Sutherland was educated at Leith Academy, where he started playing hockey.[1]
Sutherland played his club hockey for Edinburgh Civil Service, where he won multiple Scottish titles and captained the Scottish schoolboys in 1968.[2] He earned his first Scottish cap at the age of 19 after being called up for the match against Ireland on 29 March 1969.[2] He made his Great Britain debut on 8 May 1971.[3] Sutherland also excelled at athletics and finished second in the 400 metres hurdles in the 1973 Scottish Athletics League.[4]
Sutherland created some controversy during his career and was suspended and warned about his future conduct in 1974.[5] He also missed the chance to play at the 1976 Summer Olympics after the British team were denied a place despite being called up as a late replacement and then being stood down again.[6]
Sutherland received further suspensions for his conduct in 1977 but was part of the bronze medal-winning Great Britain team that competed at the inaugural 1978 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy, in Lahore, Pakistan.[7]
He missed out on selection for the 1980 Summer Olympics, partly due to recovery from a hand injury and more likely due to his disciplinary record[8] and was the first player from Scotland to play in Europe after joining Klein Zwitzerland in the Netherlands for the start of the 1980 season.[9]
