Hockey is skating from the ice rink to sports halls across Cardiff with a new ‘Devils in the Community’ initiative to increase opportunities for youngsters to get their skates on.

The Sports Council for Wales and HSBC have joined forces through Sportsmatch Cymru – the Welsh Assembly Government business incentive scheme for sport in Wales – to inject £20,000 into the Cardiff Devils Ice Hockey Club.

The combined funding package, £10,000 from each organisation, will be ploughed into delivering a 20 week course of inline/ball hockey taster sessions within nine secondary schools across the city, with the intention of creating enough interest in the sport amongst the youngsters to establish up to nine new hockey clubs.

The second phase of the project will expand the offering further with weekly training sessions being held at various local leisure facilities – all in close proximity to the schools - with a view to using them as a base for clubs in the future.

Brent Pope, former Devils player and Head of the Devils in the Community programme comments:

"Through the Devils Community Foundation we are working hard to build on the existing popularity and interest in the sport of ice hockey in Cardiff. There are a number of Inline Hockey clubs already established and in existence across South Wales and we are confident our Devils in the Community programme will continue to raise the profile and participation within our sport in Cardiff dramatically."

The 5x60 programme, administered by the Sports Council for Wales on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government and managed locally by Sport Cardiff, aims to get secondary school pupils in Wales more active, more often and will facilitate the initiative through their Active Young People Department and 5x60 Officers based within the targeted schools.

Cllr Howells, Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Parks said:

"This programme is an exciting part of our European City of Sport status 2009 and we are thrilled to be working in partnership with the Devils to take hockey out of the ice rink to our local schools and communities. Our partnership will hopefully help the Devils increase its profile and player base as they make their way back to the top flight of ice hockey in the UK."

John Lloyd-Jones, Regional Public Relations Manager-Wales from HSBC, comments on their involvement:

"We are delighted to be able to contribute to such a worthwhile initiative. HSBC takes an active part in supporting the community – especially when it involves encouraging young people to participate in physical activity."

Sportsmatch Cymru is designed to encourage more business backing for grassroots sport by matching new or additional sponsorship. Chair of the Sports Council for Wales, Philip Carling, said:

"With funding and support from the Welsh Assembly Government and the National Lottery, the Sports Council for Wales is helping to transform the sporting landscape in Wales. The considerable investment into community sport, facilities, equipment and coaches has impacted on communities throughout the principality and is helping to raise participation rates across the board.

"We want to hear of bright ideas and projects that will help us continue our mission to get more people in Wales more active, more often."