Mike Clancy has been appointed as the new Head Coach of Great Britain Women.

The 46-year-old moves up from his previous role as Assistant Coach after first joining the GB programme as Head Coach of the men’s under-16s in 2019.

Clancy has worked with England Under 16s/17s and U19s, as well as coaching The Midlands in the Conference programme.

As a player, Clancy started his goaltending career by coming through Deeside Dragons junior system and also iced for Sheffield Scimitars, Trafford Metros, Telford Tigers and Altrincham Aces, before helping form the Flintshire Freeze.

“I’m deeply, deeply honoured, privileged and humbled to have been given this opportunity to represent Great Britain as the women’s Head Coach,” said Clancy. 

“It’s a really exciting time for the women’s programme as we start to work towards preparing for the Olympic Qualifiers in October and next year’s World Championship.

“I’m excited to catch-up with the coaching and management team ahead of starting to work on a number of scheduled camps to select the team to compete in Korea. 

“I’m deeply passionate about creating the right environment to support the winning culture needed to bring success to the women’s programme.”

David Hand, Chair of the GB Programme Board, said: “Mike is no stranger to GB after starting out with the men’s under-16s before moving on to the Assistant Coach role with the women. 

“He has plenty of experience and is highly regarded with the sport in the UK, so we are excited to see him lead our women’s team. 

“We look forward to working with Mike in what is an important year for the women’s programme, starting with the Olympic Qualifiers later this year.”