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News for 19 July 2020

All the news for Sunday 19 July 2020


India now a stronger side than in Rio 2016 - Savita

If the Indian team plays to its potential, it could win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, says goalkeeper Savita.


Savita..."I think we have a great chance of making history at the Tokyo Olympics." - HOCKEY INDIA

The Indian women’s hockey team is a much stronger team now than it was in 2016 when it participated in the Rio Olympics, according to goalkeeper Savita. Reflecting on India’s campaign at the Olympics four years ago in a column for Hockey India, Savita said the team was too raw then, and made some mistakes during the competition.

“I feel our team was raw at that time and we made a few mistakes. Now, we have a much stronger side and I am sure we will be able to put the nightmare in Rio behind us. The experience at the Olympic Games will certainly hold us in good stead for the next one in Tokyo,” she said.

“We have certainly changed the way we operate on and off the field since the 2016 Olympics. We have recorded great victories in the last four years which includes Asia Cup 2017 and FIH Women's Series Finals Hiroshima 2019,” she said.

Memorable contest

Looking back on the victory against USA in November, 2019, which handed India a berth for Tokyo, she said, “It was absolutely amazing to book a berth at the Tokyo Olympics through the FIH Olympic Qualifiers 2019 in front of our home crowd. We desperately needed one goal in the second leg match against USA and Rani stepped up for us once again in the last quarter of the match. We never stopped believing in ourselves and that was the key aspect in our game on that day.”

Savita said her performance against Japan during the Women’s Hockey World League Semifinal gave her the confidence of being able to take on any team in the world.

“I attained a lot of confidence after the match against Japan for fifth place at the Women's Hockey World League Semi Final in Antwerp in 2015. Japan created many chances to score, but I held my ground and managed to save everything that came my way. I will never forget that match. I was in the zone and felt that I could take on any team anywhere in the world. I had no fear inside me at all. We won the game 1-0, courtesy of Rani's strike, and that victory eventually helped us qualify for the Rio Olympics,” she recalled.

‘Strong belief’

Weighing in on India’s chances of winning a medal at the Olympics in Tokyo, she said, “I think we have a great chance to make history at the Tokyo Olympics. We have a good mix of experience and youngsters in our side and all our bases are covered. We have competed against top teams in the recent past and we have a strong belief in our abilities. If we play to our potential, we will surely win a medal for India at the Olympics next year.”

Sportstar



We were raw in Rio and made mistakes, will be a better side in Tokyo, says Indian hockey team goalkeeper Savita

The Indian women's hockey team had created history when they qualified for Rio Olympics after a gap of 36 years. But that joy was shortlived as they crashed out in the group stages.



Women's hockey goalkeeper Savita says the Indian team was inexperienced at the Rio Olympics but has since then transformed into a competitive side in the last four years and it stands a good chance of making history in next year's Tokyo Games.

The Indian women's hockey team had created history when they qualified for Rio Olympics after a gap of 36 years. But that joy was shortlived as they crashed out in the group stages.

"I feel our team was raw at that time and we made a few mistakes. Now, we have a much stronger side and I am sure we will be able to put the nightmare in Rio behind us. The experience at the Olympic Games will certainly hold us in good stead for the next one in Tokyo," Savita was quoted as saying in a Hockey India release.

"I think we have a great chance to make history at the Tokyo Olympics. We have a good mix of experience and youngsters in our side and all our bases are covered. We have competed against top teams in the recent past and we have a strong belief in our abilities. If we play to our potential, we will surely win a medal for India at the Olympics next year."

The 30-year-old custodian from Haryana, who was part of the Rio squad, believes the team is much improved now, evident from its recent performances against top sides.

"We have certainly changed the way we operate on and off the field since the 2016 Olympics. We have recorded great victories in the last four years which includes Asia Cup 2017 and FIH Women's Series Finals Hiroshima 2019," said Savita.

"It was absolutely amazing to book a berth at the Tokyo Olympics through the FIH Olympic Qualifiers 2019 in front of our home crowd."

Savita recalled her experiences of the Rio Olympics, saying the entire team was buzzing with excitement to be just a part of the quadrennial sporting extravaganza after 36 years.

"The Olympic Games will always be the pinnacle tournament for any sportsperson. All of us dream of not just participating in the competition, but also of winning a medal for our country. It was fantastic to take part at the Rio Olympics in 2016," she said.

"We had qualified for the big competition after 36 years and we were very excited to be in the midst of the best athletes from around the world. The feeling was unparalleled. The buzz of the fans, spreading colour around the different sporting venues lifts and motivates all sportspersons instantly."

Firstpost



Ollie Payne: "I definitely feel as prepared as I can be"


Ollie Payne 2018 Sultan of Johor Cup

Ollie Payne’s introduction to the senior Great Britain set up certainly wasn’t conventional.

Having been offered a place in the programme during the Covid-19 pandemic, the 21-year-old goalkeeper joined up with the squad when they began a phased Return To Training programme at the end of last month.

As if making the step up to begin training full-time with the country’s best wasn’t daunting enough, doing so under unique circumstances could have made that even more of a nerve-wracking prospect.

But, despite the restrictions currently in place to prevent the squad catching or spreading coronavirus, the Devon-born player thoroughly enjoyed his first few practices with the team.

“The first session was really weird to start with because there were so many different precautions put in place - you had to follow social distancing, get temperature checked at the start of the session,” the Durham University graduate said.

“It all felt a little bit new but the second session felt a little bit more normal, people were a little bit more relaxed. It’s been fun but a bit strange.

“It's good fun. Obviously it’s the highest standard you can get in this country so it’s very challenging but it’s very fun trying to see if you can get up to that standard.”

There were plenty of familiar faces there to help ease any nerves Payne may have had. He had already attended a handful of training sessions with the squad before lockdown while he played alongside Jack Waller and Rhys Smith at Durham University.

All three athletes were also part of the Great Britain Elite Development Programme (EDP) and Payne’s selection now means a total of 11 players have transitioned from the programme to earn full-time places in the senior teams.

“First coming down to train last year, having some familiar faces was so important,” Payne recalled.

“It relaxes you, reassures you and takes your mind off outside worries and pressures and makes you play. There’s also quite a few lads who I knew from the U21s and the EDP and that was brilliant, they’ve all been really nice and very welcoming into the group.

“The amount of graduates [from the EDP] speaks for itself. From my experiences, it’s a brilliant programme and will hopefully prepare me for moving into the full-time programme. With the training you get and the amount of contact time, I definitely feel as prepared as I can be.”

The last two years have certainly been full of success for the former Dart HC goalkeeper. He was part of the GB U21 squads that won the 2018 and 2019 Sultan of Johor Cups; the England U21 team that claimed a historic European silver last summer and the Durham University outfit that clinched a dramatic BUCS title in 2018.

“Coming second at the Euros will be a tournament I’ll always remember. That was a brilliant, brilliant tournament to be a part of,” he said.

“In the lead up to that we lost to all of the teams – Belgium, Netherlands, Germany – that we would end up playing against so no-one backed us. It was nice to show that we were good enough to be there.

“Winning BUCS was pretty unbelievable because you’re playing with your best mates and that’s something you’ll always remember and take pride in and take away from university life.”

There have been plenty of individual rewards for Payne too as he was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament at both of the Sultan of Johor Cups where GB took gold.

But for him this is not just a reflection of his own performances; it’s recognition for the fantastic work of the defensive unit in front of him too.

“It's obviously always nice getting personal accolades at the end of tournament. But it’s just rewarding to see that all the hard work at that tournament recognised,” he said.

“You see a lot of those awards go to the team with the best defensive records, so the goalkeeper gets a lot of the glory. But I know I wouldn’t have got those awards if I didn’t have such a brilliant defence around me.”

Great Britain’s men and women are next due to be in action when they head to The Netherlands and Belgium for the resumption of the FIH Hockey Pro League in late October/early November.

They are then due to host Germany on 14/15 November (almost certainly behind closed doors) before welcoming Argentina, India, USA, China and Spain next summer.

Great Britain Hockey media release



Hockey Ireland Statement Regarding EuroHockey League and Club Championship Positions 2020/21.

On the 9th of April 2020, the 2019/2020 EYHL season was declared null and void by the Hockey Ireland Board due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

This was based on the recommendation of a Competitions Working Group that included the Hockey Ireland Competitions Committee and representation from each of the four provinces. This group, after extensive consultation and consideration, presented a series of recommendations to the Hockey Ireland Board regarding all hockey competitions on the island of Ireland. The Competitions Committee also recommended the representatives for the 2020/2021 European Hockey competitions – the EuroHockey League and EuroHockey Club Championship. It was recommended that the four teams selected to represent Ireland in 2019/2020 season should remain the representatives for 2020/2021.

This recommendation was reviewed by the Hockey Ireland Board at a meeting on 6th May. The Board approved the Competitions Committee recommendation and resolved that the four clubs representing Ireland in the European Hockey competitions in 2021 are:

  • Pegasus Hockey Club Women will retain their position as the representative in the Euro Hockey League Final
  • Three Rock Rovers Hockey Club Men retain their position as the representative for the Euro Hockey League
  • Loreto Hockey Club Women retain their position as the representative for the EuroHockey Club Trophy
  • Lisnagarvey Hockey Club’s Men retain their position for the EuroHockey Club Trophy II

This Board decision was appealed by Lisnagarvey Hockey Club under the Hockey Ireland Bye Laws. An independent Appeal Panel met on Monday 29th June and ruled that the appeal should be upheld. This panel determined that Lisnagarvey Hockey Club should be awarded first place in the nomination for European Competitions for the 2020/2021 season, making them the representative for Ireland in the EuroHockey League.

While accepting the decision of the Appeal Panel, it is Hockey Ireland’s position that the committee focussed on Lisnagarvey Hockey Club’s appeal without any, or insufficient, regard to the consequences of such a change to the broader Hockey Ireland decision. The outcome of the appeal impacts on the decisions, regarding club selections and their ranking, for all of the respective European Hockey Competitions in 2020/2021.

Upon receipt of the Appeal Panel decision, Hockey Ireland considered all available options open to it and decided to refer the Appeal Panel’s decision to Sport Dispute Solutions Ireland as allowed for within the Hockey Ireland Bye Laws.  Sport Dispute Solutions Ireland is an independent specialised dispute resolution service for Irish Sport offering both a mediation and arbitration facility.  As Hockey Ireland’s designate appeal body, a request to Sport Dispute Solutions Ireland for mediation/arbitration is the final solution to an appeal when all processes within Hockey Ireland have been exhausted.

Hockey Ireland has received appeals from other Clubs since the Appeal Panel’s decision was announced. However, due to the complexity of this issue and the potential implications of any Sport Dispute Solutions Ireland ruling on the matter, Hockey Ireland has contacted the other appealing clubs to look into pausing their appeal processes until a ruling is received from Sport Dispute Solutions Ireland.

Hockey Ireland will fully engage with the Sport Dispute Solutions Ireland mediation/arbitration process.

Irish Hockey Association media release



Avoca and Three Rock announce new coaches

Trevor Dagg returns to his roots while Three Rock snap up Dave McGivern for next season


Trevor Dagg with Corinthian two seasons ago. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Avoca have announced Trevor Dagg will be the club’s new men’s first team coach for the upcoming season, taking over following Mark Cullen’s decision to step down after a decade in the role.

Dagg takes on the role at the club where he made his name as a player, winning numerous titles during the 1990s. Since then, he has built up a strong coaching career.

Most recently, he helped Corinthian’s men earn promotion to the EYHL after a number of years knocking on the door with a couple of Leinster Division One titles under their belt.

Before that, Dagg had spells with YMCA and Loreto and his appointment will see him work with Avoca’s new director of hockey, Rudi Wortmann, with the club ambitious to make a mark in their 125th anniversary season.

Elsewhere, Three Rock Rovers have snapped up David McGivern and Stephen O’Keeffe to coach their women’s first team, taking over from John Pearson.

McGivern has built up an extensive CV in the past five years and was Railway Union’s women’s head coach last term having previously been at the helm with Clontarf and the South East Under-18s. 

He was Head of Junior Girl’s Hockey in Railway Union for the past four years and is currently employed as Head of Hockey in St Kilians School in addition to coaching and performance analysis roles with the Leinster Under-16 and Irish Under-18 girls. 


Dave McGivern has taken on Three Rock Rovers women’s team. Pic: Adrian Boehm

With O’Keeffe, the duo led Railway’s seconds to the Irish Junior Cup crown. The Irish indoor international goalkeeper is also an experienced GK coach, working with the Leinster GK development program, the Under-16/18 girls and boys and the Irish Under-16 girls and boys.

The Hook



Gademan links up with Henning’s coaching team at Rot-Weiss



Pasha Gademan has joined the Rot-Weiss Köln men’s coaching team and will work alongside André Henning as they look to continue their exceptional run of results in Germany and the EHL.

The 32-year-old will take on the new role in August, switching from Hoofdklasse club Almere after three relatively successful years for the rising club to stay in the top tier. Gademan will remain on as the Dutch Under-19 coach which he will do in tandem with Rot-Weiss.

He is the latest new arrival for the club with Vincent Vanasch (Waterloo Ducks), Mink van der Weerden (HC Oranje-Rood) and German Under-21 international Elian Mazkour (Mannheimer HC) on board, too.

The Bundesliga is currently scheduled to recommence on September 5 with Rot-Weiss due to play in the EHL FINAL8 from October 15-18 in Gademan’s hometown of Amsterdam.

Head coach Henning said of the new addition: “We have been looking for a suitable candidate for a long time and now feel that it really fits perfectly.

“We will try to rethink our trainer team. There will be no classic hierarchies, Pasha will get involved at all levels. Above all, he will have his role in the development of the boys, regardless of whether we help national players to take the last big step towards the Olympics or whether it is about the many young talents from our own youth. 

“At the same time, he has raised many strategic and tactical questions. I look forward to a lot of new things and all changes that we will initiate together.”

Gademan added: “I am really looking forward to being part of the history of Rot-Weiss Köln. When I first met André and the club managers, I felt that our stories and paths had a strong connection. 

“With my short but rather intensive career as a hockey coach, I want to do my part to win titles and, at the same time, prepare the young talents of the club for their steps towards international hockey.”

Euro Hockey League media release

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