Field Hockey Canada announces Susan Ahrens as Director of Hockey Development

December 1, 2017 | Field Hockey Canada | fieldhockey.ca

Field Hockey Canada is excited to announce the appointment of Susan Ahrens as the organization’s Director of Hockey Development. Ahrens is a veteran in the global field hockey community and has a successful track record in teaching and coaching – having coached at club, provincial and international level. She arrives at Field Hockey Canada after four years at the helm of Field Hockey BC’s high-performance and Coach Education. For Ahrens, this transition from leading high-performance systems to leading development is an exciting new challenge and she is looking forward to driving hockey development across the country.

“There is lots going on and many great people and enablers already in place and I hope to be able to support and grow this foundation. Things are already starting to motor ahead and I’m excited to be on board to help drive this,” she said.

“For example, I think NextGEN will really help bridge the gap between the provincial and national level for athletes and then you have some great NCCP Coach Education and umpire/officials programs in place which will support the quality and growth of our sport in the long run. At the end of the day, it’s about the athletes, at all ages and levels, and giving them the best opportunities and we achieve this through creating a top environment.”

Ahrens has a comprehensive educational background, initially studying PE teaching in Scotland, before going on to achieving a Master’s of Science in coaching and then a PhD in philosophy, which focused on the broader social value of sport.

Her playing resume is as impressive as her work and scholastic background. With over 170 caps for her native Scotland, she played in one Junior and two Senior World Cups as well as two Commonwealth Games. To be the best she could be, she spent much of her playing career overseas, competing in professional leagues in Germany (Rot-Weiss Koln), Holland (HGC) and Australia (VIS) and alongside finishing in the top 10 at a World Cup, Ahrens points to winning the European Cup as a major playing highlight.

According to Jeff Sauvé, CEO of Field Hockey Canada, Ahrens brings a unique blend of experience in education, high performance and development.

“Susan is an expert in the field of sport development,” Sauvé said. “She also has tremendous experience in field hockey from many different perspectives. I have confidence that she will succeed in this important role. We are very fortunate to have Susan on board moving forward.”

Sauvé said the growth and development of coaches, officials and athletes is paramount in Field Hockey Canada’s strategic plan moving forward. He said that Ahrens is a great person to have leading the charge.

According to Ahrens, her experience as a player, coach and as a trained educator makes her a good fit for the role and having worked for field hockey in Canada over the past five years she is well placed to have a positive impact.

“We have an opportunity to get everyone on the same page nation-wide and move together towards something great.” – Susan Ahrens