Dave Beckett admits it “won’t be an easy feat” following in the footsteps of Brett Garrard after the former England and GB Hockey international was unveiled as Surbiton women’s new coach.
Beckett returns to the club he played for before a knee injury forced him to retire.
He has since coached East Grinstead for the last three seasons, as well as being a games specialist in hockey at Epsom College.
Beckett said: “Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to EG for the past three years. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of such a fantastic club and I wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
“I am very excited about coming back to Surbiton as a coach and pre-season can’t come soon enough.
“Taking on what Brett Garrard has created over the past 14 seasons won’t be an easy feat, but with some great players, and with the club’s strong foundation and infrastructure, I’m confident we can continue to make strides forward.”
Surbiton said in a statement: “Several excellent candidates were interviewed for the L1 vacancy but Dave’s outstanding attention to detail, high level knowledge and passion for driving the team forward made him the standout choice.
“The club are excited to see where he can take the team in the coming seasons.”
Beckett takes over from Garrard, who joins Epsom College as director of hockey in September.
