John Jackson (born 21 February 1986) is an Ireland men's field hockey international. He was a member of the Ireland team that won the bronze medal at the

2015 Men's EuroHockey Nations Championship The 2015 Men's EuroHockey Championship was the 15th edition of the men's EuroHockey Nations Championship, the biennial international men's field hockey championship of Europe organised by the European Hockey Federation. It was held from 21–29 Au ...

. He also represented Ireland at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

. At club level, he has played for both Loughborough Students and

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

in the

Euro Hockey League The Euro Hockey League is an annual men's field hockey cup competition organized by the EHF for the very top field hockey clubs in Europe. The competition was launched at the start of the 2007-08 field hockey season when it merged and replaced th ...

. He also won the EHA Cup with Reading in 2014–15.

Early years, family and education

Jackson's father, Peter Jackson, has been involved in hockey since the 1970s as a player, coach, manager, administrator and supporter. He played for Collegians, Parkview and

Mossley Mossley (/ˈmɒzli/) is a town and civil parish in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, in the upper Tame Valley and the foothills of the Pennines, southeast of Oldham and east of Manchester. The historic counties of Lancashire, Cheshire ...

. Between 2003 and 2018 he served as the

Ireland men's national field hockey team The Ireland men's national field hockey team is organised by Hockey Ireland and represents both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in international men's field hockey competitions, including the Summer Olympics, the Men's Hockey World ...

manager. Jackson's mother also acted as the team doctor at the

2014–15 Men's FIH Hockey World League Semifinals The 2014–15 Men's FIH Hockey World League Semifinals took place in June and July 2015. A total of 20 teams competing in 2 events took part in this round of the tournament playing for 7 berths in the Final, played between 5–13 December 2015 in R ...

. Between 1997 and 2003 John Jackson attended Ballyclare High School. Between 2003 and 2004 he attended the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. Jackson subsequently attended

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when L ...

were he completed a degree in Ergonomics. In 2013 Jackson married Dr. Rachel Arnold, a fellow graduate of Loughborough University. She works as a sports psychologist in the Department for Health at the University of Bath. She is also field hockey player and has played for Team Bath Buccaneers, Loughborough Students and

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

Domestic teams

Mossley

Jackson began playing

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

as a four-year old at

He continued playing for Mossley until he left for

in 2004. He returned to Mossley during the 2010–11 season while working for

Sport Northern Ireland Sport Northern Ireland ( ir, Spórt Thuaisceart Éireann) is the regional government sports council (funding body) for Northern Ireland. History It was established under the Recreation and Youth Service (Northern Ireland) Order 1973 as the Spor ...

. In December 2017 he returned to Mossley and helped them reach the final of the Kirk Cup.

RBAI

In 2003–04, together with

Paul Gleghorne Paul Gleghorne (born 11 April 1987) is an Ireland men's field hockey international. He was a member of the Ireland team that won the bronze medal at the 2015 Men's EuroHockey Nations Championship. He also represented Ireland at the 2016 Summe ...

and Michael Watt, Jackson was a member of the Royal Belfast Academical Institution team that won the

McCullough Cup The McCullough Cup is a hockey competition. It is an annual tournament played for by schools affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association. The competition is held in the winter term of each school year, with the older Burney ...

, the

Burney Cup The Burney Cup (Ulster Schoolboys' Senior Hockey Cup) is an annual competition involving the strongest schools affiliated to the Ulster Hockey Union, Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association. The competition is held in the spring term of eac ...

and the

All Ireland Schoolboys Hockey Championship The All Ireland Schoolboys Hockey Championship is an annual competition involving the strongest schools affiliated to Hockey Ireland. The competition is held in the Autumn term of each school year. Banbridge Academy, Down, are the current champion ...

Loughborough Students

Between 2004 and 2010 Jackson played for Loughborough Students. Jackson captained Loughborough Students and was named player of the year in 2005–06 and 2009–10. Together with

, he also played for Loughborough in the

2007–08 Euro Hockey League The 2007–08 Euro Hockey League was the inaugural season of the Euro Hockey League, Europe's premier club field hockey tournament organized by the EHF. The final was played between UHC Hamburg and HGC at the Hazelaarweg Stadion in Rotterdam, ...

Braxgata

Between 2011 and 2013 Jackson played as a professional for Braxgata in the

Men's Belgian Hockey League The Men's Belgian Hockey League is a field hockey league organised by the Royal Belgian Hockey Association. The league was established in 1919 as the Division 1. Between the 2006–07 and the 2015–16 seasons it was known as the Honor Division. S ...

Reading

Between 2013 and 2016 Jackson played for

in the

Men's England Hockey League The Men's England Hockey League is a field hockey league organized by England Hockey that features men's teams from England and Wales. Format Regular season There are 62 teams in the league, the top tier consists of a Premier Division of twelve t ...

. Together with

Chris Cargo Christopher Cargo (born 18 February 1986) is an Irish field hockey player who plays as a forward or midfielder for English club Hampstead & Westminster. He scored 28 goals in 195 matches from 2009 to 2019 for the Irish national team. He compet ...

, he also played for Reading in the

2013–14 Euro Hockey League The 2013–14 Euro Hockey League was the sixth season of the Euro Hockey League, Europe's premier club field hockey tournament organized by the European Hockey Federation. The group phase was held in Barcelona, Spain, and Lille, France, in October ...

. In 2014–15, Jackson helped Reading win the EHA Cup.

Team Bath Buccaneers

In 2016 Jackson began playing for Team Bath Buccaneers in Tier 2 of the

(MEHL). In the autumn of 2019, Jackson suffered the second hockey-related skull fracture of his career, during training with the Buccaneers; by January 2021, he had recovered enough to return to training with the team, preparing for competition in Tier 2 of the 2021–22 MEHL season.

Ireland international

Jackson made his senior debut for

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in June 2006 against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He was a member of the Ireland teams that won the

2009 Men's EuroHockey Nations Trophy The 2009 Men's EuroHockey Nations Trophy was the 3rd edition of the Men's EuroHockey Nations Trophy, the second level of the European field hockey championships organized by the European Hockey Federation. It was held from 1 to 8 August 2009 in ...

and the

2011 Men's Hockey Champions Challenge II The 2011 Men's Hockey Champions Challenge II was the second edition of the for men. It was held in Lille, France, from July 2–10, 2011. Teams Eight teams participated in the tournament, they were: * * * * * * * * (Hosts) Results ''All ...

. Jackson also helped Ireland win

Men's FIH Hockey World League The Men's FIH Hockey World League was an international field hockey competition organised by the International Hockey Federation. The league also served as a qualifier for the 2014 and 2018 Men's Hockey World Cups and the 2016 Olympic Games. T ...

tournaments in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

. Jackson captained Ireland at the

2013 Men's EuroHockey Nations Championship The 2013 Men's EuroHockey Championship was the 14th edition of the men's EuroHockey Nations Championship, the biennial international men's field hockey championship of Europe organized by the European Hockey Federation. It was held alongside the w ...

and he scored the equaliser in a 3–3 draw against the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. This draw secured Ireland's place in the top level of

EuroHockey Nations Championship The EuroHockey Nations Championship is an international men's field hockey competition organised by the European Hockey Federation (EHF) for the top eight European national teams. It is the top division of the EuroHockey Nations Championships. Th ...

. He has since captained Ireland over forty times. He was also a member of the Ireland team that won the bronze medal at the

. He also represented Ireland at the

. In June 2017 Jackson was a member of the Ireland team that won the Hamburg Masters, defeating

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

4–2 in the final. In July 2019, during a two-match series against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, Jackson became the third Ireland men's international, after

Eugene Magee Eugene Magee (born 1 April 1986) Ireland men's field hockey international. He was a member of the Ireland team that won the bronze medal at the 2015 Men's EuroHockey Nations Championship. He also represented Ireland at the 2016 Summer Olympic ...

and

Ronan Gormley Ronan Gormley (born 21 April 1983) is an Irish field hockey player. He competed for the Ireland men's national field hockey team at the 2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Game ...

, to make 250 senior appearances. In December 2021, having already returned to his Bath Buccaneers club from an autumn 2020 skull fracture, Jackson was a member of the Irish side that played three indoor friendlies against

Coaching and teaching

Throughout his field hockey playing career, Jackson has also worked as coach. Between 2004 and 2010, while attending

he coached several university teams. During this time he also coached at

Ratcliffe College Ratcliffe College is a coeducational Catholic independent boarding and day school near the village of Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicestershire, approximately from Leicester, England. The college, situated in of parkland on the Fosse Way about ...

. Between April 2010 and September 2011, Jackson worked for

as an 'active communities' coach, coaching elderly, disabled and youth groups. Between 2011 and 2013, while playing for Braxgata, he served as an assistant coach of the women's first eleven and as head coach of the under-16 girls team that won a 2012–13 national championship. In September 2013 he was appointed senior hockey coach at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

, and began coaching youth teams at Marlborough Hockey Club. In 2016 he was appointed head of hockey at Prior Park College, Bath, where he also teaches academic

Physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

. He also began coaching the University of Bath Hockey Club women's first eleven.

Honours

;

*Hamburg Masters **''Winners'': 2017 *

Round 1 **''Winners'': 2012 Cardiff *

Round 2 **''Winners'': 2015 San Diego **''Runners up'': 2013 New Delhi * Men's FIH Series Finals **''Runners up'': 2019 Le Touquet *

Men's Hockey Champions Challenge II The Men's Hockey Champions Challenge II was an international field hockey competition introduced by the International Hockey Federation The Fédération Internationale de Hockey (English: International Hockey Federation), commonly known by the ...

**''Winners'':

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

**''Runners up'':

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

* Men's EuroHockey Nations Trophy **''Winners'':

*Men's Field Hockey Olympic Qualifier **''Runners up'':

*Men's Hockey Investec Cup **''Runners up'':

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

;

* EHA Cup **''Winners'': 2014–15 ;

* Kirk Cup **''Runners up'': 2017 ;

RBAI The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today is ...

**''Winners'': 2003–04 *

**''Winners'': 2003–04

References