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All the news for Wednesday 6 March 2019

2019 FIH Pro League (Men) - 6 March

5 Mar 2019    NED v GER (RR)   0 - 1    HC Rotterdam, Rotterdam

Weekend matches

8 Mar 2019 19:00 (GMT +13)     NZL v ESP (RR)     North Harbour Hockey Stadium, Auckland
10 Mar 2019 14:30 (GMT +13)     NZL v ARG (RR)     North Harbour Hockey Stadium, Auckland
Live streaming on https://fih.live (Geo blocked if there is TV coverage)

Unofficial Pool standings

The FIH inexplicably and confusingly use a system not used in any other sports League in the World, of making the Percentage more important than Points until the end of the League when they will revert to Points only. Fieldhockey.com prefers to use the conventional Points and so the Unofficial Pool Standings on this site are reflected in this manner.

FIH Match Centre

2019 FIH Pro League (Women) - 6 March

6 Mar 2019  CHN v GER (RR)   2 - 1   Wujin Hockey Stadium, Changzhou

Wekend matches

8 Mar 2019 17:00 (GMT +13)     NZL v USA (RR)     North Harbour Hockey Stadium, Auckland    
10 Mar 2019 16:30 (GMT +13)     NZL v ARG (RR)     North Harbour Hockey Stadium, Auckland
Live streaming on https://fih.live (Geo blocked if there is TV coverage)

Unofficial Pool standings

The FIH inexplicably and confusingly use a system not used in any other sports League in the World, of making the Percentage more important than Points until the end of the League when they will revert to Points only. Fieldhockey.com prefers to use the conventional Points and so the Unofficial Pool Standings on this site are reflected in this manner.

FIH Match Centre

Walter and Fuchs shine as Germany men defeat the Netherlands in Rotterdam



Florian Fuchs proved to be the hero as Germany’s men claimed a 1-0 FIH Pro League victory over home favourites the Netherlands on Tuesday (5 March), although Die Honamas goalkeeper Tobias Walter was the real star of the show thanks to a wonderful individual performance in front of a capacity crown in Rotterdam.

Walter produced a string of incredible saves to keep the dominant home side off the score-board, with the ever-reliable Fuchs striking what proved to the killer blow in the 45th minute of the match, firing between the legs of Netherlands shot-stopper Sam van der Ven from a seemingly impossible angle.

The result sees Germany move into fourth position in the men’s FIH Pro League standings, while the Netherlands drop down to sixth.

The two giants of European hockey came into the match on the back of touring Oceania and South America. Germany (FIH World Ranking: 6) were left frustrated when a thunderstorm in Buenos Aires resulted in the cancellation of their match against Olympic champions Argentina, a team that went onto claim a 4-3 victory against the Netherlands (WR: 3) just two days later.

The meeting between two of Europe’s most decorated teams at the impressive Hockey Club Rotterdam venue was something of a slow burner. Scoring opportunities in the opening period were limited to mere half chances, something that could not be said for a second quarter in which the Netherlands stepped up their game and brought some absolutely breathtaking goalkeeping from Germany shot-stopper Tobias Walter.

Walter twice blocked penalty corner drag-flick efforts from Jip Janssen before making a trio of stunning saves in the final minute of the half, almost single-handedly stopping the home side from establishing a lead that they unquestionably deserved.

While Walter’s excellent form continued after the break, Germany were starting to create some decent chances of their own. Dutch goalkeeper Sam van der Van was forced into a double save to deny Dan Nguyen before Fuchs fired home his winner, finding a gap between the legs of the unfortunate Van der Ven just when it seemed that the chance to shoot had been missed.

Bjorn Kellerman and Bob de Voogd both had good chances to equalise for the Netherlands, but Germany held on to claim their second win of the FIH Pro League.

Speaking after the game, Player of the Match Walter said: “It is important that we actually won the game, and it’s fine for me that I played such a good game as well. I tried my best, always focussing on the ball. Sometimes you need a bit of luck as well. We had a difficult first half, but we spoke at half time about that and in the second half we performed really well and controlled the game. We created our chances and we took them. We were really unhappy that we couldn’t play our match against Argentina last week, but to play in front of such a big crowd [today in Rotterdam] is really nice.”


The FIH Pro League action continues on Wednesday 6 March when Germany’s women face China in Changzhou.

FIH Pro League

5 March - Rotterdam, Netherlands

Result: Men’s Match 16
Netherlands 0, Germany 1.
Player of the Match: Tobias Walter (GER)

#FIHProLeague

Official FIH Pro League Site

China women claim first win with victory over Germany in Changzhou



Goals from captain Cui Qiuxia and Zhang Xiaoxue gave China their first FIH Pro League win on Wednesday (6 March), helping the Asian giants to a 2-1 triumph over Germany at the Wujin Hockey Stadium in Changzhou.

The result sees China move up to seventh in the women's FIH Pro League standings, while Germany’s first regulation time defeat leaves them in fifth position.

China (WR:10) were forced to soak up plenty of pressure in an opening period dominated by Germany (FIH World Ranking: 5). Ace Germany forward Charlotte Stapenhorst twice went close to opening the scoring for the Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallists, firing into the side netting from an acute angle before seeing a backhand strike from the top of the circle kicked to safety by the right foot of China’s ever-reliable goalkeeper Ye Jiao, who had another excellent game.

China’s defensive resilience continued in the early stages of the second quarter, with defender Li Jiaqi making a brilliantly timed tackle to deny Naomi Heyn a certain goal at the end of a well-worked penalty corner routine. Despite this chance, Germany’s grip on the contest had started to loosen, with Dan Wen and Gu Bingfeng going close before China made the breakthrough just before half time. China captain Cui Qiuxia found the net with a superb penalty corner deflection, diving in at the left post to convert a perfect pass from the influential Gu.

Things went from bad to worse for Germany in the third quarter when Zhang Xiaoxue produced a cool close range finish at the end of a rapid counter-attack to put China into a 2-0 lead.

Die Danas battled hard to find a route back into the contest but were thwarted by some outstanding defending from the hosts, who managed to keep Germany off the score-board until seven minutes from the end of the contest, when Hannah Gablac slapped home after great work from Viktoria Huse. It was the lifeline that Germany needed, but China’s resolve was not to be broken as the home favourites claimed their first victory in the inaugural edition of the FIH Pro League.

“It is amazing, right!”, said China captain and Player of the Match Cui Qiuxia at the end of the game. “We played very hard. I think before the game we needed confidence, so I am very proud of my teammates.”

The FIH Pro League action continues on Friday 8 March in Auckland, New Zealand, as the Black Sticks face USA women and Spain men.

FIH Pro League
6 March - Changzhou, China

Result: Women’s Match 19
China 2, Germany 1
Player of the Match: Cui Qiuxia (CHN)

#FIHProLeague

Official FIH Pro League Site

FIH Pro League Scouting Report: USWNT vs. New Zealand



In anticipation of the U.S. Women's National Team's upcoming FIH Pro League match, here is a scouting report you’ll want to review before the starting whistle.

Game Day: Thursday, March 7, 2019 (Friday, March 7, 2019 local, New Zealand)

Time: 11:00 p.m. ET

Location: North Harbour Hockey Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand

Live Stream: Don't miss a second of the FIH Pro League action down-under and watch the USWNT take on Australia this Saturday! The FIH has signed a four-year media rights agreement with Bleacher Report Live for the territories of Canada and the United States. Bleacher Report Live is operated by Turner Sports, a division of WarnerMedia. The platform, which is Turner’s live sports streaming service, will be the primary destination for all fans to watch FIH Pro League matches.

FIH Pro League single games are available paid per view for $2.99 per match or $19.99 for the FIH Pro League 2019 Season Pass (all matches). Click here for the FIH Pro League live stream landing page.

Opponent: New Zealand
FIH World Ranking: 6

Head to Head: It has been more than a year since the last time these two sides met during a very exciting match. Their last meeting was on New Zealand's home turf in November 2017 at the Sentinel Homes Hockey World League Final in their third and final pool game. A lot was on the line for this game, as the outcome affected the final pool standings and placements in the quarterfinal round. Finishing the first half tied 1-1, USA produced two goals in the third quarter to earn a 3-1 victory over the Black Sticks and finished second in the pool. The last time USA defeated the Black Sticks in a world international event, excluding test series, was at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Prior to that USA and New Zealand saw each other twice during the 2017 Hawke's Bay Cup played in Hastings, New Zealand. Both tight contests, the Black Sticks took both matches, 3-2 and 2-1 respectively.

	Head to Head (since 2013)
	17 Previous Matches 4 Draws
8	Won	5
31	Total Goals	30

What You Need to Know: The Black Sticks have been outstanding performers over the last decade, regularly putting themselves in contention for a place on the podium at the events they have entered. Fourth place finishers at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games split by a fifth-place finish at the 2014 Hockey World Cup has proven some what a frustration, but their gold medal success at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games showed that they are more than capable of winning titles. Their 11th place finish at the Vitality Hockey Women's World Cup London 2018 was well below expectations and may act as a catalyst for a strong showing in the FIH Pro League.

The initial squad, originally named by now Great Britain head coach Mark Hagner, is very experienced featuring nine players who have played more than 100 times for New Zealand. Stacey Michelsen, Olivia Merry and Sam Charlton all have over 200 international matches under their respective belts.

Recap of New Zealand's Previous Game: In Christchurch, New Zealand, the No. 6 Black Sticks hosted No. 10 China at the Nga Puna Wai Hockey Stadium. China came into the match on the back of a 4-3 defeat against Australia’s Hockeyroos in Hobart, while the home favorites were beaten 3-1 by Germany in Christchurch just two days prior.

The teams could not be separated in the opening two quarters of the match, although there was certainly plenty of action at both ends of the field. China failed to convert on two penalty corners in the first quarter and found themselves temporarily reduced to nine players in the second period thanks to disciplinary cards to Xu Wenyu and captain Cui Qiuxia, although the Black Sticks could not take advantage of the situation.

However, a yellow card to China’s Gu Bingfeng early in the third quarter proved costly, with New Zealand making the most of the extra player before Olivia Merry produced a cool finish into the bottom right corner of the China goal.

China desperately searched for an equalizer in the final quarter, with Song Xiaoming coming close before the Asian giants replaced their goalkeeper with an outfield player. The tactic would have paid off were it not for two wonderful saves from New Zealand goalkeeper Grace O’Hanlon, with Brooke Neal also making a crucial goal-line clearance.

The result was put out of reach three minutes from full time when Merry scored her second goal of the game from the penalty spot, somehow squeezing her shot between the pads of Ye Jiao moments after a penalty corner effort had been illegally stopped on the line by a China defender. It was Merry’s fifth goal of the FIH Pro League, three more than any other player has managed at this early stage of the competition.

New Zealand's Roster: Click Here

USFHA media release

Kookaburras Lift Spirits Of Young Hockey Fan

Ben Somerford



The Kookaburras took some time out after Saturday’s hard-fought 2-1 FIH Pro League win over Spain in Sydney to lift the spirits of a young Hockey fan who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

Johannes 'Johey' Basedow and his parents Scott and Emma and sister Isabella travelled down to Sydney from Maitland on Saturday for the FIH Pro League double-header.

Johey, who is 13, was diagnosed with a very rare and very aggressive form of cancer in his abdominal cavity called Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumour (DSRCT).

The Kookaburras learned of Johey’s diagnosis a few weeks ago and organised to invited him into the changerooms after the game, along with his family.

Johey, who started playing Hockey as a nine-year-old with the Maitland Rams, got the rare opportunity to hear the Kookaburras sing their team song and was also presented with a signed top by the players after the game.

He also spent time in the changerooms, chatting to the coaches and players and, of course, posed for selfies.

Kookaburras co-captain Aran Zalewski led the way, working with Hockey NSW staff to ensure Johey’s family walked away from the game with smiles on their faces.

He started chemotherapy on Boxing Day and is due to have scans this week to ascertain how effective the treatment has been.

Johey’s father Scott said: “Yesterday meant so much to all of us, it made what would have been a very hard day, with his looming scans, into a fantastically easy day.

“A day which we will endeavour to replicate as often as possible but will be very hard to top and it won't be our last live international Hockey match.”

Hockey Australia wishes Johey and his family all the best in the next stages of his treatment and cannot wait to see him again at another Kookaburras match.

Hockey Australia media release

Pools and match schedules confirmed for FIH Series Finals in Valencia and Le Touquet



Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has confirmed the composition of the pools as well as the match schedules for the FIH Series Finals events to be played in Valencia, Spain (Women) and Le Touquet, France (Men), this year.

The FIH Series Finals include some of the best teams in the world and are one of the roads to reach the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Indeed, the top two teams from each FIH Series Finals will secure a place in the Qualification Events for the next Olympic Games which will be held in October and November 2019.(*)

The composition of the pools is as follows:

Le Touquet, France (Men)15-23 June 2019

Pool A: Ireland, Egypt, Scotland, Singapore
Pool B: France, Korea, Ukraine, Chile

Please view match schedule here.




Valencia, Spain (Women)19-27 June 2019

Pool A: Spain, Belarus, Canada, Namibia

Pool B: South Africa, Italy, Wales, Thailand

Please view match schedule here.

The pools and match schedules for the FIH Series Finals in Kuala Lumpur and Dublin are available here, while those for both other FIH Series Finals will be confirmed shortly.

 ^(*)note: if Japan, Scotland or Wales finish in the top 2 of their respective pools, they will not secure a place in the Olympic Games Qualifiers. Japan have already qualified as both host and winners of the Asian Games; for Scotland and Wales, the reason is that England are the nominated country for GBR’s qualification pathway. If any of these three teams do finish in the top 2, the team that finishes third does NOT automatically qualify for the Olympic Games Qualifiers. Any such additional place is determined by the FIH World Rankings as at the completion of the continental championships (8 September 2019)

To find out more about the competition, follow the Hockey Series on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn or visit the official Hockey Series website.

FIH site

Men’s National Team Announces Azlan Shah Cup Roster

Canada prepares for pre-qualification test at the prestigious Sultan Azlan Shah Cup



All eyes are on the Canadian national men’s and women’s programs as they focus on their Olympic journey. For the Men’s National Team, this means cutting their teeth at one of the world’s toughest tests: The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup at the end of March in Ipoh, Malaysia.

For head coach Paul Bundy, this tournament is about refining the process and preparing the team for their important qualification events later this year. The team will return to Malaysia in the summer to play their first stage of Olympic qualifier. Bundy thinks acclimatizing to the environment will be an important step in the right direction.

“This is an ideal opportunity to prepare for the World Series Final,” he said. “Not only will this tournament get us ready to play in the heat, it’s also top-level competition.”

Canada attends the tournament for the first time since 2016. The other teams in the field are host country, Malaysia; world number five India; and South Africa, Japan and Korea. Canada’s opening match is against Korea, a game Bundy said will be a great starting point for the Canadian squad which has been training in the cold weather since the new year.

“Korea is good. They are always very fit and athletic,” Bundy said. “We’re actually playing them in a warm-up game before the event so it will be a great start for us.”

Australia and New Zealand have had a strangle-hold on the gold medals at this tournament since 2011 but with neither team in the field this year, the tournament title is truly up-for-grabs. With the new FIH pro league in action, some of the top teams could no longer fit Azlan Shah into their competition schedule. Bundy said that no matter the competition, this will be a tough test for the Canadian squad. One thing they’ll have to get used to is the intensity and pressure of playing in front of a wild crowd.

“Playing in Malaysia is amazing,” he said. “They have arguably the most exciting fans and venues in the world. Malaysians love their hockey and have a big, passionate fan base.”

Follow along as Canada takes on Azlan Shah in their season-long journey to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games.

ROSTER
Player Name    Province    Position
Balraj Panesar    BC    DEF
Brandon Pereira    BC    DEF
Gordon Johnston    BC    DEF
John Smythe    BC    DEF
Adam Froese    ALB    DEF
Oliver Scholfield    BC    FWD
Iain Smythe    BC    FWD
Fin Boothroyd    BC    FWD
Jamie Wallace    BC    FWD
Keegan Pereira    ONT    MID/FWD
Matt Sarmento    BC    FWD
Antoni Kindler    BC    GK
Dave Carter    BC    GK
Mark Pearson    BC    MID/FWD
Gabe Ho-Garcia    BC    MID
Devohn Noronha-Teixeira    ONT    MID/FWD
Brenden Bissett    BC    MID
Taylor Curran    BC    MID

SCHEDULE

Mar. 23: Canada vs Korea – 6pm
Mar. 24: Canada vs South Africa – 6pm
Mar. 26: Canada vs Japan – 4pm
Mar. 27: Canada vs India – 6pm
Mar. 29: Canada vs Malaysia – 8:30pm
Mar. 30: PLACEMENT (1/2, 3/4, 5/6)

*visit EVENT PAGE for schedule and results

Field Hockey Canada media release

Najmi back in training squad

By Jugjet Singh

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian chief coach Roeland Oltmans picked 28 players to train for the Azlan Sha Cup, and four of them were young legs.

The tournament will be held in Ipoh on March 23-30, followed by the FIH Series Finals in Kuala Lumpur on April 26-May 4.

The four are Akhimullah Anuar Esook, Arif Syafie Ishak, Noor Firdaus Rosdi and Azrai Aizad Kamal.

Najmi Farizal Jazlan, who walked out of the team before the World Cup, was also included in the training squad which will head to Kuantan for a one week camp.

Oltmans has also roped in former penalty corner great Taeke Taekema and goalkeepers' coach Martin Drijver to train the players in Kuantan.

TRAINING SQUAD: S. Kumar (gk), Hairi Rahman (gk),
Hafizuddin Othaman (gk), Zaimi Mat Deris (gk), Sukri Mutalib, Razie Rahim, Syed Syafiq Cholan, Faiz Helmi Jali, Luqman Nul Shukran, Najmi Farizal Jazlan, Najib Abu Hassan, Amirol Aideed Arshad, Arif Syafie Ishak, Marhan Jalil, Fitri Saari, Meor Azuan Hassan, Ashran Hamsani, Joel Samuel van Huizen, Azrai Aizad Kamal, Haziq Samsul, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Firhan Ashari, Faizal Saari, Nik Aiman Rozemi, Norsyafiq Sumantri, Shahril Saabah, Akhimullah Anuar Esook, Noor Firdaus Rosdi.

Jugjet's World of Field Hockey

Four players called up for national duty

By T. Avineshwaran

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian national hockey team will see four new faces in the squad.

Akhimullah Anuar Esook, Arif Syafie Ishak, Noor Firdaus Rosdi and Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal were called up for a special training camp to prepare for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh and FIH Men’s Final Series in Kuala Lumpur.

Both tournaments will be held from March 23-30 and April 26-May 4 respectively.

National head coach Roelant Oltmans, who was seen scouting during the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL), has identified 28 players for the camp, which will be held in Kuantan from March 10-16.

Najmi Farizal Jazlan also makes a return to the national team set-up. The training camp is a platform for the new players to build their combination and relationship with the regular players.

The target for the national team is to reach the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, and in their bid to achieve the goal, renowned penalty corner specialist Taeke Taekema and goalkeeper Martin Drijver have been brought in to improve the team.

This year’s Sultan Azlan Shah Cup will see Malaysia playing teams like South Africa, India, Canada, Japan and South Korea.

In last year’s edition of the tournament, Malaysia finished fourth after they were beaten by Argentina 3-1 in the third-fourth placing match.

Australia were the champions last year.

The Star of Malaysia

Ireland’s Graham Shaw to coach the Vantage Black Sticks Women



The man who guided Ireland to the final of the 2018 Hockey World Cup has been appointed as the new Vantage Black Sticks Women’s Head Coach.

Graham Shaw, a former Ireland international, took the Irish women from 16th in the world to their current position of eighth including the remarkable achievement at last year’s World Cup – where they became the first Irish side in any sport to make a World Cup final.

Recently Shaw was awarded the prestigious Irish Sports Manager of the Year award ahead of Ireland’s Grand Slam-winning rugby coach Kiwi Joe Schmidt.

Following the resignation of long-serving Black Sticks Women’s Head Coach Mark Hager in early January, Hockey NZ began an extensive global search for a new coach. Hockey NZ Board member Shane Collins says they’re delighted to secure Shaw to take the Black Sticks Women forward to Tokyo.

“The past few months have been a challenging period for the Black Sticks Women. We wanted to find the best coach to build on the success of the programme towards our ultimate goal of medalling at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“We were very pleased to attract such a high calibre of applicants, which was recognition of the team’s talent. Graham is a world-class coach and we are fortunate to have secured his services as we work towards qualifying for Tokyo 2020.”

Shaw says he is excited to accept this role and is looking forward to working with the incredible players and staff at Hockey NZ.

“It is an absolute honour to be named as Head Coach of the New Zealand women, a team I have admired and respected for many years.

"While we leave Ireland with a heavy heart, my family and I are delighted to move to your beautiful country where we will start a new chapter in our lives”.
Under Shaw’s guidance the Irish women have achieved ongoing success.  In 2017 they progressed through World Cup qualifying before placing sixth at the European Championships.  Momentum continued in 2018 when the team stunned the hockey world by making the World Cup final before ultimately losing to the defending champions the Netherlands.

Before his coaching career, Shaw was an accomplished player for Ireland between 2001-2010 where he amassed 151 caps and earned a gold medal at the European B Championships in 2005 and 2009.

Hockey NZ Chief Executive Ian Francis says Shaw will bring a new approach to the team. “Graham stood out as a coach who has a world-class tactical and technical hockey knowledge. He will bring a fresh perspective to our Black Sticks Women potentially including a European flavour in some areas.

“Graham truly believes in this group and that they can win on the world stage.”

Shaw will start in his new role on 1 May and his first match in charge will be on 1 June when the Vantage Black Sticks Women take on the United States in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Francis wished to acknowledge the efforts of Interim Head Coach Sean Dancer and the wider management team who have led the group through the first rounds of the FIH Pro League. “Sean’s contribution to this group is massive, and he has played a key role in the team’s success in recent years.” Dancer is employed as Assistant Coach through until the Tokyo Olympics.

This weekend the Vantage Black Sticks Women play a FIH Pro League doubleheader against the US (Friday) and Argentina (Sunday) at North Harbour Hockey Stadium.

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Shaw Departs Hockey Ireland For New Role With Blacksticks



Hockey Ireland has today accepted the resignation of senior women’s head coach Graham Shaw as he takes up the position of head coach of New Zealand’s senior international women. Shaw has long since been a member of the Hockey Ireland family both as a senior international player and as part of the coaching set up since 2010. He was assistant coach to Darren Smith before taking the head coach role in the summer of 2015 prior to the Eurohockey Championships II in Prague.

After nearly 4 years at the helm of the Green Army Graham is moving to New Zealand to take up the role with the world number 6, the Blacksticks offer an exciting challenge as they compete in the Pro League and have their sights firmly set on Tokyo 2020.

Speaking about the move, Shaw said “It was an honour to coach my country and I am very grateful for the opportunity. We have had some incredible times together that I will never forget. I have worked with an outstanding staff over many years; your professionalism, honesty and friendship will stay with me forever.

I would like to thank Hockey Ireland, Sport Ireland, SINI and Sport Northern Ireland for your unwavering support over the past years and long may it continue. I’d also like to recognise the staff of Hockey Ireland for all their work behind the scenes and their friendships over the past several years.

To the players I would like to say a massive thank you. Your drive, dedication and loyalty has been relentless and it has been an absolute pleasure to lead the program over the past 4 years. I would like to wish the squad all the best for the future. I hope you continue on this journey, inspiring the next generation of hockey players in Ireland and I hope to see you in Tokyo”.

The Green Army have gone from 16th to 8th in the world during Shaw’s tenure and qualified for their first World Cup since 2002. The recent 2018 World Cup is perhaps what Shaw will be most recognised for as he led the squad to an historic silver medal and a first ever World Cup final for any Irish team sport.

Jerome Pels, Hockey Ireland CEO, was quick to praise the legacy that Shaw leaves behind “We would like to thank Graham for all he has done for the senior women’s programme over the last several years. Graham has given a huge amount to Irish hockey over the last 2 decades both as a high-performance athlete and a coach. We wish Graham all the very best with this new opportunity with Hockey New Zealand”.

Performance Director Adam Grainger echoed Pels’ sentiment “Graham has undoubtedly left the Green Army programme in a better place and has put the building blocks in place for the squad to continue with this cycle successfully, with the primary goal being Olympic qualification. Graham’s commitment to the programme, both on and off the pitch, is a testament to his character and we wish him every success in the future”.

Green Army captain, Katie Mullan, also hailed Shaw’s influence “On behalf of the Green Army I would like to thank Graham for all that he has given to our team. He led us to a moment none of us will ever forget at the World Cup and the Blacksticks are very lucky to have him, we wish him all the best with this new adventure”.

Irish Hockey Association media release

Graham Shaw quits Ireland hockey to take up New Zealand women’s role

By The Hockey Paper


Graham Shaw, pictured third from right, has resigned as Ireland coach

In a shock departure – and a big blow for Irish sport after its summer of hockey last year – Graham Shaw quit as coach of World Cup silver medal winners Ireland women on Tuesday to take charge of New Zealand’s Black Sticks.

New Zealand have been left without a coach since Mark Hager left for the Great Britain role in January and Shaw will be tasked with re-motivating a women’s side reeling from the aftermath of the recent independent review over a negative team environment.

Shaw has been part of the Hockey Ireland set up since 2010, becoming Irish head coach in 2015 and taking the Green Army to the unprecedented heights of a World Cup final berth last summer.

But with the prospect of taking Ireland further with Olympic qualification in the offing, the lure of taking over the New Zealand side, the Commonwealth champions and world No.6 outfit, has clearly proved too much for Shaw, who is now FIH Pro League bound.

Shaw said of his time at the helm: “It was an honour to coach my country and I am very grateful for the opportunity. We have had some incredible times together that I will never forget. I have worked with an outstanding staff over many years; your professionalism, honesty and friendship will stay with me forever.”

“To the players I would like to say a massive thank you. Your drive, dedication and loyalty has been relentless and it has been an absolute pleasure to lead the programme over the past four years.

“I would like to wish the squad all the best for the future. I hope you continue on this journey, inspiring the next generation of hockey players in Ireland and I hope to see you in Tokyo”.

The Green Army had gone from 16th to eight in the world rankings during Shaw’s tenure and qualified for their first World Cup since 2002.

Green Army captain, Katie Mullan, said: “On behalf of the Green Army I would like to thank Graham for all that he has given to our team. He led us to a moment none of us will ever forget at the World Cup and the Black Sticks are very lucky to have him, we wish him all the best with this new adventure”.

Shaw’s first competitive match in charge of the Kiwis is expected to be their away clash against the USA  on June 1.

The Hockey Paper

Ireland coach announced to take over Black Sticks job

The man who guided Ireland to the final of the 2018 Hockey World Cup has been appointed as the new Black Sticks Women's Head Coach following the resignation of Mark Hager.

Graham Shaw, a former Ireland international, took the Irish women from 16th in the world to their current position of eighth including the remarkable achievement at last year's World Cup – where they became the first Irish side in any sport to make a World Cup final.

Recently Shaw was awarded the prestigious Irish Sports Manager of the Year award ahead of Ireland's Grand Slam-winning rugby coach Kiwi Joe Schmidt.

He replaces the long-serving Hager who resigned in early January.

Hockey New Zealand release shock review findings into Black Sticks Women's bullying claims

Hockey NZ Board member Shane Collins says they're delighted to secure Shaw to take the Black Sticks Women forward to the Tokyo Olympics next year.

"The past few months have been a challenging period for the Black Sticks Women. We wanted to find the best coach to build on the success of the programme towards our ultimate goal of medalling at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

"We were very pleased to attract such a high calibre of applicants, which was recognition of the team's talent. Graham is a world-class coach and we are fortunate to have secured his services as we work towards qualifying for Tokyo 2020."

Shaw says he is excited to accept this role and is looking forward to working with the incredible players and staff at Hockey NZ.

"It is an absolute honour to be named as Head Coach of the New Zealand women, a team I have admired and respected for many years.

"While we leave Ireland with a heavy heart, my family and I are delighted to move to your beautiful country where we will start a new chapter in our lives".

Under Shaw's guidance the Irish women have achieved ongoing success.

In 2017 they progressed through World Cup qualifying before placing sixth at the European Championships. Momentum continued in 2018 when the team stunned the hockey world by making the World Cup final before ultimately losing to the defending champions the Netherlands.

Before his coaching career, Shaw was an accomplished player for Ireland between 2001-2010 where he amassed 151 caps and earned a gold medal at the European B Championships in 2005 and 2009.

Hockey NZ Chief Executive Ian Francis says Shaw will bring a new approach to the team.

"Graham stood out as a coach who has a world-class tactical and technical hockey knowledge. He will bring a fresh perspective to our Black Sticks Women potentially including a European flavour in some areas.

"Graham truly believes in this group and that they can win on the world stage."

Shaw will start in his new role on May 1 and his first match in charge will be on June 1 when the Black Sticks Women take on the United States in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

This weekend the Black Sticks Women play a FIH Pro League doubleheader against the US (Friday) and Argentina (Sunday) at North Harbour Hockey Stadium.

The New Zealand Herald

New Black Sticks women's coach Graham Shaw trades Ireland for New Zealand


Graham Shaw has been appointed Black Sticks women's coach. GETTY IMAGES

Graham Shaw, the coach who guided Ireland to the country's first World Cup final appearance, has been named as the replacement for Black Sticks women's coach Mark Hager.

A former 151-cap international player himself, Shaw took the Irish women from 16th in the world to their current position of eighth including the remarkable achievement at last year's World Cup.

Shaw replaces Hager, who resigned as Black Sticks coach in January to take up a role with Great Britain.

"It is an absolute honour to be named as head coach of the New Zealand women, a team I have admired and respected for many years," Shaw said.

"While we leave Ireland with a heavy heart, my family and I are delighted to move to your beautiful country where we will start a new chapter in our lives".

Hockey New Zealand board member Shane Collins said the organisation was delighted to secure Shaw's services.

"The past few months have been a challenging period for the Black Sticks women. We wanted to find the best coach to build on the success of the programme towards our ultimate goal of medalling at the Tokyo Olympic Games," Collins said.

"We were very pleased to attract such a high calibre of applicants, which was recognition of the team's talent. Graham is a world-class coach and we are fortunate to have secured his services as we work towards qualifying for Tokyo 2020."

Hager departed before an independent review into the environment inside the Black Sticks was released.

That review, conducted by lawyer Maria Dew, found 24 of the 33 players she interviewed had serious concerns about what she called a "negative environment."

Dew also found Hockey NZ had not done enough to respond to concerns when previously raised and to ensure player welfare was adequately considered. Details of specific issues and examples of players' concerns were not made public.

Shaw's first match in charge will be away to the United States on June 1.

The Black Sticks resume their Pro League campaign with matches against the US and Argentina at North Harbour Hockey Stadium on Friday and Sunday. With Shaw set to begin his new role in May, assistant coach Sean Dancer will take the team in the interim.

Stuff

Racing and Dragons tie in big Belgian league battle


©: Frank Uijlenbroek / World Sport Pics

Royal Racing Club de Bruxelles shared the spoils with KHC Dragons to retain their place at the head of Group A with the Antwerp side some way back.

Cedric Charlier opened the scoring in the first half but it was quickly replied to by Shane O’Donoghue’s unstoppable drag-flick for 1-1.

Felix Denayer missed a stroke before Tom Boon put Racing in front once again but a Henri Raes goal tied the game at 2-2.

Boon said afterwards: “We played a fairly average game but it is not a bad result to leave Brasschaat with a draw. We are preparing for a quarter-final at the start of April so we have to be ready for that. A draw is not too bad when the opposition has more corners than us.”

The Waterloo Ducks continue to lead the way in Group B of the Belgian league thanks to an important 3-2 win over Herakles in Lier.

Louis Capelle got the all-important goal in the final three minutes to break the tie, after Gauthier Boccard’s double countered goal from Nick Haig and Stephen Jenness.

"We reacted well after conceding a quick goal,” explained WatDucks’ Xavier De Grève after the game. “We totally dominated the first period. After the break, there was a big reaction [from Herakles] and we did not manage to develop our game well. But we tested some things out to prepare the playoffs."

Royal Leopold continued their excellent start to the second half of the season with a 7-2 win at Daring, leading 5-0 by the 45th minute thanks to goals from Lewis Eaton, Tanguy Zimmer, Arthur Verdussen, Tom Degroote and Gaspard Baumgarten.

Hugo Genestet reduced the gap via a stroke. Kane Russell and Arthur Verdussen, though, took any suspense out of the game.

"We just made a convincing performance so I can only be satisfied with the performance of my players,” said Leo coach Robin Geens. “We absolutely must continue in this way and, above all, continue to gain strength."

There were further big wins for La Gantoise, 8-3 victors over White Star, and Orée who dismissed Antwerp 8-2 with Philippe Simar scoring four. Beerschot beat Braxgata 2-1.

Euro Hockey League media release

2019 USA Field Hockey National Umpire Award Winner: Maggie Giddens



COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Each week, a USA Field Hockey Foundation Annual Award Winner will be highlighted on the website, prior to the ceremony highlighting each individual at the USA Field Hockey Summit, presented by AstroTurf, on Saturday, March 16 at the Lord Baltimore Hotel in Baltimore.

The USA Field Hockey Foundation is proud to announce that Maggie Giddens was selected as the people’s choice 2019 USA Field Hockey National Umpire Award recipient.

Giddens first picked up a field hockey stick in the fall of 1993, and has been in love with the sport ever since. She excelled in high school being a three-time Delaware State Champion at Tower Hill School, Delaware Player of the Year and First Team All-American in 2001. She went on to play collegiately at Michigan State University, where she competed in two Final Fours and won two Big Ten Championships. In the spring of 2006, Giddens picked up a whistle for the first time at a U-16 regional tournament in Michigan and it was an adventure she never imaged she'd start.

The Netherlands, H.O.D. Easter tournament, USA test matches with Argentina, tours to Germany and Belgium and many Women’s National Championships in Virginia Beach, Va. all prepared Giddens to earn her FIH Umpire Badge at the 2010 South American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A few seasons of NCAA field hockey helped her "sharpen the axe" in the umpiring world. While umpiring at the 2011 U-21 European Championship II in Prague, she received word that she had been appointed to the London 2012 Olympic Qualifier in New Delhi, India, and was also named to the ‘Road to’ FIH Mentorship Program.



Some key international events including the Champions Challenge I in Dublin, Ireland, 2013 Junior World Cup in Germany and Champions Challenge I in Glasgow, Scotland all shaped and mold Giddens into an expert in the field. When the FIH started the World League format, she was fortunate enough to umpire all four rounds in various parts of the world. One of her all-time favorite tournaments was as a neutral umpire at the FIH World League Round 2 in Montevideo, Uruguay. For many of the matches, teams competed against one other for the first time - Italy and Uruguay, Azerbaijan and Trinidad and Tobago, France and Dominican Republic. The styles of play were so different and it was fun for her to umpire and watch.

FIH World League Final in Rosario, Argentina is when Giddens first experienced having video referral, marking the start of the "big leagues" in her officiating career. She earned her FIH Indoor Umpire Badge in Toronto, Canada during winter of 2015. Umpiring indoor lead her to Vienna, Austria, where she not only umpired the 2017 U-21 Indoor European Championships but also fulfilled a bucket list moment by seeing the famous Lipizzaner Stallions dance to music. The 2017 FIH World League Semifinal in Brussels, Belgium was a World Cup Qualifying tournament and was extra special as fellow USA umpire Amy Baxter was on the panel as well. The women's Pan American Cup in Lancaster, Pa. finished a busy year.



Giddens had an unbelievable 2018. She umpired at the Hockey Indoor World Cup in Berlin, Germany, South American Odesur Games in Cochabamba and the Vitality Hockey Women's World Cup in London. To top it all off, she earned her golden whistle, marking her 100th international match, at her first game in London. She has been selected to official in the inaugural season of FIH Pro League where she will travel to Argentina, China and Germany.

Domestically, Giddens has umpired four NCAA Division I National Championship games, two Big Ten Tournament Finals and one Atlantic Coast Conference Final. She has also been very active umpiring locally at Big Apple Field Hockey events, in the North East Field Hockey Association adult league as well as the Junior Premier Outdoor and Indoor Leagues.

Join us as the USA Field Hockey Foundation celebrates and honors all the 2019 Annual Award winners on Saturday, March 16, 2019.

USFHA media release

Creating leaders for an equally amazing future



An exciting new programme is being launched by the European Hockey Federation with the core aim of promoting gender balance within the sport and encouraging more highly skilled women to take up leadership positions within hockey.

The European Hockey Female Leadership Forum (EHFL) has been in the planning stages since 2017 when the EHF Executive Board agreed to build a strategy to drive change forwards and promote gender equality across all the member nations.

The EHFL’s launch at on 23-24 March complements the focus that International Women’s Day places on all sporting organisations to assess, challenge and create strategies to improve their gender equality strategies.

Among the speakers who will be presenting at the launch of the EHFL are Marijke Fleuren, President of the EHF, who will be talking about Governance issues; Sally Munday, the CEO of England Hockey, whose focus will be upon The Reality of Leadership; Vaida Masalskyte, Director of International Relations at the NOC of Lithuania, talking about Managing the System; and EHF Executive Board Member Inez Cooper, whose theme will be Business and Hockey leadership.

“The programme will be an insightful, challenging review of leadership skills to develop desires to be involved in hockey decision-making positions.”
- Marijke Fleuren, President, EHF

FIH Executive Board member Fleuren has been heavily involved in promoting gender equality, both in her role as EHF President but also as a member of the IOC Commission ‘Women in Sport’. She is quick to point out that she is just one of an army of people working hard to achieve equality: “My work is essentially connecting people, encouraging them, being a mentor, being inspirational to start new initiatives. All the women on the FIH Board represent different areas and different cultures but we are all behind gender balance.”

Sally Munday has been CEO of England Hockey since 2009. In that time she has overseen a home Olympic Games (2012) and a home Women’s World Cup (2018). She is hopeful that there will be a time when the gender of a leader is irrelevant. “I am a strong believer in the best person for the job, irrelevant of gender. In the UK at the moment there are a number of brilliant leaders in key positions who are women. We just need to get to the point where it is not necessary to point out that these brilliant leaders also happen to be women. Why wouldn’t they be women?”



While the focus of the Forum will be on achieving and promoting gender balance, delegates will also hear about the key elements of running an organisation such as the EHF. There will be interactive seminars on Sharing Knowledge, a presentation from David Voskamp, the EHF Competitions Manager, on how to structure and deliver competitions and Siobhan Madeley, the EHF Communications Manager will discuss the vital area of communications around an organisation.

Among the multiple aims of the Forum is a desire to attract more women onto the EHF Executive Board. In August 2019 the EHF will be calling for the election of three women onto the Board, so the EHFL Forum is a great opportunity to get a feel for what will be required as a Board member. As Fleuren says: “This will be an insightful, challenging review of leadership skills to develop desires to be involved in hockey decision-making positions.”

In this year of the 50th anniversary of the EHF, the EHF's focus is on enabling gender balance across the hockey family. An announcement on these pathways is coming soon.

#WomenInSport
#WomensDay

FIH site

A tribute to the great 'Falling Singh'


Harnek Singh (second from right) jumps to avoid a Singapore defender in a 1973 Seap Games match in Singapore. NST File pic

KUALA LUMPUR: He was known as the “Falling Singh” and it was a great compliment.

Harnek Singh Dhaliwal, who passed away today at the age of 70 after a battle with cancer, was one of those rare hockey players with a unique style.

Displaying unusual dribbling skills and stickwork, the falling was part of the wizardly left winger’s bag of tricks to deceive opposing defenders. He appeared to fall but he never fell.

The quiet and unassuming Harnek was in the training squad for the 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur which saw Malaysia reach the semi-finals. For reasons of his own, he withdrew from that great Malaysian team just before the tournament started.

Former national coach Datuk R. Yogeswaran said: “Harnek was a brilliant player who was famously known as the ‘Falling Singh’. He would confuse defenders with his imbalance, and somehow end up scoring instead.”

Harnek used to play for Melaka and later for Selangor and PKNS in the 1970s alongside 1975 World Cuppers Sri Shanmuganathan, Wong Choon Hin, R. Pathmarajah, M. Mahendran, K. Balasingam and K.T. Rajan.

With more than 30 international caps, he had also represented Malaysia in the 1973 Seap Games in Singapore and the 1975 Seap Games in Bangkok.

Harnek was also good in football, representing Melaka in the Burnley Cup but hockey was his first love.

Harnek was so passionate about hockey that he named his eldest son after the famed India captain Ajitpal Singh.

In true sporting spirit, Ajitpal is assistant sports editor with the New Straits Times.

Harnek battled throat cancer for a year and was admitted to Universiti Hospital last Thursday. After three days, he was brought home where he passed away surrounded by his family members.

Harnek leaves behind his wife Ranjit Kaur and children Ajitpal (44), Tarenjit Kaur (40) and Amithpal Singh (32).

Harnek will be cremated tomorrow at 1pm at Gui Yuan Crematorium, Kg Tunku, Petaling Jaya.

New Straits Times