Nicola Pitticas is on a mission find major sponsors for Scottish Hockey.
The 32-year-old former player has joined the organisation in the newly-created role of commercial consultant.
And she takes up the part-time post having previously undertaken a successful one-off fundraising project for Scottish Hockey in the run-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Pitricas was set with a target to raise £15,000 to allow the women’s team to go full-time for the three months prior to the games and her gala evening brought in £32,000.
She played for the national squad at under-21 level before being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the age of 19. After two years of treatment, she was eventually able to return to playing at club level.
She went back to university and secured a scholarship in the United States to play field hockey for Michigan State. She then returned to Scotland and furthered her studies at Glasgow University before setting up her own sports recreation business.
She aims to secure a shirt sponsor for the national squads and is also looking at a variety of other “innovative” ways to boost funding for the game.
She joins as the women’s national squad prepares for its push back into the top tier of European hockey.
This will culminate in the 2019 EuroHockey Championship II competition set to be held this August in Glasgow.
The men’s team is expected to enjoy several hours of live television coverage in the forthcoming EuroHockey Championships.
The fundraiser said: “There are always going to be challenges, but this is an exciting time for Scottish Hockey. We are building momentum, and there are some great opportunities on the horizon.”
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