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onSuMe
STARMAKER
2009 will be a year to remember for
stick manufacturer NEDSTAR. We like
the look and feel of their innovative
sticks so we caught up with owner Craig
Fulton to fi nd out what it’s all about.
Why did you start NEDSTAR?
I had just started playing international
hockey in 1995 and all the sticks at the
time looked very corporate. I had a
few ideas and suggested them to my
sponsor who said it was not possible.
This gave me enough incentive to
use my designs and ideas to start my
own brand.
What does NEDSTAR mean?
“Ned” is my hockey nickname! It came
about when my brother and I were
messing around with a stick and ball
in a changing room at the beginning
of a club team talk (as you do). gene,
a more senior player in the team who
was also a psychologist, was reading
a comic strip called ‘Jeff and Ned: the
Polish acrobatic twins’ at the time, so he
named me Ned and my brother Jeff!
What were your biggest challenges?
Firstly it was fi nancial; I did not take a
loan from the bank I just started really it needs to be distributed evenly in the men’s players – Conor Harte, David
small and paid my way. Secondly was shaft giving the stick the feel of a light ames and Timmy Cockram all using
the distance we are from the factory. I head on pick up. the Nedstar Superfl y and David Harte
needed to provide constant feedback (Irish mens gK using Flytrap 34”
and the turnaround time from the How do you see the future of stick goalkeeper stick). There are a host of
factory from one batch of samples to manufacturing? provincial and club players using the
another was slow. New advancements will continue to brand as well. On the women’s front
make the sticks fulfi l a range of needs eimer Harte who has played for Ireland
Did it help being a former like being lighter, stiffer and stronger and now plays for Slough is currently
international? with a softer feel in the composite range. using the Skinny Pink top-of-the-range
I just liked my sticks a certain women’s stick. Like the men there is
shape and weight and feel .You can’t How will you be able to compete with good support of the brand in the clubs
believe how pedantic I was about my larger brands? and provincial teams.
equipment; now when I design a stick We pride ourselves on our different
and head shape I put in a lot of time approach to our branding and the What was the best piece of coaching
into what I think from my experience quality design of the stick and materials advice given to you?
and current playing trends is the right we use. Nedstar is aimed at those that I like to focus on the mental approach
shape. I have done a lot of stick and like to stand out from the crowd and to the game and one of my sports
material testing! play with a good product that looks psychologists once said to me before
different from the norm. a major tournament: “Don’t let your
What are your aspirations for the highs be too high and your lows be
company? How can I get a NEDSTAR stick? too low”.
Nedstar’s chief goals are to produce the go to www.nedstar-uk.com . It is also
best hockey products and equipment soon to be in Inter Sport of Lewes, What’s on your iPod at the moment?
possible. We also want to have Nedstar game Set & Match in east Sussex, On my iPod at present would be Feeder,
products available in all the hockey Morris ground Sports in Cannock Blink 182, Third eye Blind and U2.
playing countries. Hockey Club and alliance Sports in
essex. There is also a variety of stores Who would win in a game between you
What’s your top tip for choosing the in Ireland , New Zealand, Bermuda, and your wife?
right stick? Canada and soon hopefully the States. I like that question but I’m afraid to say
It would be to choose a stick based on it would be my wife. She holds the ship
a
ge 53
the right balance and weight. I don’t like Who plays with a NEDSTAR stick? together and is also about to give birth P
all the weight in the head of the stick so There are currently four Irish national to our second child.

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