Marlborough College is delighted to announce the appointment of former England and Great Britain defender Ollie Willars as the new Head of Hockey.
The 33-year old will move to Marlborough following this summer after a three-year spell playing for Dutch Hoofdklasse club HGC.
Educated at Worksop College, Willars enjoyed a stellar playing career making a total of 138 caps for both England and Great Britain. He made his debut for England at the 2012 Champions Trophy and won eight medals, including two bronzes at both the EuroHockey Championships and Commonwealth Games.
He made his debut for Great Britain in 2014 and was part of the squad that overcame Malaysia in 2019 to ensure the nation would be represented at the Tokyo Olympics while he also scored against Australia in the final as Great Britain won the 2017 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
Speaking of his appointment, Willars said: “I am delighted to be joining Marlborough. Elite level sport has been a huge part of my life for the past 12 years, and now is the right time to step away from that and into full-time coaching, something that I have a real passion for.
“Marlborough has huge potential in terms of hockey and there is a wonderful opportunity to create something special – Marlborough has great facilities, some wonderful staff and some very talented young hockey players.
“I hope we can become the school in the South West that all aspiring hockey players will want to come to because of the programme we’re continuing to build and the coaching on offer. It’s an exciting challenge and I am really looking forward to getting started.”
Willars will join Marlborough in September 2024, replacing Mark Ramage as Head of Hockey – who the College would like to thank following his seven years of service.
Image courtesy of Great Britain Hockey
