Mike Hamilton Obituary, Death  – Mike was a proud Doncaster resident and grammar school student. After studying PE at Loughborough, he taught PE in Leicestershire before turning to technology as an early IT evangelist. Later, his experience helped develop sports video and analysis. Mike excelled in hockey, County 2nd XI cricket, and quick bowling.

He was captain/coach at Leicester Westleigh HC and became involved in coaching in the Midlands – both for regional junior teams and in coach education where he played an increasingly significant role.  Mike joined The Hockey Association in 1985 as a Regional Coach and became Director of Coaching in 1989, first in Worcester and subsequently in Milton Keynes.

He directed a combined coaching award program with the All England Women’s Hockey Association, one of the initial cooperation efforts that resulted to one organization overseeing the game. In 1997, he became High Performance Manager for the new body, then Performance Director in 2000 until 2004. Mike worked relentlessly to give player paths and coach development during the lottery financing transition at the elite level, creating the framework for our performance plan. Mike briefly coached the senior international teams as assistant and lead.

Mike departed as British Orienteering CEO in 2018 after twelve years. Stephen Barlow, Competition Manager, worked with Mike for years and mourned the news. Mike loved the game and how it should be played, dedicated his career to developing players and coaches. The many players he supported will miss him as a great boss, guy, and larger-than-life personality. We sympathize with Mike’s wife Jill. We’ll announce funeral arrangements when available.

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