Red Hockey CEO Wayne Scholes has saluted the “incredible” efforts of GB’s Inline ice hockey team in winning a bronze medal at the world championships.
The national side returned from Tampere in Finland as heroes, after they beat Argentina 3-2 in the Division One bronze medal encounter.
Red Hockey were one of the companies that stepped in at the last minute to fund GB’s participation, after a major sponsor dropped out.
And Mr Scholes was delighted with the team’s performance in bringing home a well-deserved medal last week.
He said: “Playing at such a high level, and taking third place is a great achievement for Great Britain. I am so proud of their performances.
“James Archer, who also plays for Manchester Phoenix in the English Premier Ice Hockey League, was a great ambassador for GB, both on and off the rink.
“When we heard that the national team needed funding, we were only too happy to step in. We liked having the logo on the shirt, as it shows we support the sport, and our players in their passions.
“Neil Morris, who owns Manchester Phoenix, also arranged for a number of other companies to get involved, including J Davidson, Comtec, Millingtons and Goodwins.”
Archer, who was appointed Assistant Captain for the tournament, has already put in place a number of targets for next year’s world championships.
He said: “I am so proud of how we played and hopefully, we can go a step further next time and take gold. I want us to win promotion back to the top division.
“Coming home with bronze is a great achievement and as a team we can only progress. That is very much our chief aim for next year.
“I can’t thank everyone enough, from sponsors to fans, for all their support over the past few months.
“All the tweets and messages we have had, whilst in Finland, really helped to spur the lads on to bring a medal home.”
Paul Baker, Director of Red Hockey, said: “I spoke to James Archer a few weeks ago, before the tournament. I was immediately struck by his passion for the sport, so I’m delighted that Great Britain have done so well.
“Again, this demonstrates the benefits of sponsorship with Red Hockey. We have a massive reach, on local, national and international levels.”
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