Club 1896, named after the year hockey originated in Ulster, is a membership forum aimed at encouraging new commercial partnerships whilst creating valuable financial support for the development of hockey. Members will gain access to an annual calendar of speaker and panel-led networking events, the first of which is planned for January 2024.
The official launch of Club 1896 at Titanic Belfast on 22nd September brought together business leaders and sporting heroes including cricket legend Lord Ian Botham, who shared a candid Q&A session with the audience about the highs and lows of his outstanding career. Guests also enjoyed an insightful panel discussion exploring the true value of sport led by broadcaster and compere Denise Watson with Olympic gold medallists Dr Stephen Martin and Jimmy Kirkwood, Irish international hockey icon Dr Shirley McCay MBE and Keith Liggett of Legacy Wealth Management.
Speaking about this new development from Ulster Hockey, Chief Executive Marc Scott said: “It is well known that sport relies heavily on financial support from the private sector and whilst there is a huge volume of support throughout the Northern Ireland business community, we believe there is so much more potential benefit for players, clubs and businesses if we work better together as one.
“Club 1896 will provide a structured series of networking events for members to attend that will encourage business connections, spark valuable partnerships and showcase the talent we have here across in both sport and business.
“We are proud to have launched Club 1896 with a fantastic event and are incredibly grateful to all who showed their support – particularly our sponsors Millar McCall Wylie, our fantastic panel of speakers and of course Lord Ian Botham who spoke in such an open and entertaining way. Our launch gave guests a flavour of what Club 1896 events will offer as we seek to untap great economic potential for sport and business in Northern Ireland.”
Speaking at the event, Jan Cunningham, Managing Partner of sponsor Millar McCall Wylie added: “It is fantastic to see an organisation like Ulster Hockey proactively calling for better collaboration between sport and business. Millar McCall Wylie has supported a wide range of sports at different levels, including Ulster Hockey, for decades – and year on year, we see benefit beyond branding. We see the growth and development of young people and we form new business connections with other parties involved. We are proud to have played a part in the first of many Club 1896 events and look forward to seeing what the future of the network holds.”
Jan Cunningham of Millar McCall Wylie with Lord Ian Botham and Marc Scott of Ulster Hockey
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