The Avon Hockey club is thrilled to announce the coaching team for the H&B Avon Eels CPL Women’s teams 2019:
Co-Coaches: Ata De Goldi Ling and Gemma Aston
Manager/Assistant Coach: Anna Morgan
Ata has previously been associated with Avon as a player in CPL, Div 1 and Div 2 and is now returning to where hockey in Christchurch began for her in 2009. Ata is well known in the Canterbury Hockey community and also the hockey community in her hometown of Greymouth. Ata is an experienced coach, starting her coaching career while still at school herself. Ata appreciates the importance of family in the hockey arena and has worked alongside family members throughout her involvement in hockey. Ata has coached numerous Canterbury rep teams from 2012 until 2017 including U15 Premier Girls, U18 Association Girls and Assistant Coach of U18 Regionals. In recent years Ata’s coaching focus has been on developing younger players with her involvement with Villa Maria 2nd XI, HSOB Div2, Funsticks and Fetch Hockey. Ata received the Tony Hayde Trophy for Coach of the Year in 2015, as well as being awarded several coaching awards from the HSOB Club throughout her time there. Ata brings both experience and enthusiasm to the role and alongside Gemma and Anna, who also hail from the West Coast, is looking to inject her own coaching style and ‘humour’ in to Eels culture throughout the 2019 season and hopefully beyond. Ata says, “I am looking forward to a new challenge and coming home to Avon”. We are excited and happy to have you ‘home’ Atamira.
Originally from Greymouth, Gemma Aston has recently moved to Christchurch with her husband, Blake, after living in Hamilton for the past eight years. While in Hamilton Gemma became heavily involved with the Varsity Hockey club including playing for their Premier Women’s’ team, coaching their Division 1 team and managing their Premier Women’s team while recovering from injury. Gemma also served as the Chairwoman of the Senior Division for the Waikato Hockey Association. Gemma’s knowledge, experience and fresh ideas will be an asset to the club for the 2019 season.
When ask about her new role Gemma said. ‘Ata made me do it….’, Gemma we are glad to welcome you and we respect someone who feels that peer pressure and does it anyway!!
While Ata and Gemma are a new coaching combination they have known each other for a number of years, with their hockey relationship extending back to when Gemma coached Ata in the U13 West Coast Collier team. Their coaching styles and personalities complement each other well, and the Avon Committee will continue to support them toward becoming a cohesive coaching team over the 2019 season.
Anna Morgan will join Ata and Gemma in a support role and to assist where needed after a break from CPL hockey last season. Anna is excited to be joining up with Ata again after coaching together from 2013 to 2015, and also to learning and gaining different skills and perspectives from Gemma during the next few months.
We extend our best wishes to these ladies as they begin their preparation for the 2019 hockey season and beyond.
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