us a great platform on which to build future success. Here’s hoping this winning formula off the pitch, can translate to a winning one on it over the course of the forthcoming season.”

The men’s 1st XI begin their Linden Cup campaign this Saturday when they travel to face Antrim. The action gets underway at the Antrim Forum at 2.30pm. All support for the lads would be appreciated.