Sportscotland is investing £876,900 towards the development of hockey in the country.

Scottish Hockey, the sport’s national governing body, will use the money to fund grass roots initiatives at schools and clubs. Part of the funding will also go towards the country's elite performers.

Louise Martin, chair of Sportscotland said; "Hockey is a sport with an encouraging level of youth participation. More than 30,000 young people play on a regular basis and it is really encouraging to see a number of those players making their mark at Scotland and GB level".

Scottish sports minister Shona Robinson added: " Hockey is growing in popularity all the time and this investment will make sure the sport continues to develop and strengthen our national team ahead of the European championships."

Scottish Hockey CEO, Brent Deans, said, "We are very excited by the prospects of what this investment will deliver for hockey. We particularly thank Sportscotland for the increased support of the performance programme, as we build towards success in 2014.