Mercian and Investec sponsor HWC Player of the Year Awards

Investec will sponsor the HWC women's player of the year award; Mercian will sponsor the men's award

The Hockey Writers Club is proud to announce that the prestigious Player of the Year awards will be each be sponsored by leading hockey partners.

Investec, who support the women’s national hockey league and England and Great Britain women’s teams, will sponsor the 2015 women’s player of the year.

Mercian, the leading kit supplier, will sponsor the men’s player of the year award.

These awards are to be presented at the Hockey Writers Club Annual Presentation Lunch to be held at the Royal Thames Yacht Club on Wednesday January 20, 2016.

The awards' lunch will welcome in a key year for the sport ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympics and also look back at a successful year for English hockey.

This includes England women winning their first EuroHockey Championship title in 24 years when they overcame the Netherlands to take gold in a thrilling shoot out at Lee Valley in August.

England Hockey chief executive Sally Munday will be in attendance, while International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Leandro Negre will be a guest speaker.

Higgins Group plc will continue their long partnership with the Hockey Writers Club by sponsoring the Youth and Junior Awards.

Holcombe’s Iain Lewers and Canterbury’s Susannah Townsend were last year’s HWC players of the year.