THE future of Gloucestershire sport appears to be in good hands judging by the three finalists for the Young Coach of the Year award.

Helen Gregory, 16, assists with the Junior section of Cheltenham Junior Hockey Club and also coaches and umpires for a lot of the club's teams.

She has also taken on the management of the Under-11 girls team and is also still playing for both the Under-18 and Ladies Third sides.

She has undertaken her Young Umpire/Leadership and Foundation Umpire badges plus her Level One Umpire award and is now awaiting her practical assessment.

In May she was rewarded for her coaching and leadership skills by being awarded the Young Leader of the Year Award by England Hockey.

Angie Pearce, Junior Co-coordinator, hockey development officer and coach, said of Helen: "She is always willing to help at club and county tournaments and events with coaching and umpiring and although she is very busy with her A Levels now, she always finds time to help out whenever she can."

Cheltenham Hockey Club certainly appears to have a bright future ahead of them after another one of their young members, Corrie Farrell, made the final three as well.

Farrell, who turned 19 on November 11, assists with Cheltenham Junior Hockey Club coaching the junior goalkeepers from ages 10 to 16.

She writes her own session plans and offers advice on goalkeeper's kit.

She has taken her Young Umpire Award and her Level One Coaching Awards which were sponsored by the Cheltenham Junior Hockey Association (CJHA).

Farrell has been a member of CJHA since the age of 11 and has played in all age groups and progressed through to play for the club's first XI.

She has led the Junior Goalkeeping training for the last three years and has also volunteered for County Goalkeeping Development Centres as one of the coaches.

Pearce said: "Corrie will always help whenever she can and also coaches goalkeepers at East Glos Hockey Club and at football as well as hockey."

The last, but by no means least, finalist is 16-year-old Shona Corbett who in 2007/08 completed the Sports Leader Award Level one at Thomas Keble School

In the last year she has assisted in a range of activities including district netball tournaments and other School Sport Partnership events.

She was appointed young Ambassador for the Stroud School Sport Partnership and proved an excellent role model in her visits to local primary schools to encourage other children to take up a range of different sports.

She has also helped set up a junior netball club for primary children at Thomas Keble.

Coach Wendy Chandler said: "Shona has an abundance of enthusiasm and inspires young people through her positive bubbly personality.

"She is incredibly mature for her age and approaches all coaching responsibilities sensibly and sensitively."