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All the news for Sunday 23 May 2021

2020-21 FIH Pro League (M) - 23 May
Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre, London

22 May 2021     GBR v ESP (RR)   2 - 2 (SO 1 - 3)
23 May 2021 12:00 (GMT +1)      GBR v ESP (RR)

Live streaming and full game replay on the Watch Hockey App (May be Geo blocked if there is TV coverage)

Pool Standings

FIH Match Centre

2020-21 FIH Pro League (W) - 23 May
Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre, London

22 May 2021     GBR v USA (RR)   5 - 1
23 May 2021 14:30 (GMT +1)     GBR v USA (RR)

Live streaming and full game replay on the Watch Hockey App (May be Geo blocked if there is TV coverage)

Pool Standings

USA v NED (26.01.2020) worth double points because of the match cancelled on 24.01.2020
AUS v GBR (01.02.2020) worth double points because of the match cancelled on 02.02.2020

FIH Match Centre

Bonus points for Spain as Shipperly scores last gasp equaliser

By Sarah Juggins



Spain took the bonus points after winning the shoot-out in their FIH Hockey Pro League encounter with Great Britain in London. The result is bitter sweet for the Red Sticks as they had held onto a 2-1 lead despite a stream of pressure by the Great Britain team. It was a last minute goal from Rupert Shipperley that finally saw the host nation breach the Spanish defence.

This encounter between two attacking sides had all the makings of a thrilling match. The past three encounters have been two draws and a 5-6 thriller, which Spain edged.

As the match got underway, the home team had the pressure in the early minutes, drawing a great save from Quico Cortes in the Spanish goal. However, it was Spain who were able to make the most of the opportunities that presented themselves. First, with just three minutes on the clock, Alvaro Iglesias was able to pounce on a loose ball that was fired in from a sharply taken free hit.

Six minutes later and Jose Basterra scored an absolute corker. He picked up a pass from Pau Quemada and a delicate first touch saw him in space at the edge of the circle. The precise shot flew past Ollie Payne to double Spain’s lead.

Liam Ansell brought Great Britain back into the match with a brilliantly executed penalty corner. A slight confusion among the Spanish defence as they prepared for the strike saw Cortes caught off guard, but there was no denying the precision of Ansell’s shot.

At the half-time break the match was tantalisingly poised: Great Britain had enjoyed the far greater possession and had played much of the first 30 minutes in the Spanish half, but it was Spain who had made their shots count.

The third quarter was busy but goalless. Head Coach Danny Kerry was visibly annoyed as he spoke of the ‘wasted opportunities and daft loss of possession’, but despite Kerry’s words, his team still were unable to breach the Spanish defence. A great opportunity created by a speedy run from Zachary Wallace saw the Great Britain attack with a 5v3 overload but Quico Cortes was able to block the shot from James Gall to keep his side ahead.

The match looked to be going all Spain’s way as Great Britain continued to fail to breach the excellent Spanish defence. With players such as Joan Tarres and Miguel Delas holding firm, and some great saves from Quico Cortes, the continued flood of Great Britain attacks fell to nothing.

At the heart of the Great Britain attack was the bustling form of Rupert Shipperley, but it looked as if it was not going to be the forward’s day. Then, with 30 seconds left on the clock, Shipperley latched onto a ball crashed into the circle. The deft touch took the match to shoot-out, for the third time in as many meetings.

Heroics from goal keeper Cortes saw Spain win the shoot-out 3-1. Great Britain got off to a good start with Liam Ansell calmly slotting home, but a saved penalty stroke and a failure to convert the other shoot-out attempts, left the Spanish able to take the bonus points. Marc Miralles, David Alegre and Xavi Lleonart all found the net for Spain.

Player of the Match, Spain's Joan Tarres said: "We trained hard leading up to this match. That was a good win for us in the shoot-out. Now we must get ready for tomorrow's match.

"We were very disappointed to concede the final minute because we had worked so hard for the game."

Great Britain captain, Adam Dixon, said: "It was good to hang on and go to shoot-out. We are very disappointed that we didn't convert the goals at the shoot-out.

"We have matured as a group. The Spanish team play attacking hockey and we worked hard to try and contain them. We need more speed tomorrow, that is the message we took from Danny in the half time talk."

The two nations will take to the field in London for a second time on Sunday 23 May.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Hockey Pro League via the Watch.Hockey app, event website and through FIH social media channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

FIH Hockey Pro League
Saturday 22 May 2021 – London (GBR)

Men
Great Britain 2, Spain 2 - Spain won shoot-out 3-1 [Match 1 of 2]
Player of the Match: Joan Tarres (ESP)
Umpires: Hannah Harrison (ENG), Dan Barstow (ENG) and Sarah Wilson (SCO - video)

#FIHProLeague
#HockeyInvites
#PlayHockeyStayHealthy

Official FIH Pro League Site

Great Britain strike five against USA

By Sarah Juggins



A comprehensive 5-1 victory over the USA means Great Britain have moved to fifth in the FIH Hockey Pro League with a 51 per cent win rate. The USA remain in ninth position, with no wins as yet this season.

Great Britain women started strongly as they sought to impose themselves early on an USA team still smarting from their double defeat at the hands of Belgium the previous weekend.

A driving run by Lily Owsley in the opening minute won her team a penalty corner but Kelsey Bing, in the USA goal, was alert to the danger. The next 14 minutes followed a similar pattern, with the Great Britain midfield and attackers probing and pushing for a breakthrough. That breakthrough eventually came in the 15th minute. The USA gave away possession in the centre of the pitch to Lily Owsley. She slipped an unselfish pass to Isabelle Petter, who shot home past Bing.

Prior to that, there had been some promising signs that the Great Britain team were finding their connections as Susannah Townsend, Sarah Jones and Owsley all combined well to create a number of chances.

Despite some spirited defending and some strong individual runs from the hard-working USA players, it was Great Britain who scored the second goal. It was Petter again who found the back of the net. It was a goal that had been coming: the Great Britain midfield were finding their connections with increasing regularity and creating all sorts of problems for their opponents. Petter’s second goal came from a penalty corner – Grace Balsdon’s strike was deflected by the midfielder past Bing.

In the second half, Great Britain began to turn the screw on their opponents, pressuring the goal and forcing the USA deeper into their defensive half. The pressure was rewarded when a pass from Fiona Crackles found Sarah Robertson, who was able to slot the ball home.

The fourth goal came from a penalty corner strike by Anna Toman. The initial shot was helped on its way by the outstretched stick of Nicole Woods.

The fifth goal came as the space opened up across the pitch as the USA went in search of a goal. Great Britain were able to take advantage of the gaps and Elena Rayer was on hand to shoot home after good build up play by Laura Unsworth and Sarah Jones.

The USA scored a consolation goal when Kelsey Briddell flicked the ball high past Hinch after a penalty corner shot rebounded freely into the circle.

While Great Britain will be pleased with the result, the fact that they had 23 shots, 10 penalty corners and 46 circle entries will be of concern to the Head Coach and his team. At half-time, Head Coach Mark Hager had called on his team to take more opportunities in front of goal.

Player of the Match Fiona Crackles said: “We are just super happy to get so many goals. Normally we have a lot of near misses. We had real fire in our belly. We have been working hard on being ruthless.

"It's great seeing things that we are doing in training coming together in the matchplay."

Captain of the USA, Amanda Magadan: "Great Britain put out a good hockey performance but we gave a few things to them as well. It is good to be able to put the ball in the back of the net.

"Just being able to build on our game from Belgium. We need to take away the positives but also take the harder feedback to. Great Britain are one of the best in the world, so that is who we want to play."

Great Britain host the USA in the second FIH Hockey Pro League match on Sunday 23 May at the Lee Valley Hockey Stadium.

Official FIH Pro League Site

GB Men Draw But Suffer Shootout Defeat To Spain



Great Britain’s men fell to a 3-1 shootout defeat to Spain, with the match finishing 2-2 in regular time in the FIH Hockey Pro League.

Spain had led for the vast majority of the match with a quick double inside the first ten minutes, before Liam Ansell replied with a terrific drag flick midway through the second-quarter.

However, Rupert Shipperley’s goal in the final minute ensured the action wouldn’t finish there by taking the game to a shootout.

Liam Ansell scored with GB’s first effort but magnificent work from Quico Cortes in the Spanish goal and three successful attempts gave the visitors the bonus point.

Alan Forsyth and David Ames collected their 50th GB cap as the team but had to settle for the singular point on their milestone.



Great Britain started off on the front foot, Rupert Shipperley’s drive in the opening minute being well saved as Danny Kerry’s side made their attacking intentions clear from the get go.

Despite enjoying a spell of pressure inside the visitor’s circle, it was Spain who were first on the scoreboard as Alvaro Iglesias prodded home from close range after a deflected ball found it’s way to him on the line.

The lead was quickly doubled courtesy of José Basterra. After breaking away down the flank, Spain flashed the ball across the face of goal with Basterra on hand to profit at the back post and tuck the ball away.

Though they found themselves at a two-goal deficit, GB were still well in the game and continued to create chances, yet Spain’s defensive resilience was proving challenging.

GB were able to make their breakthrough midway through the second-quarter as Ansell’s scorching drag flick hammered into the backboard to pull one back.

Both sides were looking menacing on the front foot and several chances continued to be created, Sam Ward coming closest from another penalty corner for the hosts.

Though there was to be no further goals through the remainder of the half, Great Britain quickly sought another as the second-half resumed with Ansell’s powerful drive going just wide.

With the team still trailing, GB continued to press on looking for an equaliser. Chris Griffiths came close after pouncing on a loose pass at the back, though his shot sailed over the bar.

Limiting Spain to few opportunities, GB were well in the ascendancy and nearly found an equaliser twice in a matter of minutes as both Rupert Shipperley and James Gall threatened.

But the breakthrough was to come. With just 30 seconds remaining, Henry Weir fired a perfectly placed ball into the circle with Shipperley on hand to prod home from close range to ensure the game would go to a shootout.

With at least a point secured, GB were unable to make it two as Spain took the spoils with a 3-1 shootout victory – Ansell netting the lone goal for the hosts.



After the match, Rupert Shipperley commented: “It was a bit of a relief to get the draw in the end and dig ourselves out of a hole. I feel like we dominated, especially the first-half, maybe were a bit unlucky to go 2-0 down but we did well to get back into it and get the draw.

“It’s good that we didn’t hit any panic buttons, just stuck to the process and knew that the chances would come, and they did keep coming – fortunately the last one went in. We didn’t panic, stuck to the processes and it paid off.

“It’s an honour to walk out here and it’s amazing that we can have some family and friends here today too, it makes such a difference and it’s always nice to get a goal too.

“I don’t plan the celebration, it’s just the emotion, but I get a lot of stick for it. Maybe I need to work on it, but as long as the ball goes in the back of the net then I’m not too fussed and will take the stick I get.

“We’ll rest up, have a good ice bath, get some food in us, and will have a debrief tonight to get ready for tomorrow where we’ll hopefully put a better performance in.

“There won’t be too many changes, maybe a few details but we’ve just got to tidy up a few little things. We were probably at six today but if we can get up to eight or nine tomorrow then we’ll be fine.”

The teams meet again on Sunday 23 May at 12:00 at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in what will be GB’s last match before the Tokyo Olympics – the match will be shown live on BT Sport.

Great Britain 2 (1)

Ansell (22’ PC); Shipperley (59’ FG)


Spain 2 (2)

Iglesias (6’ FG); Basterra (9’ FG)

Spain win shootout 3-1

Starting XI: Payne (GK), Ames, Weir, Forsyth, Shipperley, Griffiths, Dixon (C), Gall, Sanford, Wallace, Draper

Subs (Used): Ward, Creed, Ansell, Waller, Sorsby

Subs (Unused): Pinner

Great Britain Hockey media release

GB’s Women Run Riot With 5-1 Victory Over USA



Mark Hager’s side recorded a dominant 5-1 victory over the USA with goals from Sarah Robertson, Anna Toman, Ellie Rayer and an Izzy Petter brace earning the victory.

Great Britain looked strong straight out of the blocks, testing the goalkeeper from a penalty corner in the first minute of the match, and continued with the same attacking intent through the game.

Sarah Jones and Giselle Ansley both saw a series of shots well saved with ten minutes on the clock as GB repeatedly tested Kelsey Bing in the USA goal.

The continued pressure paid dividends with just 30 seconds remaining in the first-quarter as Lily Owsley played in Petter with only the ‘keeper to beat, the forward producing a sumptuous finish to open the scoring.

GB were well on top, Rayer running nearly the length of the field, searing past numerous defenders, and putting a decent shot on goal only to be denied by Bing.

The lead was doubled on the cusp of half-time, Petter grabbing her second of the day with a delicate deflection to divert the ball into the back of the net.

After bagging a first-half brace, Petter was agonisingly close to making it a hattrick. With impressive close control, Petter beat two defenders before her powerful shot flew narrowly wide of the target.

The chances kept coming for GB who were well in the ascendancy and two goals in quick succession followed. Fiona Crackles skilfully dribbled her way into the circle from out wide and her ball across the face of goal was met by Robertson to prod home. Minutes later and Toman was on the scoresheet too, her slap from a penalty corner taking a hit off a USA stick and settling in goal.

Shona McCallin struck the gloves of Bing as the final quarter got going before Rayer recorded a goal of her own, profiting from the USA ‘keepers deflection falling into her path for a simple finish from close range.

With time running short, the USA did get one of their own as Kelsey Briddell produced a tidy finish to give the visitors a consolation.



After the match, Petter commented: “I’m feeling great. It’s lovely to be back at Lee Valley, especially with some of our family and friends here, it’s a really special occasion and it’s good getting a few goals in the bag.

“As you say, every forward is able to score goals, the midfielders are scoring and Toman got one too so there’s been a range of goal scorers, which is always a great thing to have in the team.

“I love scoring at Lee Valley, it’s literally the best feeling, and to do it with this team is even better. The second one, I’ve been working on that one massively but I kept missing it, so when it finally went in it was more relief than anything else, but every forward likes a good celebration.

“These games are so important, winning back-to-back games is something we’re really focussing on. I can’t believe it’s our last game as GB, the Olympics feel ages away, but tomorrow should be great.”

The teams meet in the FIH Hockey Pro League on 23 May at 14:30 in GB’s final match before the Tokyo Olympics

Great Britain 5 (2)

Petter (15’ FG, 30’ PC), Robertson (37’ FG), Toman (41’ PC), Rayer (50’ FG)

USA 1 (0)

Briddell (57’ PC)

Starting XI: Hinch (GK), Unsworth, Toman, Jones, Robertson, Rayer, Ansley, Pearne-Webb (C), McCallin, Owsley, Crackles

Subs (Used): Evans, Townsend, Wilkinson, Balsdon, Costello, Petter

Subs (Unused): Heesh (GK)

Great Britain Hockey media release

Great Britain Capitalizes on Scoring Chances to Defeat USWNT in FIH Hockey Pro League


IMAGE TAKEN BY FIH & WorldSportsPics/Will Palmer

LONDON, England – On a rainy day at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London, England, the No. 15 U.S. Women’s National Team hit the turf to face reigning Olympic Champions No. 5 Great Britain in their first FIH Hockey Pro League game. USA held an experienced Team GB until the end of the first quarter before the hosts capitalized on multiple scoring chances and turnovers to defeat USA, 1-5.

To open the game, Great Britain threatened with a circle entry that gained them a penalty corner. The drag by Giselle Ansley was saved by USA goalkeeper Kelsey Bing (Houston, Texas) and the follow up shot by Elena Rayer was deflected away by Karlie Heistand (Hamburg, Pa.). The home team held much of the possession in the frame, generating 7 shots and 3 penalty corners that continued to test Bing and the defensive unit. USA had a close chance when an offensive build-up led to Lauren Moyer (York, Pa.) threading a long ball through the circle that went untouched. This was followed by three chances for Great Britain as it looked like the quarter would come to a scoreless close, but Team GB exploited on a deep USA turnover. Lily Owsley came away with the intercept and unselfishly passed it off to Isabelle Petters for the finish.

Great Britain picked up right where they left off in the second quarter immediately driving ahead and maintaining majority of control. USA continued to apply a half-field press and hold tight on defense. In the 28th minute, USA saw two close chances. First, Haley Randall (Virginia Beach, Va.) sent a slightly lifted ball into the circle, but it was cleaned up by Owsley. Moments later, a build-up on the left side resulted in a shot by Alyssa Parker (Woodbine, Md.) that was saved by Great Britain goalkeeper Maddie Hinch. The home team instantly took the ball down the other way, and a hard tackle outside the circle by Ally Hammel (Duxbury, Mass.) was upgraded to a penalty corner. After two miss-attempts, Petters deflected in her second of the game to make it 0-2 heading into halftime.

In the third frame, with USA goalkeeper Kealsie Robles (Yorktown, Va.) now in the cage, Great Britain produced a dominant performance, adding another two goals to extend their lead. Five minutes in following a good defense stanza from USA, Fiona Crackles drove the left baseline uncontested and sent it across the goalmouth where Sarah Robertson slotted it home. Robles was met with the same intensity as Bing, being tested with a quick succession of shots that were all denied. Great Britain’s constant pressure paid off and their fourth goal came in the 41st minute off a penalty corner, when Anna Toman’s straight sweep unfortunately deflected in off the stick of Nicole Woods (Beverly, Mass.).

Great Britain came out firing in the fourth quarter forcing Robles to make multiple saves in the opening five minutes. The home team capitalized again on a deep USA turnover when the inability to clear a ball led to Robles stepping and making a stick clear that went into Maddie Bacskai (Berwyn, Pa.) but the held whistle led to Rayer finishing. Trailing 0-5 didn’t diminish USA’s hope as they continued to fight and produce more offensive pressure, tallying three shot and earning two penalty corners in the final frame. With 5 minutes remaining, a build-up on the right side through Amanda Magadan (Randolph, N.J.) was passed ahead to Beth Yeager (Rye, N.Y.) who found Parker at the top of the circle. She passed it left to an open Linnea Gonzales (Bel Air, Md.) who buried her lifted shot into the chest of Hinch. The rebound fell in front of the goal where Magadan came in with a hard, one-time backhand that hit off the foot of a Great Britain defender. Off USA’s second penalty corner attempt, Kelsey Briddell (Gansevoort, N.Y.) collected a deflect and put it into the net to score her first international goal. As time wound down, the final score stood at 1-5.

"Great Britain puts out a really good hockey performance but I think there’s a couple things that we just kind of gave to them,” said Amanda Magadan (Randolph, N.J.), USWNT Captain, following the game. “It is really good to be able put that penalty corner in the back of the net, but we just need to generate some more attacking opportunities.”

Following the game, Great Britain’s midfielder Fiona Crackles was named Player of the Match.

In less than 24 hours, the U.S. Women’s National Team will return to action to take on No. 5 Great Britain in their second game of their double-header weekend at 9:30 a.m. ET.

#FIHProLeague | #HockeyAtItsBest

USFHA media release

Britain thump hapless United States in women's FIH Hockey Pro League

By Michael Houston


Britain defeated the US 5-1 in the women's Pro League today ©Getty Images

Britain's women's hockey team recorded its third regular time victory of the 2020-2021 International Hockey Federation (FIH) Pro League season with an empathic win over the United States at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London in the United Kingdom.

Isabelle Petter put the home side in front, scoring goals at the end of the first and second quarter, before Sarah Robertson and Anna Toman made it 4-0 before the end of the third quarter.

Elena Rayner made it five for Britain, before American player Kelsey Briddell gave the visitors a consolation goal, with the score finishing 5-1.

Britain are up to sixth in the table, having played 10 of its 16 matches.

The US are yet to score a point after eight matches and remain bottom.

In the first of the two matches today, Britain's men's team scored in the dying moments of their tie with Spain, staging a comeback to draw 2-2.

Alvaro Iglesias got the visitors off to a great start, scoring in the sixth minute and team mate José Basterra doubled their lead just three minutes later.


Rupert Shipperley scored a last-minute equaliser for Britain to take their Pro League encounter with Spain to penalties ©Getty Images

However, a second quarter goal from Liam Ansell put the home side back in contention and in the last minute of the game, Rupert Shipperley equalised taking the match to a penalty shootout.

Ansell would score for Britain, but Alan Forsyth, Adam Dixon and Zachary Wallace all missed, while Spain's Xavi Lleonart, Marc Miralles and David Alegre all scored, giving the visitors the shootout win.

It was the third shootout loss of the season for Britain, who sit sixth after 11 matches, while Spain remain ninth and bottom after 11 too.

Inside the Games

GB women secure 5-1 win; GB men draw


Izzy Petter celebrates for GB PIC: Worldsportpics/WILL PALMER

Great Britain women scored their biggest win in the FIH Pro League after a 5-1 win over USA at Lee Valley.

A double from Izzy Petter and second-half strikes from Sarah Robertson, Anna Toman and Ellie Rayer moved GB up to fifth in the standings. Kelsey Briddell scored a consolation for the visitors.

GB proved an experienced act and probed the US defence throughout, while goals and coach Mark Hager’s attacking philosophy suggest that his side are slowly becoming a dangerous unit ahead of the EuroHockey Championships.

Yet their overall play – 23 shots, 10 penalty corners and 46 circle entries – suggest that there was room for more.

One of GB’s standouts, Fiona Crackles, said: “We are just super happy to get so many goals. Normally we have a lot of near misses. We had real fire in our belly. We have been working hard on being ruthless.

“It’s great seeing things that we are doing in training coming together in the matchplay.”

USA captain Amanda Magadan said: “We need to take away the positives but also take the harder feedback to. Great Britain are one of the best in the world, so that is who we want to play.”

Earlier, Great Britain men scored inside the last-minute with a deft, angled touch from Rupert Shipperley as the hosts secured a 2-2 draw against Spain. But the visitors then held firm in the shoot-out, Quico Cortes handing Spain a bonus-point win with a 3-1 win.

Alvaro Iglesias and Jose Basterra underlined Spain’s attacking intent to hand them a 2-0 lead in normal time before Liam Ansell pulled one back with a fine PC strike.

The double header will continue for both sides on Sunday.

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The Hockey Paper

Spain grab bonus point after conceding late equaliser to GB

S2H Team

Spain grabbed a shootout bonus point after agonizing over a last-gasp equalizer conceded to Great Britain in a men’s FIH Pro League match at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London on Saturday.

The Spanish were 2-1 ahead but a goal by Rupert Shipperley with only 24 seconds left on the clock took the match to the tiebreaker. The goal capped a comeback by GB were 0-2 down with the game less than 10 minutes old.

Spain won the shootout 3-1 with the veteran Quico Cortes in goal extending his fine performance in open play to the one-on-one contest. Spain with nine points from 11 matches at a percentage success of 27.27 remain at the bottom of the nine-nation league. Britain stay at six with 12 from 11 at 36.36.

Belgium are table leaders with 32 points from 13 matches at 82.05%, Germany second with 19 from 10 at 63.33 and India third with 15 from eight at 62.5.

Just three minutes had ticked by when Spain shot ahead – Alvaro Iglesias scoring from a quickly taken free hit. The strike came against the run of play in the early minutes after Cortes produced a great save to keep his goal intact.

Nine minutes had elapsed when Jose Basterra scored a gem. Collecting Pau Quemada’s pass, he beat a defender with a deft touch and scored with a inch-perfect hit that beat Ollie Payne in goal.

GB reduced the margin with a touch of fortune when Liam Ansell exploited hesitancy in Spain’s defence line at a penalty corner in the 24th minute.

There were no goals in the third quarter during which Cortes’ brilliance deprived GB of an almost certain goal following a move by Zach Wallace that saw five GB attackers take on three defenders. The Spanish keeper’s instinctive block denied James Gall and retained his side’s slender lead.

GB, with two successive wins over Germany 10 days ago, were left chasing the game and the Spanish could well have envisaged a commendable three points when Shipperley got the better of a tired Sanchez to deflect Henry Weir’s long hit past Cortez with the final hooter beckoning.

Spain’s Joan Tarres, player of the match, reflected on the encounter: “We trained hard leading up to this match. That was a good win for us in the shoot-out. Now we must get ready for tomorrow’s match. We were very disappointed to concede the final minute because we had worked so hard for the game.”

Great Britain captain, Adam Dixon, said: “It was good to hang on and go to shootout. We are very disappointed that we didn’t convert the goals at the shoot-out. We have matured as a group. The Spanish team play attacking hockey and we worked hard to try and contain them. We need more speed tomorrow, that is the message we took from Danny in the half-time talk.”

The teams square up to each other again tomorrow at 1630pm IST.

The GB women’s team beat USA 5-1 in the first of their double header in a match played later in the day. The hosts, however, stay at sixth spot with 17 points from 11 matches at 51.52%. The US women are at the bottom having lost all nine matches. The teams take the pitch again on Sunday at 1900 IST.

Stick2Hockey.com

2021 Test matches WAL v SCO (M) - 23 May
Cardiff (WAL)

22 May 2021     WAL v SCO   2 - 4
23 May 2021 11:00 (GMT +1)    WAL v SCO

FIH Match Centre

Victory for Scotland men in Cardiff as the Blue Sticks return to action



Scotland men returned to the pitch with a sensational 4-2 victory over Wales in Cardiff after battling back from being 2-0 down to win.

It was a new-look Scotland side taking to the pitch for this test match with a number of players making their debut. The match was a tight affair in the opening quarter with a lot of play in the middle of the pitch but with no breakthrough, or clean chances, for either team.

Lee Morton was offered a green card in the second quarter, and Wales followed up with an attack at goal, but the Scots held firm and there was no conversion at this time.

Then a counter attack surged forward from Scotland following a turnover in the middle of the pitch, but a solid save from Tranter in the Welsh goal kept the ball out, and denied the Blue Sticks the lead.

As the half reached a conclusion a great steal by the Welsh led to pressure applied in the Scottish circle, resulting in Wales getting the first penalty corner of the game. Again, Scotland dealt with the danger well and came away their sheet clean.

Then Scotland had a penalty corner effort of their own, and a lovely drag flick was saved superbly to keep the game goalless at half time.

Early in the second half Scotland defended another penalty corner effort well with Robert Field picking up a green card.

Then the home side struck the opener in the 38th minute through a deflection from Alf Dinnie to give Wales the lead. 1-0.

The opener was soon followed by a penalty stroke awarded to Wales but a great save by debutant Rory McCallum denied the goal.

A minute later and the Welsh doubled their advantage through a strike by Jolyon Morgan. 2-0.

Then it was Scotland’s turn to be awarded a penalty and Lee Morton stepped up to strike it home and pull one back.

Scotland continued to attack and very quickly bagged the equaliser through a lovely Kyle White strike on the reverse, with four minutes to go in a goal-laden third quarter.

In the final quarter Scotland took the lead. Another penalty stroke went the way of Scotland and Morton made no mistake to bag his second from the spot and make it 3-2 to the Blue Sticks.

Then debutant Jamie Golden sealed the win late in the fourth quarter when he pinged the ball into the top corner from a penalty corner to make it 4-2.

Head Coach Derek Forsyth said, “It was a really good performance, and to come back from being 2-0 down says a lot about the players – many of them wearing the jersey for the first time today. We got really good momentum after we scored our first and I’m delighted for the new players. It’s a really good starting point for us; we’ve got things we’ll look to improve, and we played a new system too, so it was a good start and performance.”

Scottish Hockey Union media release

Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra re-elected President at 47th FIH Congress



Lausanne, Switzerland: The 47th FIH Congress session, where hundreds of delegates from all over the world gathered in virtual forum to discuss important matters regarding the global status and development of hockey, has ended with various crucial decisions.

In the closest of votes, Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra of India was re-elected as President of the FIH, being awarded a second four-year term. Of the 124 votes submitted by member National Associations, Dr Batra attained the required absolute majority of more than half the votes, receiving 63 votes to the 61 given to Marc Coudron of Belgium. Dr Batra will hold the position until 2024.

“I would personally like to thank all of the National Associations for showing faith in me by electing me for a second term as President of FIH”, said Dr Batra, who congratulated Marc Coudron on his campaign. “I pledge my assurance to you all that I will work towards my election priorities over the next three years.”

In addition to Dr Batra’s re-election, Danae Andrada Barrios and Hazel Kennedy were both re-elected to the FIH Executive Board as women’s members. Danae Andrada Barrios and Hazel Kennedy received 70 and 66 votes respectively, just ahead of Inez Cooper who received 63 votes. Tayyab Ikram and Erik Cornelissen were re-elected unopposed to the FIH Executive Board as men’s members.

In the President’s Report to Congress, Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra detailed the efforts made by the FIH since the previous 46th FIH Congress that took place in New Delhi, India in 2018, referring to the launch of various new events including the FIH Hockey Pro League, FIH Nations Cup and FIH Hockey5s World Cup as well as the approval of the eight-year global hockey calendar. Dr Batra also talked about the progress made in terms of development, promotion – in particular the success of the Watch.Hockey app -, governance and sustainability, referencing the commitment to develop a water-less turf for hockey in the years ahead.     

In his report, FIH Chief Executive Officer Thierry Weil highlighted the 225 courses that had been organised by the FIH Academy over the past year and the 50 projects completed through the Olympic Solidarity scheme. With 2 million USD invested, development remains top priority for the world governing body. Additionally, the State of the Game survey revealed that global participation had risen from 29.6 million to 30.1 million, with fantastic growth being achieved in ParaHockey / Hockey ID, where participation has doubled thanks to support from the Continental Federations (CFs) and National Associations (NAs) The significance of the FIH Hockey Pro League and Hockey5s were also raised, with Thierry Weil stating that the former is well on its way to fulfilling its mission to promote hockey worldwide despite the challenges of the COVID-19 global health pandemic, while the latter will mark itself as a wonderful ‘entry gate’ to the sport that will serve to complement – not replace – the 11-a-side and indoor formats. The rise of E-sports and gaming was also flagged by the FIH CEO as an area for potential expansion in the future.

The FIH Financial Report was also submitted to Congress and subsequently approved. The significant investment made into the launch of the FIH Hockey Pro League resulted a loss of 1.5million CHF for the 2019 edition, with 2020 breaking even. Due to signed contracts in place, both the 2021 and 2022 editions of the FIH Hockey Pro League are set to achieve profitability. Signed contracts for the next Women’s and Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup events in 2022 (Women – Spain & The Netherlands) and 2023 (Men - India) are set to generate around 7million CHF in profit for FIH. The financial statements for 2018-2019 were prepared by auditor Ernst & Young, which was re-appointed by Congress for the coming period, and circulated to all NAs and CFs ahead of Congress.

The Congress approved applications for membership from three National Associations, with Timor Leste Hockey Federation, Hockey Association of Gambia and Saudi Arabian Hockey Federation all being accepted after the Executive Board expressed its satisfaction that their applications met the requirements of the Statutes. Congress approval means that the number of Member Associations of the FIH has risen to 140. A vote on the admission as FIH Member of a new National Association in Indonesia, which is recognised by the Indonesian NOC, was unable to proceed as Congress did not ratify the decision to expel the current National Association, which had not fulfilled their obligations.

The Congress ratified some amendments to the FIH Statutes, including the use of gender-neutral terms throughout the Statutes themselves, as recommended by the Women in Sports Committee’s review of the FIH Gender Equality Policy. In anticipation of future virtual competitions or activities, E-Games were also added to the Statutes in order to extend FIH’s purpose and powers. The subscription system to the FIH, which remains unchanged to previous years, was also ratified by Congress.

In line with the existing FIH Statutes, the appointment of George Bennett as the President of the FIH Judicial Commission – a group of legal advisors that acts as mediator in FIH legal matters – was ratified by Congress. George Bennett has held the position since 8 May 2020, taking over the role following the sad passing of previous incumbent Annabel Pennefather, one of many whose memory was honoured by a moment of silence at the start of session.

While the vast majority of the FIH Award winners were revealed on Friday, the FIH President’s Awards – which are given to individuals for long and valuable services to hockey, whether direct or indirect – were saved for the Congress session itself, with 10 awardees being revealed.

• Pawan Munjal: Joined Hero Honda Motors in the early 1980s and took over as Managing Director of Hero Honda Motors in 2001, successfully overseeing the company's transition from Hero Honda to Hero Motocorp in 2011.
• Francesco Ricci Bitti: An Italian sports administrator and former President of the International Tennis Federation, Francesco Ricci Bitti was a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations Council and is the current President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations.
• Maureen Craig-Rousseau: Joined the FIH Executive Board in 2014 and has over 30 years experience serving the sport in various administrative roles, being Director and Vice President of the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) and a hugely experienced Tournament Director and Technical Official.
• Shri. V Karthikeya Pandian: Private Secretary of the Chief Minister of Odisha, the Indian state that has and continues to be a huge champion of the sport of hockey.
• Yoshida Motohito: Known as the father of Japanese hockey, Yoshida Motohito is the Honorary President of Asian Hockey Federation as well as being a former Chair of the AHF Promotion Committee and former President of Japan Hockey Association.
• Nii Quaye-Kumah: A well respected Technical Official from Ghana, Nii Quaye-Kumah has been active at numerous world level events down the years, who has also had a distinguished period of service with Ghana Hockey.  
• David G Collier: An English sports administrator in hockey and cricket, David G Collier is a former international umpire and respected Technical Delegate who was the Chair of the FIH Rules Committee until this Congress, when the term of office ended.
• Roger St-Rose: A former Trinidad & Tobago international player, umpire and Umpires Manager, Roger St-Rose has also been on various FIH and PAHF Officials committees in the latter part of his 40+ year involvement in the sport.
• Bob Claxton: The Secretary General and Treasurer of the Oceania Hockey Federation, the Australian has a 60+ year association with the sport and has been instrumental in the growth of hockey in the Pacific Island region.
• Kim Myung Sung: An Executive Board member of Asian Hockey Federation and Chairman of AHF Governance Panel and member of the AHF Finance committee who is also vice president of the Korean Hockey Association.

There was also a special honour for Dr Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who was the recipient of the FIH President’s Award for Peace and Friendship.  

“This award belongs to the whole of the IOC and the entire Olympic movement, because without the support of so many, the achievement of peace and friendship in sport could never be accomplished”, said the IOC President, in a specially recorded acceptance video.  “The purpose of the IOC was always to promote peace and friendship through sport. It remains the overarching mission of the IOC and the Olympic movement to this very day. We can only make the world a better place through sport if we care for one another through solidarity. This is why I would like to thank the FIH and the hockey family across the globe for demonstrating that solidarity runs strong in our Olympic community.”

In a separate message recorded to mark the start of the 47th FIH Congress, Dr Bach described the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as being “the light at the end of a very dark tunnel”, whilst also praising the efforts of the FIH Hockey Pro League to show that international sporting fixtures can be staged safely in these difficult times.  

Closing the 47th Congress, re-elected FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra thanked everyone who took part in the 47th Congress, stating: “Although we have been unable to meet in person due to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, I still believe through your support we have been able to have a successful Congress. I offer my congratulations to the re-elected members of the FIH Executive Board and wish them well for the next term. I would like to place on record my gratitude to all hockey stakeholders, including commercial partners, sponsors and broadcasters, media, press, athletes, teams, coaches and especially volunteers, who are the backbone of hockey.”

FIH site

Batra re-elected FIH President after beating Coudron by two votes

By Geoff Berkeley


Narinder Batra beat Marc Coudron in today's election to remain as President of the International Hockey Federation ©Getty Images

Narinder Batra has secured a second term as President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) after edging Marc Coudron in a closely-fought election at today's online Congress.

There were just two votes separating the two candidates as Batra clung on to his position as head of the organisation and will remain in charge until 2024.

Batra, also President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, polled 63 votes, while Coudron collected 61 as the Belgian challenger came agonisingly close to beating his Indian rival.

A 62-61 result would not have been enough to see Batra re-elected, so this was the smallest winning margin possible.

A total of 124 members voted at the election with Eswatini entering seconds before the vote began - potentially playing a key role in the outcome.

After the election, FIH chief executive Thierry Weil insisted he was unable to reveal which way each member voted.

"It has been heavily requested by all the National Associations that this has to stay completely confidential," said Weil.

Batra has been FIH President since 2016 but has been accused of not dedicating enough time to the position.

His critics believe he has prioritised his role as head of the IOA - which is linked to his IOC membership.

Having been re-elected by such a narrow margin, Batra acknowledges that he may need to change the way he works to regain the support of members.

"Almost 49 per cent of the members wanted a change so it becomes my duty to understand where they feel I did not live up to their expectations,” said Batra.

"I will understand their viewpoint and explain my viewpoint.

"We are all human beings and we do make corrections, so where it will be required it will be taken.

"I will certainly be trying to understand the issues with the 49 per cent."

Earlier this year, insidethegames revealed the FIH had lost more than CHF633,000 (£498,000/$702,000/€578,000) in 2019, more than doubling its 2018 deficit.

The accounts, which predate the COVID-19 crisis, said TV production costs for the Hockey Pro League "were underestimated while, at the same time, revenues from broadcasting deals were overestimated."

According to the FIH, the launch of the Hockey Pro League resulted in a loss of CHF1.5 million (£1.18 million/$1.67 million/€1.37 million) for the 2019 edition, with the 2020 event "breaking even".

The organisation claims that "due to signed contracts in place" both the 2021 and 2022 editions "are set to achieve profitability".

It also expects the Women’s World Cup in 2022 and the Men’s World Cup in 2023 to generate around CHF7million (£5.5 million/$7.79 million/€6.39 million) in profit for the FIH.

Earlier this month, World Sailing chief executive David Graham admitted his Federation would have gone into liquidation without financial assistance provided by the IOC.

Sailing's worldwide governing body is thought to have received a loan of around $3.1 million (£2.2 million/€2.6 million) as part of the IOC's support package.


The FIH expects the 2021 and 2022 editions of the Hockey Pro League to "achieve profitability" after it recorded a loss in the 2019 edition ©Getty Images

The FIH also benefitted from a loan from the IOC in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Weil refused to reveal how much the organisation received.

However, Weil admitted the FIH was in a "complete saving mode" in a bid to ensure the organisation maintained a "break-even" budget.

"If somebody would tell me when [the COVID-19 pandemic] would end and how it will end that would be extremely welcome," said Weil.

"The only thing we can do is plan, potentially reschedule and manage our financial resources, our expenses and look forward so we are ready once the COVID situation is much better or hopefully over that we are not running out without having planned.

"We are planning permanently and you can only plan if you are positive.

"If you are negative, you will not work on a proper plan.

"We have to be positive and have to look forward.

"The world is looking forward and that is how we work."

As well as the Presidential election, Danae Andrada Barrios and Hazel Kennedy were both re-elected to the FIH Executive Board as women’s members at the Congress.

Barrios and Kennedy received 70 and 66 votes respectively, just ahead of Inez Cooper who polled 63.

Tayyab Ikram and Erik Cornelissen were re-elected unopposed to the FIH Executive Board as men’s members.

The Congress also approved applications for membership from three National Associations, with Timor Leste Hockey Federation, Hockey Association of Gambia and Saudi Arabian Hockey Federation all being accepted.

Some amendments to the FIH statutes were also ratified by members, including the use of gender-neutral terms.

In anticipation of future virtual competitions or activities, e-games were also added to FIH's statutes in order to extend its purpose and powers.

Inside the Games

Batra re-elected FIH President after narrow win over Coudron

S2H Team



India’s Narinder Dhruv Batra edged out Belgium’s Marc Coudron by the narrowest of margins to be re-elected President of the FIH for a second four-year term but one which ends in 2024 after the poll was delayed by a year because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Batra won 63 of the votes to 61 by Coudron thereby attaining the required absolute majority of more than half the votes numbering 124 submitted by member National Associations in elections conducted on Saturday, May 22. In his first election, he got 68 out of 124.

The elections formed part of the 47th FIH Congress session which was conducted virtually. The agenda also included forums to discuss matters crucial to the sport, among them hockey’s global status and development.

Batra congratulated Coudron on his efforts and addressed the world community saying: “I would personally like to thank all of the National Associations for showing faith in me by electing me for a second term as President of FIH. I pledge my assurance to you all that I will work towards my election priorities over the next three years.”


File picture showing when Batra was elected one of the IOC members in India

In addition to Dr Batra’s re-election, Danae Andrada Barrios and Hazel Kennedy were both re-elected to the FIH Executive Board as women’s members. Danae Andrada Barrios and Hazel Kennedy received 70 and 66 votes respectively, just ahead of Inez Cooper who received 63 votes.

Tayyab Ikram and Erik Cornelissen were re-elected unopposed to the FIH Executive Board as men’s members.

Coudron, 51, is Belgium’s most capped player with 358, and in his manifesto committed to quit his post in the Belgium Olympic Committee to concentrate on the FIH presidency should be elected. He also said that developing hockey across the board, not just the top nations, would be his quest.

Batra has often been criticized for not devoting 100 percent to hockey and was torn between the presidency and his role as chief of the Indian Olympic Association. He also faces a difficult task of hauling the FIH out of deep financial problems, much caused by the pandemic but also significantly emanating from the ambitious FIH Pro League which has placed the apex body on the wrong side of the ledger.

All the same, Batra, in his pre-election speech, promised to pursue 11 key objectives if elected. He also detailed the efforts made by the FIH since the previous 46th FIH Congress that took place in New Delhi, India in 2018, referring to the launch of various new events including the FIH Hockey Pro League, FIH Nations Cup and FIH Hockey5s World Cup as well as the approval of the eight-year global hockey calendar.

Batra also talked about the progress made in his previous tenure. He spoke of strides taken in development and promotion – citing the success of the Watch.Hockey app. Batra also spoke about governance and sustainability especially vowing commitment to develop a waterless pitch for hockey.

Most of the FIH Award winners were revealed on Friday, the FIH President’s Awards – for long and valuable services to hockey, whether direct or indirect – were announced for the Congress session itself, with 10 awardees being revealed.

Pawan Munjal: Joined Hero Honda Motors in the early 1980s and took over as Managing Director of Hero Honda Motors in 2001, successfully overseeing the company’s transition from Hero Honda to Hero Motocorp in 2011.

Francesco Ricci Bitti: An Italian sports administrator and former President of the International Tennis Federation, Francesco Ricci Bitti was a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations Council and is the current President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations.

Maureen Craig-Rousseau: Joined the FIH Executive Board in 2014 and has over 30 years experience serving the sport in various administrative roles, being Director and Vice President of the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) and a hugely experienced Tournament Director and Technical Official.

Shri. V Karthikeya Pandian: Private Secretary of the Chief Minister of Odisha, the Indian state that has and continues to be a huge champion of the sport of hockey.

Yoshida Motohito: Known as the father of Japanese hockey, Yoshida Motohito is the Honorary President of Asian Hockey Federation as well as being a former Chair of the AHF Promotion Committee and former President of Japan Hockey Association.

Nii Quaye-Kumah: A well respected Technical Official from Ghana, Nii Quaye-Kumah has been active at numerous world level events down the years, who has also had a distinguished period of service with Ghana Hockey.

David G Collier: An English sports administrator in hockey and cricket, David G Collier is a former international umpire and respected Technical Delegate who was the Chair of the FIH Rules Committee until this Congress, when the term of office ended.

Roger St-Rose: A former Trinidad & Tobago international player, umpire and Umpires Manager, Roger St-Rose has also been on various FIH and PAHF Officials committees in the latter part of his 40+ year involvement in the sport.

Bob Claxton: The Secretary General and Treasurer of the Oceania Hockey Federation, the Australian has a 60+ year association with the sport and has been instrumental in the growth of hockey in the Pacific Island region.

Kim Myung Sung: An Executive Board member of Asian Hockey Federation and Chairman of AHF Governance Panel and member of the AHF Finance committee who is also vice president of the Korean Hockey Association.

Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was honoured with the FIH President’s Award for Peace and Friendship. The German responded by saying: “This award belongs to the whole of the IOC and the entire Olympic movement, because without the support of so many, the achievement of peace and friendship in sport could never be accomplished.”

In a another message to mark the start of the 47th FIH Congress, Dr Bach described the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as being “the light at the end of a very dark tunnel”, while praising the FIH Hockey Pro League that has shown international sporting fixtures can be staged safely in these difficult times.

Stick2Hockey.com

Agong awarded honorary member of FIH


Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has been named as the Honorary Member of FIH (International Hockey Federation). - Pic source: Facebook/IstanaNegaraOfficial

KUALA LUMPUR: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, has been named as the Honorary Member of FIH (International Hockey Federation) at the #HockeyInvites virtual conference on Friday.

In a news article on FIH's website, Al Sultan-Abdullah was recognised due to His Majesty's tireless efforts to promote and develop hockey.

"His Majesty Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, who is the current Royal Patron of the Asian Hockey Federation, has initiated the regeneration of hockey in Asia and vowed to recreate its status as an extravaganza and symbolic sport on the Asian and global platform," it said.

Apart from His Majesty, numerous hockey national associations and other individuals were also recognised in the awards.

Uzbekistan Hockey Federation, was awarded Pablo Negre Award due to their tremendous efforts to improve playing conditions through new infrastructure and the implementation of youth development models as the country strives to become a major hockey hub of Central Asia.

Another national association honoured was the Polish Hockey Association, who picked up the Theo Ikema Award, thanks to various hockey development projects resulting in 30 newly trained coaches and over 3,000 schoolchildren being introduced to the sport within the country.

As for the individuals, inspirational England and Great Britain striker Sam Ward – who suffered a career threatening eye injury in 2019 - was revealed as the recipient of the Super Fair Play Trophy René G Frank.

"It comes in recognition of his perseverance, dedication, and energy not only in his own recovery but also raising awareness of mental health issues and even volunteering his time to deliver food and medicines to his local community and supporting a young leukaemia patient, Alfie," it added.

Sharon Williamson of New Zealand was named as the winner of the HRH Sultan Azlan Shah Award for dedicating thousands of voluntary hours toward the delivery of New Zealand's brand-new National Hockey Centre in Auckland.

The event took place on the opening day of the 47th Congress on Friday with the congress session itself taking place today.

Hundreds of delegates from all over the world will connect in the first ever online congress, where key strategic decisions are made for the development and governance of hockey globally.

New Straits Times

FIH award for North Harbour stalwart



Hockey New Zealand Board member and North Harbour stalwart Sharon Williamson was awarded the HRH Sultan Azlan Shah Award at the FIH Congress at the weekend.

The award recognises outstanding contributions to the development of hockey.

While Williamson has had a lifelong involvement in hockey, it is her leadership of the National Hockey Centre in Albany that is unquestionably her most significant achievement.

New Zealand’s premier hockey venue is the home of North Harbour’s growing 8000-strong hockey community, our Black Sticks squads and top-tier international events. It includes five turfs, including two of international standard.

As Chair of the centre’s Governance Group, many have commented that the facility would not be a reality today without her input, drive and commitment.

Sharon’s contribution was critical in the development of three full sets of building plans on three separate locations and a full lease process, on top of numerous hours spent liaising with a wealth of stakeholders.

Building and maintaining relationships is where Sharon comes into her own, and the strength of the many complex relationships within this project ensured some incredibly tight timeframes were met.

In addition to her stellar work on the National Hockey Centre, Sharon’s involvement with North Harbour Hockey has spanned a lifetime as a player, coach, manager, donor, acting Chief Executive, Board member and Harbour Hockey Charitable Trustee.

Williamson was also awarded the Pakistan Trophy (outstanding contribution to the administration of hockey) at the Hockey New Zealand Annual Awards last month.

Hockey New Zealand Media release

T&T Hockey Board withdraws from Pan Am tournament

by Nigel Simon


Douglas Camacho - Chairman of SporTT and T&T HockeyBoard President

The T&T Hockey Board has taken a firm decision not to send this country’s senior men and women hockey teams to next month’s 2021 Indoor Pan American Cups (IPAC) in the USA.

This was confirmed by the President of the T&THB, Douglas Camacho when contacted by Guardian Media Sports following a T&THB virtual zoom meeting on Saturday.

Camacho, also the chairman of the Sports Company of T&T (SporTT) had earlier hinted at the teams’ withdrawal due to the current state of the country because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and most recently, the impact on the teams' preparations by the State of Emergency which began on May 16, and is expected to be extended when it comes up for debate in Parliament on Monday.

The Indoor Pan American Hockey Cup hosted by USA Field Hockey for both women and men will be held at the Training Center, Spring City, near Philadelphia and, Pennsylvania, from Friday, June 25 to Sunday, June 27, 2021, and will qualify teams to the 12-team 2022 FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup from 2 to 6 February 2022 in Liège, Belgium.

It was originally scheduled for February 2021 but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The teams to qualify for the men’s competition so far are Iran, Kazakhstan (Asia), Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Russia (Europe), Belgium (Host), South Africa (Africa), Australia and New Zealand (Oceania) with the Pan American winner the lone team outstanding.

In the four-team men’s competition defending Pan American champions T&T reached the last Indoor World Cup in Germany after beating Argentina 7-0 in the final in Georgetown, Guyana will come up against Canada, Argentina and the USA in a round-robin series ahead of their semifinals and final matches.

However, the women’s pool consists of six teams - the USA, Argentina, Canada, Uruguay, T&T and Guyana who will also contest a round-robin series at the end of which the top two teams will play the final from which the winner will qualify to the 12-team 2022 FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup from 3 to 7 February 2022 in Liège, Belgium.

The teams to qualify for the women’s competition so far are Kazakhstan (Asia), Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Ukraine (Europe), Belgium (Host), Namibia (Africa), Australia and New Zealand (Oceania) with the Pan American winner the lone outstanding team,

Queen’s Park Cricket Club, player/coach Raphael Govia is the current coach of the men’s team and qualified the squad to the last FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Germany in 2018

It was the second appearance for the national men’s hockey team at an Indoor World Cup final after the 2005 team ended second in the Pan American tournament behind hosts Canada to reach a first-ever FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Vienna, Austria in 2007.

On the women’s side, Anthony Marcano has been tasked with taking the team to a first Indoor World Cup since competing at the inaugural edition in 2003, Leipzig, Germany after winning the 2002 Pan American title in Rockville, USA.

But with just under five weeks before the start of the tournaments, but speaking earlier this week Camacho said they were yet to make a final decision on participation.

Speaking via telephone, Camacho said for the first time the issue of sending the teams was not about money as the T&THB had made their request for funding since last year when the tournament was originally set to take place, and including last month this may be the fourth time it has been rescheduled and I don't think it will be the last time also

On April 28, the Pan American Hockey Federation wrote to the participating federations and noted that with its of retaking PAHF events, within this “new reality”, it has developed a document where the care of the participants is their main concern, but without forgetting the objective of the federation; that is to promote the game in a low-risk environment.

The document provides participants with operational safety guidelines to minimize risks at events and to safeguard the health of the players, officials and all parties involved in the organization (USAFH) and PAHF have developed a COVID-19 protocol document.

As part of competing at the Pan Am Cup all the parties; host, participating national associations, and appointed officials are required to sign an IPAC COVID Protocol Acknowledgement Form, indicating acceptance and commitment to abide by these requirements contained therein. Noncompliance with the IPAC Covid Protocol by one or more parties will be understood as creating a risk to all other parties. Such a breach is subject to disciplinary sanction. This PAHF/ USA Field Hockey COVID-19 Protocol (further: the protocol) is based on the document “FIH Tournament Protocols during COVID-19 Pandemic”, guidance

However, Camacho said during the meeting concerns were raised mainly around the safety of the players and job security.

He said, “We know that a new batch of vaccines arrived in the country and we also had to see if the players will be allowed to get vaccinated if they want to and if it will be possible to have the two vaccine doses administered o them if it is part of the requirement to enter the USA for the tournament”.

“Then we have the situation with players who may not want to travel no matter what as they are living with elderly or ill family members, and they may not want to take the risk of getting infected and having to return home.

“There could also be a situation where we have some players wanting to go, and then they opt out at the last minute, also we will have to look at the quality of the team that wants to go, and decide if it is wise to send the team after all.

“So it’s was not an easy decision as it seems because we as members of the T&THB also have a responsibility to ourselves to do what is best for all involved and to the players as well, and our final decision is that we would not be involved in this indoor Pan American Cup while we keep our eyes on the outdoor tournaments as well,” stated Camacho.

Another concern raised by Camacho surrounded the length of time players would be in quarantine and away from jobs and getting the exemptions from the Ministry of National Security, the latter of which he thinks could be a minor problem.

Before arrival in the USA every person entering the USA is required: A negative PCR (Quick tests are not acceptable), having been tested a maximum of 72 hours before arriving in the USA.

To the players' relief, they will be able to go directly to their team base as currently no quarantine is required in any USA State.

However, all participating teams and officials are recommended to monitor the CDC website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/international-travel-during-covid19.html for any changes to the current requirements.

He said, "Sending a team is all well and good, but then we may have a situation where we have players who are not involved in jobs like the T&T Police Service, Fire Service, Defence Force or other government agencies, and with the mandatory 14 days quarantine this may pose a serious problem with their jobs and the ability to earn money to look after themselves and their families."

"Because they may not be able to be in a position to work from home or while they are in quarantine and will lose out on earnings to support their families, " ended Camacho.

The Trinidad Guardian

Junior hockey team’s training camp likely to start next month

KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) would decide next week the new schedule of Pakistan junior and senior teams’ training camps, ‘The News’ learnt on Saturday.

Due to the Covid-19, the Junior Asia Cup 2021 has been postponed and the new dates of the training camp have not been announced.

The Junior Asia Cup 2021 was scheduled to be held in July in Bangladesh, but was postponed due to the ongoing pandemic. The Green-shirts, training in Karachi, were sent home for observing Eid-ul Fitr. The PHF is still waiting for the announcement from Asian Hockey Federation (ASF) related to the new dates of Junior Asia Cup 2021.

Sources said that it is expected that PHF would decide later this month the new schedule of the training camp of the Pakistan juniors. The training camp is likely to be held in Karachi because the weather conditions are similar to those in Dhaka.

The Men’s Asian Championship will be held in Bangladesh in October.

PHF wants a series of 7-9 matches between the senior and junior teams so they play competitive matches. It will help the juniors for difficult matches in Junior Asia Cup.

The Junior hockey players have not played against foreign teams for a long time.

The Junior Asia Cup is important for the development of Pakistan hockey as it is the qualifying round for the Junior Hockey World Cup 2022.

The News International