Field Hockey Canada’s Centres of Excellence (COE) are a key component in the overall Talent Development Program. FHC is pleased to announce Shiaz Virjee as the new Program Manager, Centres of Excellence to lead the implementation and development of the overall program.
“Shiaz is one of our highest qualified, most experienced and successful coaches, who brings with him a deep knowledge of our field hockey environment and strong relationships in the Canadian and global community,” says Alan Brahmst, Director of National Teams and Performance Strategy. “Shiaz has the right combination of business and sport acumen to translate our strategy into a successful operating model which will pay dividends for our athletes and our high performance programs.”
No stranger to FHC, Shiaz was the Head Coach of the Men’s National Team from 1993 to 2000, leading Canada to its best finish of 8th place at the 1998 World Cup and 10th place at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. As an International Hockey Federation High Performance Coach, Shiaz has conducted coaching courses across the globe.
“I have gained considerable insight into various athlete development models,” says Shiaz. “I am excited to be a part of a team that is striving to build a world-class athlete development system in Canada.”
In his new role, Shiaz will be focused on the implementation of a pilot program this spring in FHC’s four initial COE. Beyond his immediate focus, Shiaz will be responsible to extend our strategy to establish a sustainable, world-class talent development program, which will be closely tied to the overall athlete and coaching pathways.
“In Canada, we have a large pool of talented field hockey athletes that need quality coaching and mentoring to make the transition to high performance teams,” says Shiaz. “With a strong team of coaches and sport science experts, we will implement an innovative and systematic approach, including the Centres of Excellence, to enable athletes to develop into world-class athletes.”
Stay tuned for more information about the Centres of Excellence. More to come this month.
