Rothman backed for Ireland role as Tumilty steps down

Mark Tumilty has stepped down as the head coach of the Ireland senior men's team after seven years in charge.

The Banbridge man took up the role on an interim basis in September 2019 before being appointed full-time 13 months later.

As Tumilty steps away, he has endorsed his assistant Neville Rothman to take the reins.

The South African has agreed to take on the role of interim head coach while Hockey Ireland begin the recruitment process for Tumilty's successor.

But Tumilty believes they do not need to look far.

"I think the impact that Neville has had on the program, it wouldn't be where it is without Neville Rothman," Tumilty told BBC Sport.

"I think the role that Neville has done has been significant in what we've achieved in the last two years.

"I would fully endorse the appointment of Neville and I actually think we'd be crazy not to appoint him as the new head coach to lead the program over the next two years and beyond."

Tumilty also believes that a Rothman appointment would keep important continuity within the Irish programme.

"He had already done a really, really good job with the under-21 group and we know after 2028 there'll be a younger squad coming together," he added.

"I think Neville's ability to work with those younger players and look towards that Brisbane Olympics group would be really something and interesting to watch that develop.

"I think there's no better person in my eyes."

Tumilty’s first matches in charge of the Ireland squad where the Olympic qualifiers against Canada in Vancouver in October 2019.

They ended with a devastating defeat on penalties after Ireland conceded a controversial last-minute goal that denied them a place in the Tokyo Olympics.

That was put right four years later when Ireland qualified for the Paris Games in 2024.

Among the other highlights during Tumilty’s tenure were two seasons in the FIH Pro League, promotion back to the top division of the EuroHockey Championships and a top-10 finish at this year’s World Cup.

Perhaps his greatest achievement came during Covid in 2020. After the failure to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, many of the squad retired from international hockey, leaving Tumilty to rebuild the squad from scratch in testing circumstances.

Many of the players he gave debuts to have gone on to win 50 or more caps for their country.

"That probably is my proudest achievement. When I look back, I remember when I was asked, what did I want to achieve in the role? I never said Olympic Games. I never said a World Cup. It was could I leave the program in a better place than I got it?" said Tumilty.

"Has that been challenging? Yes, it has. Was that Covid period challenging, trying to get players on a pitch? It definitely was. Rebuilding the squad.

"It’s a credit to the staff and the players. You see the development of some of the players, some of the individuals, of where they've come from.

"They committed to that period and it was really important and Hockey Ireland helped us have 25 to 30 games. They weren't always against the top nations, but they were against nations which were probably ideal for the group at that stage to build them into international hockey.

"We've reaped the rewards of it in the last two years and I think that's something that, for any coach or any program that wants to build, it does take time."

Tumilty will take a break from the game but it is difficult to see that being a long stint on the sidelines.

He's a hockey man through and through and like any sport it faces many challenges.

Could Tumilty bring his years of experience to a role within Hockey Ireland to help address those challenges at some stage in the future?

"I think anybody that knows me, knows I'm very passionate about Irish hockey. No other job has ever appealed to me,” admits Tumilty.

"Do I think we have challenges in the sport? I do. I've said I really think we need to focus on investing in our schools and clubs. That's the bread and butter of our game. We need to work to see how do we make that side of the sport grow.

"So if I can give back to Hockey Ireland in some way in the future, I'm definitely not ruling that out.

"Would I be keen to take on a role if it became available in the future that enables me to try and help build the sport, support the sport, help our national teams play on the world stage on a consistent basis, help our pathway improve?

"Certainly, it's not something I would rule out.”