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All the news for Friday 21 June 2019

FIH Men's Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris Plage 2019 - Day 7
Le Touquet (FRA)

Results and fixtures

20 Jun 2019     SCO v CHI (QF)     1 - 0
20 Jun 2019     KOR v EGY (QF)     2 - 2 (3 - 0 SO)

21 Jun 2019 15:30     SGP v UKR (7 / 8)
21 Jun 2019 18:00     CHI v EGY (5 / 6)

Live streaming and full game replay on https://fih.live (May be Geo blocked if there is TV coverage)

FIH Match Centre

Golden goal puts Scotland men in semi-finals



A fantastic goal by Cammy Golden gave Scotland men a 1-0 victory over Chile in the FIH Series Finals in Le Touquet. Scotland will now take on hosts France in the semi-finals on Saturday.

It was an even opening to the contest with neither side being able to take control. Scotland had creative moments through Russell Anderson and Callum MacKenzie on the right flank, but found the Chile defence well organised and stubborn.

Chile enjoyed more pressure in the second quarter and had the ball in the back of the Scots net only for it to be ruled out.

Then the Blue Sticks began to enjoy a spell of good pressure. Rob Harwood nearly converted at a penalty corner routine before Andy Bull sent a drag flick just wide at a second routine.

In the second half Scotland stepped it up and took the lead through an absolutely brilliant goal by Cammy Golden. He went on a solo run, cut into the D from the right and fizzed the ball into the top left corner to put Scotland 1-0 ahead.

It nearly went to 2-0 when Golden and Kenny Bain broke into the D but some good goalkeeping kept them out.

The game moved into the final quarter and the Scots looked comfortable. Chile took off their goalkeeper for the final five minutes to play with eleven outfield players, but never really put Scotland in any danger and it was the Blue Sticks who took the win and a place in the semi-finals.

Nick Parkes said, “It was pretty tough for us today, I don’t think any of the guys have played Chile before, but they’re a really good team so it was a tough match for us. We ground it out really and just got that 1-0 win. We’ll have to play a lot better against France if we’re going to progress to the final.”

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Ireland men to face South Korea in semi-finals in France


Shane O'Donoghue will be in action against South Korea on Saturday in a high-pressure contest

South Korea will be Ireland's opposition in the FIH International Series semi-finals on Saturday after they beat Egypt in a penalty shoot-out.

Egypt looked likely to be Ireland's opposition after they led 2-1 with time nearly up but the Koreans levelled with 17 seconds remaining.

South Korean then won the shoot-out 3-0 against the deflated Egyptians.

The Irish were surprised 2-1 by Egypt in their pool but the 11-0 win over Singapore saw them top the table.

Ireland's 11th place in the world rankings is six higher than Saturday's opposition.

Alexander Cox's side, who are the highest-ranked team in the series, will advance to an Olympic play-off later this year if they reach the final of the tournament.

France play Scotland in Saturday's second semi-final.

BBC Sport

FIH Women's Series Finals Hiroshima 2019 - Day 7
Hiroshima (JPN)

Results and Fixtures (GMT +9)

20 Jun 2019     POL v JPN (QF)     0 - 5
20 Jun 2019     CHI v URU (QF)     5 - 2

21 Jun 2019    FIJ v MEX (7/8 Place)     0 - 5
21 Jun 2019    POL v URU (5/6 Place)   2 - 2 (5 - 4 SO)

22 Jun 2019 15:45     IND v CHI (SF)
22 Jun 2019 18:00     RUS v JPN (SF)

Live streaming and full game replay on https://fih.live (May be Geo blocked if there is TV coverage)

FIH Match Centre

FIH Women's Series Finals Valencia 2019 - Day 3
Valencia (ESP)

Results and fixtures (GMT +2)

20 Jun 2019     WAL v THA (Pool B)     5 - 0
20 Jun 2019     ITA v RSA (Pool B)       1 - 2

21 Jun 2019 17:00     CAN v NAM (Pool A)
21 Jun 2019 19:00     BLR v ESP (Pool A)

Live streaming and full game replay on https://fih.live (May be Geo blocked if there is TV coverage)

Pool standings

Pool A

Pool B

FIH Match Centre

Wales 5-0 Thailand: Leah Wilkinson helps Wales to victory


Wales are unbeaten after two games at the FIH Women's Series Finals

Leah Wilkinson scored her third goal in two games at the FIH Women's Series Finals as Wales beat Thailand in Spain.

Sophie Robinson opened the scoring in Valencia, before captain Wilkinson doubled their lead.

Natasha Marke-Jones and Wilkinson doubled Wales' advantage after half-time, before Xenna Hughes claimed a fifth goal.

Wales will now face Italy on Saturday 22 June (12:00 BST) in a match that could decide the Pool B winners.

In Wales' opening game Sian French gave Wales the lead against South Africa, who then hit back through Lilian de Plessis and Quanita Bobbs.

But Wales' record cap-holder Wilkinson equalised with 11 minutes remaining to rescue a point.

Hosts Spain, Belarus, Canada and Namibia make up Pool A.

The pool games will be followed by crossover games between the second and third-placed teams.

The winners of those matches will advance to the semi-finals, while the pool winners qualify directly for the semi-finals.

Fourth-placed teams in each pool will contest the seventh-place play-off.

The event is a pathway to qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.

While they cannot qualify because England are the nominated country for Great Britain's Olympic pathway, Wales are seeking to gain world ranking points.

BBC Sport

Supergroup South Africa make it count against Italy


SA celebrate Dirkie Chamberlain's winning goal. Photo: Yan Huckendubler (Click the credit link for more incredible photos from the match)

After their opening stalemate the South Africans were looking to produce a display that laid down a marker in the FIH Hockey Series Final in Valencia. To do that they would play Italy, a team that finished ahead of them at the 2018 FIH Hockey World Cup.

Celia Evans was celebrating her 150th cap for the country. This would serve as a powerful motivator for the Supergroup South African side as a little over a year ago the 2016 Player of the Year tore her knee ligaments and had to endure the rehab and recovery to come back to the top. If ever there was a player who embodied the team motto, shared by Supergroup CEO Peter Mountford, Make It Count, you would find it hard pressed to name anyone other than Celia.

Having started the opening game against Wales as tentative as a learner driver on their first class, there was no such thought tonight as they worked about Making it Count against a very good Italian side. The pace and focussed aggression, hallmarks of Robin van Ginkel’s sides, was incredibly pleasing and although the game was even in the opening half the was a sense of inevitability when South Africa broke the deadlock on the verge of the break.

Bianca Wood has risen through the ranks for South Africa, she has starred for the SA U18’s and competed in the Youth Olympic games. Speaking on Rayder Media’s Hockey 24 Seven podcast recently she spoke of dreaming of playing for the country since she was 5 years old. Given the opportunity now at the tender age of 19, the youngest in the team, she is determined to make it count. She did in the 30th minute when a superb through ball from Lisa Deetlefs picked her up in the D, she turned inside her defender and fired into the top left corner with a finish that Pietie Coetzee would have been proud of. Bianca Wood. Remember the name.

The perfect time can be before a break as it can knock the wind out your opponents sails but also give you that little extra spark into the next phase of the game. And once again this was the quarter that Supergroup South Africa dominated the most. That domination produced 6 circle entries to just 1 for the Italians, but more importantly the second goal for South Africa.

 One of the least experienced opened the scoring for South Africa but it was the other end of the experience cauldron that made it 2-0. Kristen Paton superbly intercepted a lofted through ball just in the SA half, she broke up through the middle laying off to Tarryn Glasby who waited and the weighted the perfect pass through to Dirkie Chamberlain. Having scored more than 100 International goals already, Chamberlain was never going to miss and made it count with a superb finish.

Italy did produce a late fight back with a superb final quarter which saw them win five penalty corners and more shots at goal than in the first three quarters combined. Italy pulled one back with 9 minutes remaining through a well worked penalty corner variation finished by Eugenia Bianchi. Italy continued to surge forward after that, but the South Africans were fantastic and resolute in defence and held on to a fantastic victory.

Next up South Africa take on Thailand on Saturday at 11:00. With Wales and Italy only playing afterwards South Africa will look to win convincingly to steer ourselves straight into the semi-finals on Wednesday.



Supergroup South Africa 2 (Wood 30’ & Chamberlain 42’)
Italy 1 (Bianchi 52’)

Pictures - FHCV and Hockey 24 Seven

SA Hockey Association media release

Canada’s Kaitlyn Williams is ready for another international challenge


Photo Credit: Yan Huckendubler

Kaitlyn “Rocky” Williams has been team Canada’s starting goalie for over six years, and has recently taken another step up in performance, making Canada a tough challenge for any team.

Originally from Whiterock B.C., Williams played for the University of Victoria, where she won the 2007 Joyce Slipp Award as CIS Rookie of the Year for women’s field hockey, and won a CIS title in 2008. After graduating as one of the best goalies in university hockey in 2011, she got a quick call up to the Canadian National Team, where she quickly made an impression on the coaching staff and the rest of the players.

However, over the past two years, according to her teammates, Williams has reached new levels and heights in her game. Although she is aware of her performance over the past few years, she always gives credit to the team playing in front of her.

“In the games, I try to do what I can,” Williams said. “It’s a team game and I think we’ve been playing really well collectively, defensively, and we’ve been scoring more goals, so we’re all excited going forward.”

Veteran defender Dani Hennig has been playing with Rocky for years, and knows how important a standout goalie is to the confidence of the whole team.

“It’s always a bit of a confidence boost knowing that if you make a mistake there’s someone there to cover for you,” said Hennig. “It’s really nice to know that we have depth in every position.”

The Hockey Series Finals is once again another chance for Rocky to show what she is made of, and prove that she is a top tier goalie against top tier international teams.

“We don’t get to play for ranking very often. But at this point, ranking doesn’t mean much to us. This tournament is about us,” said Rocky. “It’s about us playing our best and let the results take care of themselves. The focus is on our goals and what we want to achieve.”

The tournament started with a successful 1-1 draw against world number-7 and host nation, Spain. The team played well in front of Rocky, keeping the shots to a minimum. However, Williams came up big when she had to, and kept the game within reaching distance of a victory.

Williams and team Canada know that they are going to have to be their best in this Hockey Series Finals, but they are willing, and excited to step up to the task.

“It’s Olympic qualification. It only happens once every four years. It is really exciting. We’re in a really good place,” said Williams. “It’s a really positive feeling heading into this summer.”

Team Canada goes up against Namibia tomorrow at 8am PDT, and will look for a big group stage win in Valencia.

Click here for up-to-date viewing information, match recaps and more during the FIH Hockey Series Final. Watch all the games live here.







Kaitlyn “Rocky” Williams is prepared and focused on a good performance at the 2019 Hockey Series Finals. Photos/Yan Huckendubler

Field Hockey Canada media release

2019 FIH Pro League (Women) - 21 June

20 Jun 2019     NED v ARG (RR)    2 - 1     SV Kampong, Utrecht

Live streaming and full game replay on https://fih.live (May be 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

Matla strike downs Argentina as Netherlands women secure first place finish



Frederique Matla’s ninth goal of the season gave reigning world champions the Netherlands a 2-1 victory over Argentina in front of a passion-fuelled capacity crowd at Utrecht’s SV Kampong on Thursday evening, a result which guarantees a first place finish for the Oranje in the league phase of the competition.

Argentina opened the scoring against the run of play when Micaela Retegui tapped home in the 22nd minute after some magical play from Maria Granatto, only for the Dutch to thrill the home crowd by scoring twice in the four minutes that immediately followed through Lidewij Welten and Matla. Defeat for Las Leonas - who came into the match as the only team capable of overtaking the Dutch at the top of the table - means that they are now guaranteed a second place finish, with Australia third and Germany fourth.

With the top four positions in the league phase now finalised, the semi-final fixtures for the FIH Pro League Grand Final - which takes place from 27-30 June at Amsterdam’s Wagener Stadium - have now been confirmed. Top of the table Netherlands will face fourth-placed Germany, while second-placed Argentina will play third-placed Australia. The timings for these fixtures will be confirmed in the coming days.

There was little to choose between the Netherlands (FIH World Ranking: 1) and Argentina (WR:4) in the opening stages, but the Dutch increased the pressure towards the end of the first quarter and looked the team most likely to open the scoring. Frederique Matla saw a shot flash wide of the left post while Argentina goalkeeper Belen Succi was called into action from two penalty corner situations, saving well to keep the score at 0-0 going into quarter time.

Whilst the world champions continued to look menacing early in the second period, it was in fact the Argentines who broke the deadlock through Micaela Retegui - daughter of Leonas head coach Carlos - who scored from close range after Maria Granatto brilliantly skipped between two Netherlands defenders before supplying a perfect pass across the face of goal. Argentina held the lead for just two minutes, with Caia van Maasakker providing the penalty corner assist for Lidewij Welten to guide into the goal at the right post in the 24th minute. Two minutes later the Dutch moved ahead when Matla applied the finishing touch to a superb team goal after Xan de Waard, Marloes Keetels and Maria Verschoor carved through the middle of Argentina's midfield.

Argentina had good chances at the end of the second and start of the third quarters as Maria Granatto and Rosario Luchetti both went close, although it was the home favourites who remained in control going into the final quarter. Belen Succi kept her side in the contest with a superb diving save to deny a first time strike from the excellent Keetels, while Laurien Leurink almost added a third but failed to get a touch on Marijn Veen’s pass in front of goal. It mattered little, as the Netherlands made it a remarkable 14 wins from 15 FIH Pro League matches, and their 13th victory in succession.

Marloes Keetels, who was named Player of the Match, said: “Against Argentina, they attack then we attack, which is always fun playing but you know how good they are. When they attack they can be very dangerous. We love these games [against Argentina], but they are not easy. We kept pushing, which I think was was the key for us to winning this game.”

The final two days of the regular FIH Pro League season will take place this coming weekend. On Saturday (22 June), the Netherlands men welcome Australia to Amsterdam’s Wagener Stadium, while USA host Germany at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  The Netherlands women face Australia in Amsterdam on Sunday (23 June), a day that will also see double headers in Antwerp and London. Belgium’s men and women play Argentina at Antwerp’s Wilrijkse Plein while Great Britain’s men and women take on New Zealand in a groundbreaking and historic fixture at the Twickenham Stoop.

FIH Pro League - 20 June 2019


SV Kampong, Utrecht (NED) 


Result: Women’s Match 68
Netherlands 2, Argentina 1
Player of the Match: Marloes Keetels (NED)
Umpires: Laurine Delforge (BEL), Sarah Wilson (SCO) and Ben Goentgen (GER - video)


#FIHProLeague

Official FIH Pro League Site

Pro League Home & Away Matches Wrap Up In Netherlands

Mitch Wynd



Australia play their final home & away matches in Amstelveen this weekend, as the Pro League Finals draw closer.

There is no better opponent to face leading into the finals than the Netherlands, with plenty of history between the nations across both the men’s and women’s teams.

A near sell-out crowd is expected at the Wagener Hockey Stadium on Saturday for the men and Sunday for the women; the Orange Army are a loud and passionate group.

Head coaches Colin Batch (Kookaburras) and Paul Gaudoin (Hockeyroos) were both looking forward to playing tough teams in front of a big crowd, including Australian fans.

“There is a big contingent of travelling Australians supporting both teams which has been fantastic and we are again looking forward to their support.

“We are really looking forward to our final round matches of the FIH Pro League and playing a quality opposition in the Dutch. We will need to be disciplined and stick to our game plan so we can put in a consistent performance across the four quarters,” Batch and Gaudoin said.

The Kookaburras are coming off an impressive 2-0 victory over Belgium in Antwerp, which finished in torrential rain on Wednesday.

The win also means that the Kookaburras will be the first minor premiers in the FIH Pro League men’s competition, currently four points ahead of second place going into the last matchday.

With form building at the right time for the men, it is important to maintain the momentum against a team that has beaten them in the last two meetings (both shootouts).

The Hockeyroos are also in for a major challenge against the high-flying Netherlands, who have won their last thirteen consecutive matches. The only match where they dropped points at all was a 1-0 defeat to Australia in Melbourne back in February.

Defeated 1-0 by Belgium on Wednesday, the Hockeyroos will be keen to get back to their winning ways and claim an impressive double over the already-crowned minor premiers.

With 30 points in total and one match remaining, the Hockeyroos will finish the home & away season in third place.

Both matches will be streamed live on Kayo Sports, with the Kookaburras on Saturday (11pm AEST) and the Hockeyroos on Sunday (11pm AEST).

The matches will also be shown on delay on FOX SPORTS 503 from Sunday 11am AEST (Kookaburras), and Monday 12pm AEST (Hockeyroos).

There will be live updates on the @Kookaburras and @Hockeyroos Twitter pages throughout the games.

FIH Pro League – Wagener Hockey Stadium, Amstelveen
Netherlands v Kookaburras – Saturday 11pm AEST
Netherlands v Hockeyroos – Sunday 11pm AEST

Hockeyroos 19-member squad:
Athlete (Hometown, State)

Jocelyn Bartram (Albury, NSW)
Edwina Bone (Orange, NSW) *Plays for ACT
Lily Brazel (Sydney, NSW) *Plays for VIC
Emily Chalker (Crookwell, NSW)
Jane Claxton (Adelaide, SA)
Kalindi Commerford (Ulladulla, NSW) *Plays for ACT
Madison Fitzpatrick (Cabarita Beach, NSW) *Plays for QLD
Savannah Fitzpatrick (Cabarita Beach, NSW) *Plays for QLD
Rebecca Greiner (Bundaberg, QLD)
Jodie Kenny (Wamuran, QLD)
Rachael Lynch (Warrandyte, VIC)
Ambrosia Malone (Burleigh, QLD)
Georgina Morgan (Armidale, NSW)
Kaitlin Nobbs (Newington, NSW)
Brooke Peris (Darwin, NT)
Grace Stewart (Gerringong, NSW)
Renee Taylor (Everton Park, QLD)
Sophie Taylor (Melbourne, VIC)
Mariah Williams (Parkes, NSW)

Kookaburras 21-member squad:
Athlete (Hometown, State)

Jacob Anderson (Mackay, QLD)
Daniel Beale (Brisbane, QLD)
Tim Brand (Chatswood, NSW)
Andrew Charter (Canberra, ACT)
Tom Craig (Lane Cove, NSW)
Matthew Dawson (Killarney Vale, NSW)
Blake Govers (Wollongong, NSW)
Jake Harvie (Dardanup, WA)
Jack Hayes (Wollongong, NSW)
Jeremy Hayward (Darwin, NT)
Tim Howard (Wakerley, QLD)
Tyler Lovell (Perth, WA)
Trent Mitton (Perth, WA)
Eddie Ockenden (Hobart, TAS)
Flynn Ogilvie (Wollongong, NSW)
Lachlan Sharp (Lithgow, NSW)
Josh Simmonds (Melbourne, VIC)
Matthew Swann (Mackay, QLD)
Corey Weyer (Biggera Waters, QLD)
Jacob Whetton (Brisbane, QLD)
Aran Zalewski (Margaret River, WA)

Hockey Australia media release

FIH Pro League Scouting Report: USWNT vs. Germany



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: Saturday, June 22, 2019

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

Location: Spooky Nook Sports, Lancaster, Pa.

Live Stream: Don't miss a second of the FIH Pro League action and watch the USWNT takes on Germany 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: Germany

FIH World Ranking: 5

Head to Head: These two teams previously met in the FIH Pro League back on April 30 in Mönchengladbach, Germany. In that contest Germany got on the scoreboard first, but consistent pressure saw USA equalize at the end of the third. A penalty stroke goal in the final quarter by Die Danas turned out to be the game-decider as USA fell 2-1.

Before that, USA and Germany last met at the 2017 FIH Hockey World League Semifinals in Johannesburg, South Africa in the title game in front of a sold-out crowd at Wits University. After being scoreless at the half, Germany found the backboard in the third quarter. USA used pure grit and determination to find the equalizer off a penalty stroke late in the game. This forced shootouts where USA came out on top 3-2 to become champions.  

What You Need to Know: Following their wonderful Olympic bronze medal success at Rio 2016, Germany have continued to look like a team that can challenge the very best in the world. They produced some sparkling performances at the Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup London 2018, defeating South Africa, Argentina and eventual bronze medalists Spain to top the Pool and reach the quarter-finals. Spain’s Red Sticks gained revenge against 

Die Danas in the quarterfinal match, edging to a 1-0 win over their European rivals. Despite that surprise defeat, Germany’s outstanding displays in the pool phase provided plenty of evidence that the current Germany team, coached by former Belgium men’s international Xavier Reckinger, are a class act. 

The initial squad named by Reckinger for the FIH Pro League contains plenty of quality and youthful promise, being led by hugely experienced defender, midfielder and captain Janne Müller-Wieland, who has over 250 caps to her name. Charlotte Stapenhorst is one of the best young attackers in the game, while Lena Micheel, Elisa Gräve and FIH Young Player of the Year Award 2018 nominee Nike Lorenz are wonderful talents that over the coming months and years are only going to get better.

Recap of Germany's Previous Game: Despite having lost 4-0 in the reverse fixture in Antwerp, visitors Belgium needed just four minutes to open the scoring in Krefeld when Ambre Ballenghien pounced on a penalty corner to fire past stranded Germany goalkeeper Julia Sonntag. The Red Panthers were forced to soak up plenty of German pressure for the remainder of the first period but did forced Sonntag into a fine double save in the second quarter, with the shot-stopper twice denying Stephanie Vanden Borre’s penalty corner strike and subsequent follow-up.

Belgium went into half time with their 1-0 advantage intact, although Charlotte Stapenhorst - who scored three of Germany’s goals in Antwerp - came close to leveling matters with a fine turn and shot on the backhand in the third period only for goalkeeper Aisling D’Hooghe to glove the ball away to safety.

Germany - coached by legendary Belgium men’s international Xavier Reckinger - had 15 minutes to salvage something from the contest and did exactly that, producing a high-quality performance in the final quarter. Nike Lorenz leveled the scores with a backhand strike from the top of the circle that squeezed under the body of D’Hooghe, who was perhaps left unsighted by the close presence of Germany attacker Pia Maertens. The winning goal came from the stick of Maertens with just four minutes remaining, diving in from close range after a wonderful interchange of passes between Germany captain Janne Müller-Wieland and Stapenhorst, giving Die Danas a 2-1 triumph and putting them within touching distance of a berth in the FIH Pro League Grand Final.

Germany's Roster: Click Here

USFHA media release

‘Twickenham Stoop matches will grab attention for hockey’


GB Hockey will leave Lee Valley for one-off Pro League test PIC: England Hockey

England Hockey’s Stoop project has been nearly two years in the making.

And by the end of the final FIH Pro League double header clashes on Sunday, the hope is that this will be more than just a one-off on how the sport can be presented in the future.

Officials believe that The Stoop matches will garner “noise and attention”, both within hockey and other sports looking in at what could be achieved by the pitch technology.

“Our overall strategy was to grow the visibility of the sport,” Sally Munday, England Hockey’s chief executive, told The Hockey Paper.

“We want to grow the live spectator audience. We have grown massively over the last eight years and transformed from where we are. We had 120,000 spectators at the World Cup and if you’d asked us 10 years ago if that was possible, we would have laughed.”

Even before the World Cup success last summer, England Hockey were looking at other options, with the Lee Valley capacity set at 10,500, and if a pitch could be laid in another existing arena.

“We wanted to be able to put a pitch in, take it out and put it back in so we could co-exist with another sport,” added Munday. “We felt that rugby clubs would be the best step for us with the size.”

Thus, Munday put in a call to the Rugby Football Union who immediately cited Harlequins as a potential suitor. “They are really forward thinking and their values are the same as ours,” added Munday, having met her opposite number at Quins, David Ellis.

EH soon talked with Quins ground staff, technology boffins, as well as seeking advice from Tottenham Hotspur, who will be dovetailing with American Football matches at its new ground.

EH slimmed down to one possibility, initial trials taking place last September, with shock pad and artificial turf and how the grass underneath would react. In March, a pitch was laid at Bisham to seek feedback from the elite players

The Stoop is seen as a ‘full pitch trial’ with the technology in place. “Our view from the second phase of testing is that this pitch will be better than some of the permanent venues. We are going into it with our eyes wide open, that it won’t be perfect.”



Filling The Stoop (capacity nearly 15,000) will give EH an indication of the live audience appetite. Further, a future partnership with Quins could also be in the offing.

Harlequins are also redeveloping its stadium, with digitally-enabled technology. Munday is also enthused by the potential to turn rugby into a hockey-ready stadium – LED enabled branding and advertising – with limited manual work.

She said: “It gives us the opportunity to grow the game. From a world perspective, if it is successful, it will transform the game.”

With what’s at stake, work began at Quins last month, but the sense is that the turnaround could be days. “We want to be at a point where Harlequins play on the Saturday, we go in on the Monday and relay our pitch where we could play on a Thursday. That’s the aspiration long term.”

Commercially, this would also give stadium executives the chance to use the facility during the season.

All in, Munday admitted to match day nerves. She added: “The enormity of what we are trying to do is really exciting, slightly scary and we will learn lessons. But this is pretty innovative.”

Don’t miss our Stoop review! Subscribe by June 24 to receive your copy!

The Hockey Paper

Tartan Hearts stand announced to increase Women’s EuroHockey Championship II capacity



Due to demand for Women’s EuroHockey Championship II tickets in Glasgow this August, Scottish Hockey is delighted to announce additional seating for the tournament.

Tickets for the Tartan Hearts Stand will go on sale to Scottish Hockey members from 21 June – 1 July, in a special members’ pre-sale, before being released on general sale from 9am on 1 July.

Scottish Hockey members’ who are subscribed to Scottish Hockey’s monthly email newsletter will receive a special ticket link via email to take advantage of the pre-sale.

The Tartan Hearts stand will be uncovered and will face the main stand; increasing capacity by a third at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre.

It means there’s now tickets available for the sold out final and opening day; and more opportunity for tickets for other days that are fast selling out.

40 new Tournament Passes are also available to secure a seat for every match of the tournament at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre.

CEO of Scottish Hockey David Sweetman said, “We are delighted at the level of support shown for the Scotland women’s national team in EuroHockey Championship II this summer. There’s also great interest from fans of the competing nations to come to Glasgow and cheer on their team.

“The tournament is a tremendous showcase for women’s hockey and to have such a great level of interest in the event is really exciting.

“Scottish Hockey is committed to putting on a world-class event at the Women’s Euros this summer, so to bring in an extra stand really shows how we’re taking our events to the next level. I can’t wait to cheer on the players this summer with all the supporters coming to Glasgow.”

Women’s EuroHockey Championship II will be held in Glasgow from 4-10 August 2019, and will see some top international hockey teams competing in Glasgow.

Scotland women will compete in the action-packed tournament, as they battle for promotion in front of a vibrant home crowd to regain their status at the top table of European hockey.

Also taking to the pitch in Glasgow will be Italy; Wales; Czech Republic; Austria; Ukraine; Poland and Turkey. The top two teams will be promoted to the top division of European hockey, while the bottom two will be relegated.

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Reid’s friendly approach helping us: Manpreet

Indian captain says coach has created a friendly environment in the team


Big Positive: Manpreet Singh feels Graham Reid is a calming influence on the players. 

Indian hockey captain Manpreet Singh said on Thursday that the new chief coach Graham Reid’s “simple and friendly approach” has brought a calming influence on the team and it is reflecting on the turf.

“The coach has created a friendly environment in the team and he has kept a very simple approach. He is very open about his thought process and is approachable to each and every team member. If any player has any concerns, he is always welcoming,” Manpreet said.

“This has also improved the performance of the team,” added the 26-year-old midfielder, who had an impressive FIH Series Finals in Bhubneshwar.

Manpreet said the 56-year-old Reid, who replaced Harendra Singh in April, didn’t tinker too much with the attacking style of play.

“The coach (Reid) has not made any significant changes as of now as he is currently new to the set up. He will be looking to make a few changes during our camp which is scheduled in July,” he said.

“Right now, he wants us to continue the good work we did in the FIH Series Finals. He also wants us to improve in our attacking game and work more on creating goal scoring opportunities and penalty corners.”

India lived up to its billing and thrashed South Africa 5-1 in the summit clash and the skipper said the team would like to carry forward the momentum ahead of the final qualifying round of the 2020 Olympics in November.

“We will continue to carry forward the momentum into the next tournament. We will rectify the mistakes we made in this tournament. We are currently preparing for the final qualifying round, which is in November,” said Manpreet.

The Hindu

MHL teams yet to be paid

By Jugjet Singh


Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal

The competition, that is the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) ended more than three months ago but the teams, notably the podium finishers, have yet to get their prize money, The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) still owe their clubs RM430,000, in prize money.

The national league ended on March 2 but the teams that finished on the podium have yet to receive their prize money.

MHC president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal, when asked about the issue, said the debt will be cleared in three weeks’ time.

He admitted that the situation has come about due to slower delivery of funds in sponsorship from the private sector and government while MHC found themselves financially stretched by several programmes.

“We are a little tied up this year because there were many tournaments as well as overseas tours to take care of and the money has only been trickling in from the government as well as sponsors.”

“But rest assured, like the previous years under my administration, the prize money will be cleared in three weeks time,” said Subahan.

Explaining the situation, Subahan said: “We actually had to fork out from MHC’s coffers more than RM600,000 while waiting for money from the government and sponsors.

“We have solid backing for the money, but the process is slow and takes time while we have to continue with our tournaments as well as (overseas) Tours for the men’s and women’s teams.

“This year, we also hosted the men’s FIH Series Finals. The money from sponsors and government support has been slowly coming in. And some was used to send the women’s team to Ireland for the Series Finals.

“We also have to get ready for the men’s tour of Europe soon,” said Subahan.

The women went on a tour of Italy and Scotland before heading to Ireland where they bagged a bronze.

And since the men’s team have earned a spot in the second round of the Olympic Qualifier in November, they will head for Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and South Korea this month to get ready for the knockout.

In the men’s division of the MHL, Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) head the ‘IOU’ list on RM160,000 while Terenggahu Hockey Team are owed RM140,000.

MHC also owe Tenaga Nasional RM160,000, but the team’s chief coach Nor Saiful Zaini said it not a big worry for them.

“Tenaga Nasional has a good structure to take care of players and so, it (late payment) has not really affected us. But I can’t speak for the other clubs,” said Nor Saiful.

According to Subahan, MHC had paid the umpires and officials for the national league before Hari Raya and the rest will be sorted out as promised, like in previous years.

New Straits Times

OTHL makes a winning start at Bilaspur Nationals

s2h Team



One Thousand Hockey Legs (OTHL) made a winning start at the 9th Hockey India Sub-Junior National Championship being underway at Bilaspur, Chhatisgarh. Placed in 5-team Pool B, the OTHL team beat Puducherry State team 6-1. Vineet Singh led young team of the globally acclaimed grassroot program OTHL, will take on Bengaluru XI on Sunday.

Citizen Hockey XI, which is the name of the OTHL team in the championship, defeated Hockey Puducherry 6-1 as Abhinandan Bharadwaj (15’, 19’), Sachin (31’, 49’), Hifazat Ali Shah (41’, 57’) scored for Citizen Hockey XI, while Captain S Gurumoorthi (37’) scored for Hockey Puducherry. (PIC: OTHL team in Bilaspur)

Normally State teams and institutional teams are given entry for the Nationals. However, Hockey India accorded a special status to OTHL which facilitates its combined team to take part in the prestigious competition. This feat was achieved for the solid grassroot work done by novel ways in difficult terrain. Having said this, its appropriate now to know nitty-gritty of the present team.



Defender Vineet Kumar is leading the 18-member team trained by volunteers Nirmal Jeet Singh and Uma Shankar Sharma. Brajgopal, who represented the NGO team when it first played the Sub-Junior Nationals in 2014, and also declared 'Best Player of the Match' in Baroda, is the on site coach for the team in Bilaspur.

(PIC: Nitin, youngest of the OTHL team in Bilaspur) The Bilaspur team was selected after following a long process. 30 boys were selected based on their performance in various tours, school & Delhi State hockey championships. Importance was also given to talents identified during the two-month long OTHL Cup held in various venues (school campuses, Siri Fort Sports Complex, MDCNS, Yamuna Sports Complex etc..) in Delhi.

These boys were trained for almost three days per week for about four months. The mere fact that the Nationals was orginally scheduled to be held in April, but was postponed to June, helped us hone the skills of the boys for a longer spell than expected.

The composition of the team at Bilaspur is exciting one.

Forward Nitin is the youngest, having born in 2006. He is an enterprising and up and coming striker. Aniket Kumar, who is on his second Nationals, is a reliable pivot, who can set up others for goals. Abhinanandan on the right wing is a terror for defenders. He is hawkish insofar as scoring is concerned.


Goalkeeper Raunak sweating it out in the trials

Little dynamo Vikas is a reliable left back, who can ably assist left winger Hifazat Ali Shah in a big way. Hifazat, Aniket and Abhinandan forms our core for goals while Vineet and Ankush are defenders par excellence endowed with enormous amounts of killer instincts. Energetic Sachin and Md Arbaz -- the duo played last number in Bangalore too -- can be worthy forward with their dash and never-say-die attitude, but need to give up individual game. Shailender Rathore is another player to be watched keenly. On his day, he can be a match winner.



There is little that separates both goalies Pradeep and Raunak Kumar, the OTHL's future.

The team:
GOALKEEPERS: Ranauk Singh (GBSSS, Ghitorni), Pradeep Kumar (GBSSS, Khanpur)
DEFENDERS: Vineet Kumar (YA SBV, Ambedkar Nagar), Sahil Singh (GBSSS, Ghitorni), Ankush Kumar (GBSSS, Khanpur)
(PIC: A practice match under progress) MIDFIELDERS: Vikas (GBSSS, Khanpur), Aniket Kumar (GBSSS, Ghitorni), Hifazat Ali (GBSSS, No.2 Ghitorni), Aditya Kumar (GBSSS, Khanpur), Deepak Kumar (SBV Ashok Vihar), Sachin (GBSSS, No.2 Mehrauli), Md. Arbaz (GBSSS, No.2 Ghitorni), Ashish Kumar Gupta (GBSSS, Saket)
FORWARDS: Abhinandan Bharadwaj (GBSSS, No.2 Mehrauli), Aadil Malik (YA SBV Ambedkar Nagar), Nitin (GBSSS, No.2 Ghitorni), Gaganjeet Singh (Private School), Shailender Rathore (GBSSS, Saket), Nitin ((GBSSS, No.2 Mehrauli).

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