Welcome to the Fieldhockey.com Archives

Daily Hockey news updated @ 10:00 GMT

News for 08 October 2020

All the news for Thursday 8 October 2020


England Hockey takes the decision to cancel indoor programme for 2020-21


East Grinstead at the Jaffa Super 6s

England Hockey has taken the decision to cancel its indoor programme for the 2020-21 season. This includes the Super 6s league and finals, as well as Schools and Junior Clubs indoor championships.

This of course means that sadly the Jaffa Super 6s finals, which, in its various guises, has been a feature of the January hockey calendar for nearly 50 seasons, will not be run in 2021.

The decision is not taken lightly but reflects that, unlike outdoor sport, the current government 'rule of six' applies to indoor sports for people aged 18 or over. There is no timeline for the possible relaxation of this. We also know that a number of venues used for indoor hockey are not currently available.

Making this decision now allows clubs to plan for the December and January period without the uncertainty of whether indoor competition will be held or not.  

For schools and juniors we also believe it is in the best interests of the sport to make this decision now.

We know that schools face a number of challenges in fulfilling sporting fixtures and by taking indoor competition out of the calendar now this will enable them to prioritise outdoor activity if they are able to play.

In addition, the nature of indoor competitions, run in a tournament-style format with a number of teams attending on one day, make them a far greater challenge to manage within current guidelines than one-off games.

The England Hockey calendar will be revised for December and January to take into account indoor activity not being held and this will be updated and disseminated next week.

Indoor activity can still be run for players aged Under 18 and for disabled adults in line with the sport’s wider government-approved guidance.  

England Hockey Board Media release



English indoor season curtailed as home nations set for Hockey5s

By Richard Bright


Wembley Super 6s

Indoor hockey in England has been cancelled for the 2020/21 winter season after the decision was taken to shelve its Super 6s league and finals, as well as schools and junior club championships due to the ongoing pandemic.

England Hockey said the decision had not been “taken lightly”, with government rules on indoor sport unlikely to be relaxed in time, venues not currently available and indoor tournaments making for a “far greater challenge” with an abundance of teams attending venues at the same time.

With the English indoor season unfortunately curtailed, it means that clubs challenging in Europe will face stern tests without elite competition.

Further, the European Hockey Federation recently announced a new Hockey5s tournament across the continent, set for next summer, which will see English men and women involvement in July. It is not yet known how the teams will be made up.

The EHF events follow world hockey’s decision to create a Hockey5s World Cup, with the inaugural edition slated for 2023.

Continents have been asked to organise Hockey5s qualifiers to determine a senior ranking. The EHF says it plans to host the EuroHockey5s Championships in 2022 where countries can qualify for the Hockey5s World Cups.

England Hockey said earlier this year that there is value in the smaller format of the sport, but admitted it had yet to fully invest in the Hockey 5s concept – despite the FIH making strides to bring the sport to a wider audience.

Ed Barney, England Hockey’s performance director, told THP in January: “We recognise that the FIH have introduced it with a primary focus on providing a route to ‘top level’ competition for more nations.

“Given there are over 60 nations that now have Hockey5s competitions (some of whom do not have any 11 aside hockey), we can see the value of a small format of the game.

“From our perspective, there is clearly a big role for a small format of the game and that is something we think the sport should be excited about. Whether Hockey5s and the associated rules is the best format is another question.”

The 2021 EuroHockey5s Men and Women

EuroHockey Men’s Tournament A
Teams: BLR, BUL, DEN, ESP, NED, POL, SUI, TUR, UKR
Venue: Vinnitsa (UKR)
Dates: 8-10 July 2021

EuroHockey Men’s Tournament B
Teams: AUT, BEL, CRO, CYP, ENG, RUS, SCO, SLO
Venue: Lipovci (SLO)
Dates: 8-10 July 2021

EuroHockey Women’s Tournament
Teams: AUT, BEL, BLR, CRO, ENG, ESP, NED, POL, POR, RUS, SCO, SUI, TUR, UKR, WAL
Venue: Walcz (POL)
Dates: 7-10 July 2021

SIGN UP for The Hockey Paper’s returning newsletter: Promotions, exclusives and our best coverage

The Hockey Paper



Young athletes get connected with stars of the game



An exciting new development and mentoring programme aimed at young athletes is being launched by the FIH Academy in mid-October.

Starting in Europe and Africa this month but expanding to the Pan American region, Asia and Oceania in the coming months, the 12-month programme brings together potential new hockey talent with elite level players and coaches.

There will be 20 young athletes on the inaugural programme, and this group will then be divided into smaller groups of six, where they will be linked to their athlete mentors and coaches.

The Young Athlete Academy is open to 14-18 year old hockey players who want to become the very best players they can be. The course comprises 15-20 events, including interactive workshops, specialised sessions such as sports psychology, strength and conditioning, skills clinics and presentations from some of the best hockey brains in the world.

The Young Athlete Academy utilises all the advances made recently in online communication, so group mentoring sessions, one-to-one conversations with coaches and elite athletes, plus a schedule of activities to enhance hockey knowledge and understanding, are all part of a comprehensive programme. Attendees receive a Young Athlete Academy Diploma at the end of the course.

Technical support will be provided by Coach Logic, allowing the young athletes to develop skills of individual performance analysis, group match analysis, plus a platform for group communications.

Mark Cairns of Coach Logic says the programme taps into many of the principles that Coach Logic were founded upon.

“We built Coach Logic for players. We wanted to get players more involved in analysis and taking a proactive role in their own learning – rather than being told. This initiative gives young players around the world a chance to connect with top players and coaches and help them get better understanding of the game.

“The young player can upload a video of themselves playing or training. They can select clips their performance to their mentors and start a discussion around those areas. The great thing is that you could conceivably have a young player in one part of the world getting support from a top coach or player on the other side of the world. This is the great way that technology can bring people together and share the learning.”

England and Great Britain goalkeeper Maddie Hinch is one of the elite athletes providing mentoring and support on the course. She says: “I’m very much looking forward to getting involved with the Young Athlete Academy. It’s a fantastic initiative from FIH and an incredible opportunity for young hockey players to get the most out of their development.

“My role as a mentor will enable me to connect globally, helping to inspire and guide the athletes on their journey to becoming the best they can be.”

Maddie will be joined in the initial stages by fellow Olympians Marsha Cox of South Africa and Great Britain and England’s Sam Ward.

The coaching team comprises three coaches currently working at the top of the game: Spanish Hockey Federation and Club Egara coach Andrew Wilson, Chris Marriot, who is Director of Coaching at Christ College, Brecon in Wales and South Africa’s Pholo Tsoanelo.

The FIH Academy is working with The Hockey Exchange to deliver the programme. Director of the FIH Academy, Mike Joyce says: “We are really pleased to be ready to launch this initiative as it promises to deliver high quality mentoring to potential young hockey talent in an innovative and effective way.

“This shows that, despite travel restrictions due to the pandemic, we can still connect, educate and inspire across the entire global hockey community and I am grateful to the Hockey Exchange, Coach Logic and our wonderful athlete mentors and coaches for working to turn the vision to a reality.”

To check out all the initiatives and current work of the FIH Academy click here.

FIH site



Emily Dark invited to train with GB women


Emily Dark, photo by Mark Pugh

Scotland internationalist Emily Dark has been invited to train with the senior GB women squad as the 20 year-old Scot progresses in the GB Elite Development Programme (EDP).

Dark was selected for the GB EDP programme in 2018 and the opportunity to train with the GB women’s team presents an excellent opportunity to develop, and impress, at the top level.

The opportunity is definitely not lost on the versatile Scot, who said, “It has been an ambition of mine to play for GB for so many years, so to be offered this opportunity to train with them for the next three weeks is unbelievable.

“I am incredibly excited to get started, not only for high-quality hockey, but to meet everyone too. This is a big opportunity for me to show what I can bring to the game and I want to embrace it and have fun.”

The GB EDP was launched as part of a strategic objective during the Tokyo 2020 cycle with the aim of developing medal winning Olympians of the future, with the selected athletes having shown their potential to achieve that during a comprehensive selection process.

It’s an experience that Emily has enjoyed and learned from, she explained, “GB EDP has been fantastic. It’s always really tough and they constantly challenge you mentally and physically, but I come away from every session having learned something new, or having thought about something from a different perspective.

“We have a lot of small gameplay, which has really helped my ability to play in those congested areas of the pitch and look for space. It’s also been a great opportunity to travel and play against top teams such as China, Australia and Germany U23s.”

The invite to train with GB women also shows the success of GB EDP in developing players as Dark follows fellow Scot Charlotte Watson in showing progress in the EDP to fashion an opportunity to join up with the senior squad.

It’s been an incredible few years at international level for the young Scot, clocking up an impressive 23 senior caps in the progress.


Emily Dark

Dark was part of the gold medal winning Scotland squad at EuroHockey Championship II in Glasgow in 2019, a tournament that Emily excelled in. She recalled, “Winning gold with Scotland at the home Europeans last year has definitely been a highlight for me, and I loved working with the team before and during the tournament to make sure we were in the best position possible to perform at our best.”

Emily won the Young Player of the Tournament award and scored against Ukraine on the opening day and against Poland in the semi-finals. She also played for Scotland in the FIH Series Finals, and scored in the shootout defeat to Czech Republic.

Scotland Head Coach Jen Wilson remembers Dark’s performances fondly and has been impressed, saying, “I am delighted with the progress that Emily has made over the last couple of years. When she was awarded Young Player of the Tournament at the EuroHockey Championship II we knew that she had the ability to take on any challenge presented to her.

“Emily’s natural position is in defence however she played the whole tournament in our striker line and scored some very impressive goals. For such a young player, she plays with an incredible amount of maturity and a vast repertoire of skills which continue to develop rapidly.

“Special thanks must go to sportscotland and our sponsors for their continued investment, the GB Elite Development Programme, the Scottish Hockey support staff team and Vikki Bunce who have all helped to create an environment of opportunity for Emily to thrive in.”


Photo by Duncan Gray

Prior to stepping up to the Scotland senior squad the Dundee Wanderers player was also a central figure in the Scotland U18 girls’ gold medal winning team at U18 EuroHockey Championship II in 2018.

“I absolutely love playing international hockey”, said Emily, “and I’ve worked really hard through all the age groups to the seniors. I am always trying to improve something whether it be fitness, strength, skills or tactics and working with the wealth of knowledge that GB EDP, Scottish Hockey and Dundee Wanderers have to offer has helped me get where I am today.

“It is so rewarding that all my hard work is paying off but I still have a long way to go and a lot more hard work to put in.”

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Foreign coaches to train green shirts, says PHF chief

LAHORE- Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Brig (r) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar on Wednesday said that Pakistan has the services of world-class coaches, who can put the team on winning track.

In the recent played international matches, Pakistani players lacked physical strength for which the PHF would hire the services of foreign coaches to make the players’ physical fitness up to the international standard.

“As soon as the foreign coaches arrive, the camps for both senior and junior string sides would be conducted, which would help in shaping the fitness level of junior players as well. This will also enable us to have proper back-up players.”

He also said that the PHF would also provide international coaching courses to the local coaches and send them to other countries to learn finer points of modern-day hockey coaching.

The Nation



“National Championships played big role in my early rise”, says Rajkumar Pal


Chief Coach Grahm Reid presents India Jersery to rising star Rajkumar Pal

Bengaluru:  “I feel very fortunate to get recognized early in my career. I feel the Hockey India Senior National Championships in 2018 and 2019 were a crucial moment in my career. Good performances there helped me get selected for the Senior National Camp, says Rajkumar Pal, who made international debut this year. Find of Chief Coach Graham Reid, he showed his class against Belgium in the World Champions Belgium at the FIH Hockey Pro League.

He further expressed that hockey has given him a new lease of life. “For young boys from small villages like where I come from, there are very few opportunities to make a living or find the right career path. I am fortunate I was encouraged to play a sport that is governed by a professionally run Federation which ensures talent is recognized and nurtured,” he said further adding that youngsters who aspire to make the Indian Team must take the Annual National Championships seriously.

“Youngsters who want to get selected for the National Camp must take the Annual National Championships seriously and make use of the opportunity to do well for your team. Hardwork never goes unnoticed,” he added.

Speaking about his experience over the past six months, Rajkumar feels the team management’s efforts to keep the players motivated through the lockdown was extremely important. “With no activities at all, it was very difficult to feel motivated but the team management, especially Chief Coach and Scientific Advisor ensured we were kept occupied with online activities, English classes and a regular fitness regime. They also ensured we were not fatigued mentally,” Rajkumar explained.

With a well-defined role in the squad now, Rajkumar says his aim is to remain a regular feature in the National Team. “My aim now is to prove my potential in every single session, in every single opportunity I get. We have a very strong pool of players and there is a healthy internal competition to make the final squad. I have received great support from the senior players who encourage me to play to my potential. I look forward to build on this momentum,” he said.

Stick2Hockey.com



East Grinstead rebuild paying dividends



As East Grinstead prepare to go into a top of the table clash with reigning Men’s Hockey League Premier Division champions Surbiton, we talk to Simon Faulkner, the long-serving captain of the West Sussex team about how his side are shaping up this season.

“We had a very short pre-season but we feel we have come a long way in quite a short period of time,” says Faulkner, who has been at the club for seven years and of course comes from a well known hockey family with his brother Dan also playing for East Grinstead and father David, an Olympic gold medalist from 1988 and previously Great Britain Performance Director.

“We changed our coaching set-up completely with Tim Deakin and Dave Beckett coming on board and we have changed completely the direction we were going in terms of the way we were playing and our mindset.”

During the off-season the team lost three of its international players as Liam Ansell, Chris Griffiths and David Condon all moved on to other clubs. Rather than seeking high profile and tried and tested senior players, Faulkner says the club decided to invest in youth.

“It was a challenging off-season as we lost three internationals from our squad,” says Faulkner. “But we thought, we don’t want to go for older players, we want to invest in younger players coming out of university.

“That is why we have the old guard, such as me, Lewis Prosser, and Joe Naughalty but then we brought in players such as Louis Gittens. The young players are the future, we are rebuilding the foundations of East Grinstead.”

The result of all the disruption is a team that is playing direct and highly-paced hockey. Faulkner says the underlying principle is giving the speedy and talented forward line ‘freedom to express’ itself.

“Our forward line is very direct and has been given license to ‘have a go’. At the same time our defending is more proactive,” he explains. “We target areas to go after the ball and everyone knows where those areas are. So, as soon as we set a trap, we then spring on teams and really rob the ball in important areas. That gives our forward line the freedom to have a go.”

Despite these changes to both personnel and principles of play, East Grinstead have begun the season with a bang.

Their opening match saw them beat Oxted 2-1, then they went to Exeter where they piled on the pressure to win 6-2. Their third match saw them draw with Brooklands MU, but Faulkner says two wins and a draw is a good return bearing in mind the changes that have been made.

“Everyone has bought into the new way of playing and we are seeing success. The new guys who have come in have been fantastic for us – Louis Gittens for example, has scored three goals so far. It is a shock to the system but it has clicked and we are playing with confidence and belief.”


Simon Faulkner helping East Grinstead to the 2019 Jaffa Super 6s title

The saying goes that a change is as good as a rest and this is what Faulkner believes is happening with East Grinstead.

“It has been an enforced change and a complete u-turn. That has focused peoples’ minds and forced us to do things differently. Everyone is pulling in the same direction and there is a realisation that if we do stick together then the game plan will work.”

The system was tested in the most recent match against Brooklands MU which ended 2-2. On current form and results, it is a match that East Grinstead would have expected to win. Instead they went behind for the first time this season. It was only in the last quarter that the team regained their sense of purpose and belief in the new system of play. And at that point, Faulkner says, the game was theirs for the winning.

“If we are brutally honest with ourselves, we should have won that game,” he reflects.

However, Faulkner sees the tough encounter with Brooklands MU as part of the team’s learning curve.

“We got pulled too easily into traps. Until that match things had gone in the right direction but now we need to learn how to deal with things when our backs are to the wall in terms of how we wrestle things back in our favour.”

With a clash against Surbiton their next challenge, learning how to wrestle things into their favour is likely to be a pressing concern. However, Surbiton will also need to be wary of a team that is hitting its stride. Faulkner points to the Exeter encounter as an example of just what East Grinstead are capable of.

“When we click, I can see really clearly how this is all coming together. In our match against Exeter, we scored a couple of goals where our movement was such that we were able to play 2-on-1 with the goalkeeper because we had moved the ball so well. Everyone was in the right position at the right time. It was fruition of all those weeks of hard work in the pre-season and it shows that when we get it right, we are very dangerous.”

Can the new look East Grinstead side topple their near neighbours? Their captain certainly has belief.

“Surbiton are a good team but, for us, we have competed well with them in the last couple of seasons. We are not scared of the challenge, we are looking forward to seeing how we have progressed and we think we can get three points from our journey down the road next weekend.”

To get all the latest EHL news and scores straight to your inbox, sign up to The League Newsletter by clicking HERE.

England Hockey Board Media release



Managing your hockey club during Covid-19



Covid-19 has challenged hockey clubs in all kinds of ways from volumes of guidance to adapted gameplay.

Grassroots sports technology firm Pitchero has introduced a range of online tools and new features aimed at helping clubs return to sport safely.

The Leeds-based company has over two million members and 10,000 teams using its platform which includes club websites and apps.

The latest exciting update is the ability for sports teams to collect match fees via the Pitchero mobile apps. It’s a safe, contactless way for clubs to bring in vital online payments and players or parents to pay at a convenient time.

The Covid-19 Hub gives a snapshot of the UK Government advice, coronavirus resources from governing bodies and how clubs can prepare their clubhouse and facilities.

For NHS Test and Trace, Pitchero’s free training and team selection features mean coaches and team managers can keep accurate records of participants in training or matches.

Back in April, they also launched a donations tool that meant clubs could boost their cashflow with online donations. It raised over £170,000 in a few months at a time when clubs were without sport and making difficult decisions over membership and income.

It’s world-class technology like this, that will allow our grassroots sports club to navigate through the current pandemic safely, and thrive when sport begins to return to some kind of normality.

For more info on all of these tools and more, visit www.pitchero.com to sign your club up for a free 30-day trial or book a demo with an account manager.

SIGN UP for The Hockey Paper’s returning newsletter: Promotions, exclusives and our best coverage

The Hockey Paper

Fieldhockey.com uses cookies to assist with navigating between pages. Please leave the site if you disagree with this policy.
Copyright remains with the credited source or author