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All the news for Friday 18 June 2021

Hockey India announces 16-member men's squad for Tokyo Olympics

P. R. Sreejesh, Manpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra, Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh and Mandeep Singh add experience, and there are 10 Olympic debutants in the squad.


The Indian men's hockey squad for Tokyo 2021. - HOCKEY INDIA

Hockey India on Friday announced the 16-member Indian men's hockey squad for the Tokyo Olympics.

P. R. Sreejesh, Manpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra, Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh and Mandeep Singh add experience to the side, while Amit Rohidas, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit, and debutant forwards Shamsher Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay are the fresh legs.

Speaking on the team selection, Chief Coach Graham Reid said, “It has not been an easy process to make the final selection of 16 players as there is a lot of quality and ambition in this group of players. The performance levels of all the athletes are at an optimum level and more importantly they work well together. They know what it means to represent the country at the Olympics. We are now focussed on training with the same intensity and our goal is to put forward our best performance as a collective unit in Tokyo.”

Congratulating the selected squad, Hockey India President Gyanendro Ningombam said, “The Indian Men’s Hockey Team has a rich legacy of Olympic performances to follow, and I feel this time, more than ever the team is in a position to revisit its glory days to emerge as a top medal contender. The recent performance against Olympic Champions Argentina at the FIH Pro League shows they are headed in the right direction. I wish them all the best.”

India will be aiming to win its first gold medal since the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. The Indian men's team is grouped in Pool A along with reigning Olympic champion Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and host Japan.

Goalkeepers

P. R. SREEJESH

Defenders

HARMANPREET SINGH, RUPINDER PAL SINGH, SURENDER KUMAR, AMIT ROHIDAS, BIRENDRA LAKRA

Midfielders

HARDIK SINGH, MANPREET SINGH, VIVEK SAGAR PRASAD, NILAKANTA SHARMA, SUMIT

Forwards

SHAMSHER SINGH, DILPREET SINGH, GURJANT SINGH, LALIT KUMAR UPADHYAY, MANDEEP SINGH

Sportstar

Ten debutants in Indian men's hockey squad for Tokyo Olympics


Indian men's hockey team’s Manpreet Singh and P.R. Sreejesh. File   | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

India on Friday name 10 Olympic debutants in its 16-member men's hockey squad, which also features seasoned performers like PR Sreejesh and Manpreet Singh, for the Tokyo Games next month.

The experienced Olympic campaigners include goalkeeper Sreejesh, midfielder Manpreet, defenders Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh and Surender Kumar and forward Mandeep Singh.

Veteran defender Birendra Lakra , who missed the 2016 Rio Games due to a knee injury, has also been named in the side.

The Squad:

Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh

Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Surender Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Birendra Lakra

Midfielders: Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit

Forwards: Shamsher Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh.

The Hindu

India women’s hockey team names tried-and-tested squad

The Rani Rampal-led team for Tokyo Olympics has mix of youth and experience

Uthra Ganesan


Carrying India’s hopes: The Indian women’s hockey team for the Games.  

The Indian women’s hockey team for the Tokyo Olympics was announced on Thursday with coach Sjoerd Marijne sticking to a largely tried-and-tested mix of youth and experience.

The 16-member Rani Rampal-led side has a core group that has been together for more than three years now. While eight of the players were part of India’s previous outing in 2016 at Rio Olympics, 12 of them participated at the 2018 World Cup, where India reached the last-eight and the Asian Games, finishing runner-up.

Besides Rani, others from the Rio squad include Savita Punia, Deep Grace Ekka, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Monika, Nikki Pradhan, Navjot Kaur and Vandana Katariya, with a total of 1,492 caps between them.

“This team has worked very hard over the last few years and has made progress consistently. There’s a good mix of experienced players and new talent, which is excellent,” ,” chief coach Marijne said.

“We look forward to taking on the best in the world in Tokyo. This is a team with a lot of potential and drive which we hope to channelise to our best performance yet,” he added.

This will only be the ninth-ranked team’s third Olympic appearance and second consecutive one.

The squad: Goalkeeper: Savita; Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Nikki Pradhan, Gurjit Kaur, Udita; Midfielders: Nisha, Neha Goyal, Sushila Chanu, Monika, Navjot Kaur, Salima Tete; Forwards: Rani Rampal, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya, Sharmila Devi.

The Hindu

Hockey India names 16-member women's squad for Tokyo Olympics

Hockey India, on Thursday, announced a 16-member India women's hockey squad for the Tokyo Olympics, which begins next month.


The Indian women's hockey team is currently training in Bengaluru.   -  Special Arrangement

Hockey India, on Thursday, announced a 16-member India women's hockey squad for the Tokyo Olympics, which begins next month.

The squad strikes the perfect balance between continuity from the Rio Olympics 2016, and adopting a fresh approach for Tokyo. Eight experienced veterans have been named in the squad, while eight new players have been handed the chance to make their Olympic debut for Team India.

The final squad includes Rani, Savita, Deep Grace Ekka, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Monika, Nikki Pradhan, Navjot Kaur and Vandana Katariya - who have had the experience of representing India at the historic appearance of the Indian women’s team at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games after a gap of 36 years.

Chief coach Sjoerd Marijne said, “This team has worked very hard over the last few years and has made progress consistently. There’s a good mix of experienced players and new talent, which is excellent. We look forward to taking on the best in the world in Tokyo. This is a team with a lot of potential and drive which we hope to channelise to our best performance yet.”

This will be the Indian Women's Hockey team's third appearance at the Olympic Games and their second consecutive outing, with previous appearances coming in 1980 and 2016.

The eight Olympic debutants include drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur, Udita, Nisha, Neha, Navneet Kaur, Sharmila Devi, Lalremsiami - who is the first player hailing from Mizoram in the team and Salima Tete - who led the Indian team at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games at Buenos Aires to a silver medal performance, also joins the team destined for Tokyo.

The team continues its preparations at the ongoing camp at SAI Centre Bengaluru with the games taking place from 23rd July to 6th August in Tokyo.

The Squad

Goalkeeper: Savita

Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Nikki Pradhan, Gurjit Kaur, Udita

Midfielders: Nisha, Neha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Monika, Navjot Kaur, Salima Tete

Forwards: Rani, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya, Sharmila Devi

Sportstar

Sam Ward in Great Britain Olympic hockey squad 19 months after horrific eye injury

By Ross Bone


Sam Ward celebrates scoring for England against Belgium at the EuroHockey Championships Ward finished joint top scorer at June's EuroHockey Championships with six goals

Sam Ward has been named in Great Britain's Olympic squad - 19 months after sustaining a horrific eye injury he thought would end his career.

Striker Ward, 30. suffered a shattered eye socket, seven facial fractures and a torn retina - leaving him effectively blind in one eye - in November 2019.

He returned to the GB training programme in 2020, and has now been named in Danny Kerry's squad for Tokyo.

Laura Unsworth will be part of the women's squad defending their title.

Defender Unsworth, 33,will be appearing at her third Olympics.

Maddie Hinch, Susannah Townsend, Giselle Ansley, Hollie Pearne-Webb, Shona McCallin and Lily Owsley - who won gold alongside Unsworth in Rio - are also selected again.

Ward, meanwhile, is joined by fellow Rio Olympians David Ames, Ian Sloan and captain Adam Dixon, with Scotland striker Alan Forsyth among the reserves. Goalkeeper Ollie Payne, who made his debut in October, is a surprise inclusion.

"I'm lost for words and incredibly proud," Ward told BBC Sport.

"Now the biggest thing for me is to get around to thank absolutely everyone for what they've done in this journey. There are so many pieces to the puzzle who have made such a difference to me."

GB men's squad: David Ames, Liam Ansell, Brendan Creed, Adam Dixon, Jacob Draper, James Gall, Chris Griffiths, Ollie Payne, Phil Roper, Liam Sanford, Rupert Shipperley, Ian Sloan, Tom Sorsby, Zach Wallace, Jack Waller, Sam Ward. Accredited reserves: Alan Forsyth, Harry Martin. Travelling reserves: Will Calnan, George Pinner.

GB women's squad: Giselle Ansley, Grace Balsdon, Fiona Crackles, Maddie Hinch, Sarah Jones, Hannah Martin, Shona McCallin, Lily Owsley, Hollie Pearne-Webb, Izzy Petter, Ellie Rayer, Sarah Robertson, Anna Toman, Susannah Townsend, Laura Unsworth, Leah Wilkinson. Accredited reserves: Amy Costello, Sarah Evans. Travelling reserves: Sabbie Heesh, Jo Hunter

'They put four plates and 31 screws in'

Ward sustained his horror injury when he was struck in the face by a ball during an Olympic qualifier against Malaysia. He had surgery 10 days later.

"I was cut from ear to ear across the top of the head, they peeled back my face and put four plates and 31 screws in, then stapled me back together," he said.

Later that day he was told the loss of sight in his left eye was permanent.

"I sat there and cried," he said. "I rang my dad and he started crying too. As much as I love my mum, imagine trying to tell her you've lost central vision in your eye. So I asked my dad to ring and tell her because I couldn't face doing it."

Ward took time away from hockey and started to "become comfortable" with what life without it would be like, but after a meeting with physio Sophie Weaver, "something switched".

"Anyone who knows me knows I like a challenge," he said.

"I've been given everything. My parents have supported me, and my friends have. I've been lucky enough to play international hockey. I would regret it if I didn't give it another chance.

"It was at that moment I said: 'Let's do it.'"

'I feel like I'm indestructible now'

Ward returned to competitive action with Great Britain in the FIH Pro League matches against Germany and Spain in May 2021.

He was sporting a face mask to protect what he describes as "the most precious thing in the world" - his right eye.

He said: "I took the attitude of: 'I got hit by that and all that happened was this?!' I feel like I'm indestructible.

"Early on, a ball came back off one of the goalkeepers and I just headed it. Everyone was like: 'Is he OK?' I thought it was hilarious."

Ward says his playing style has always been "based on bravery" and that the injury has not changed that.

"I know I need to bring that," he said. "I've had so much support, so I need to go out and be the person I am and to offer everything I can to the team."

Ward was part of the GB squad that failed to make it out of the pool stage at Rio 2016.

There is a sense now of aiming to right that wrong, but Ward's new perspective gives a different outlook on the Tokyo Games.

"You never know what's around the corner - you could be finished in a matter of seconds," he said.

"It's a case of go out and be the best version of yourself and do the best you can. That's the main thing.

"The last teary phone call to my parents, I told them I lost an eye. This time, I told them I was selected for an Olympics."

BBC Sport

'Going to Olympics with your other half is incredibly special'

By Tom Brown


Sarah Jones and Leah Wilkinson have been together since 2014.

Wales and Great Britain hockey players Sarah Jones and Leah Wilkinson say they cannot wait to go to Tokyo 2020 together after all but giving up hope of ever reaching an Olympic Games.

The couple played for Wales together for almost fifteen years before both got onto the Great Britain programme.

Now they have been included in a 16-strong GB women's hockey squad for Tokyo.

"It's just a bit mind-boggling," Jones told BBC Sport Wales.

"There are little moments when someone will say you're going to be an Olympian or you put on the Team GB shirt and you think 'how did that happen?'.

"It's now difficult to imagine doing the whole thing without Leah, if I'm honest. Because she's been there throughout my whole Welsh journey and for the last two years of GB.

"So it's a very big deal to be going to an Olympics but to be going with your other half is incredibly special.."

The pair - who have won a combined 265 caps for Wales - are the first Welsh women selected for an Olympic Games since Sarah Thomas in 2012.

Dreams can come true

Both players had trials for Great Britain in 2017. Back then only Jones was successful, while Wilkinson missed out.

So as Jones made her GB debut and established herself in the squad, Wilkinson carried on with her day job - teaching history to sixth form students at a school in Epsom.

But two years later, just weeks before the Olympic play-offs, Wales captain Wilkinson was offered another chance and grabbed it with both hands.

After helping Great Britain qualify for Tokyo, she was offered a full-time contract and opted to take a sabbatical from teaching.

Wales' most-capped international athlete admits though she thought the chance to go to an Olympics had gone.

"A hundred million percent, yes!" she said.

"It's been 17 years since I got my first Welsh cap and it wasn't until I was 32 that I got my first GB cap. I definitely did give up hope to be honest.

"This opportunity's incredible. It just shows if you keep going, keep trying your best and keep playing as hard as you can and training, even when you have no hope, it really can still come true."

Now the couple - who got engaged in 2019 - travel together to GB Hockey's elite training base at Bisham Abbey four days a week.

They can concentrate entirely on their training, strength work and recovery. Though Wilkinson chooses to still teach one day a week.

Their current programme is a far cry from the setup in Wales. A programme that in recent years has punched well above its weight but whose athletes must train and play alongside their full-time jobs.

"You have to pay to play for Wales," continued Wilkinson, who has played 169 times for them since her debut in 2004.

"There are funding differences between the home nations. That's just how it is. But I don't think any player in Wales lets that hold them back.

"Yes we did train before work, after work. But I genuinely think that makes us so strong and makes us really love our sport. Because once you've got up at 5am in the morning to go and run in some horrible messy field somewhere and then worked and then done gym afterwards, it makes you never take anything for granted."


Leah Wilkinson, Rupert Shipperley, Sarah Jones and Jacob Draper are the Welsh representatives in the GB Hockey Olympic squads.

Wales will have four players at Tokyo 2020 - with Rupert Shipperley and Jacob Draper selected in the men's squad.

It is thought to be the most Welsh hockey players to be selected for an Olympic Games since the Wales men's team played as a separate nation at the 1908 London Games.

"I just think it's huge," said Jones, who has won 96 caps for her home nation.

"I remember seeing Hockey Wales' vision in 2016 for the next four years and one of their goals was to have four Welsh athletes at the next Olympic Games. I do remember thinking to myself - that's a punchy goal. And they've gone and done it.

"It's testament to everyone in Hockey Wales and at grassroots level. I really hope this demonstrates to people that it's possible to be from Wales and to go to an Olympic Games.

"Go out and get it if you want it."

The Tokyo Olympic Games begin on Friday 23 July. Great Britain's women take on Germany in their opening match, while the men play South Africa.

BBC Sport

Laura Unsworth set for third GB Olympic women’s hockey campaign


GB women's squad had few surprises PIC: World Sport Pics

Nine Olympic debutants compared to the men’s 12, the GB women’s hockey squad unveiled on Thursday had no surprise bolters ahead of next month’s Olympics.

Laura Unsworth, who has 276 combined caps, is set to become the most experienced GB hockey Olympian across both genders when she competes in her third Games.

The East Grinstead defender will be joined by six Rio champions as they bid to defend their title. Hollie Pearne-Webb, who slotted home the final shoot-out strike in Rio, captains the side.

Izzy Petter and Fiona Crackles, 20 and 21 respectively, are the youngest members of the women’s squad and have been ever present since being handed their debuts by Mark Hager.

Welsh duo and partners Sarah Jones and Leah Wilkinson are also part of the women’s team while Scotland’s Sarah Robertson is named. In all, Welsh and Scottish athletes number just five of the 32 athletes across both squads.

There will be considerable disappointment for Jo Hunter, who missed out on selection and is the wife of George Pinner, who will travel as a reserve goalkeeper in the men’s team staying outside of the village. Hunter will also travel in the same capacity.

Sarah Evans will also travel as an accredited ravelling reserve after she narrowly missed out on Rio selection five years ago and she will be joined by Amy Costello.

There was no selection for Lizzie Neal and Esme Burge, who have featured for England recently.

Hager said: “For many of our Great Britain squad this has been a five-year journey in the making. Narrowing our squad down from 26 has been extremely difficult and highlighted the depth and talent we have. I have been humbled by how our entire Great Britain squad has supported each other through the selection process.

“There is a lot of potential in this team and I am very excited to see what this group of not only talented athletes, but exceptional people can bring in Tokyo. We have a good balance of experience within the group to draw upon as we continue to challenge each other, and I am looking forward to seeing this group of athletes perform on the world stage.”

Team GB Olympic women’s squad:

Giselle Ansley
Gace Balsdon
Fiona Crackles
Maddie Hinch (GK)
Sarah Jones
Hannah Martin
Shona McCallin
Lily Owsley
Hollie Pearne-Webb (C)
Izzy Petter
Ellie Rayer
Sarah Robertson
Anna Toman
Susannah Townsend
Laura Unsworth
Leah Wilkinson

Women’s reserves

Amy Costello
Sarah Evans

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The Hockey Paper

CTM Showdown game two won 6 - 1 by SA Senior Men

The Second of Four matches in the CTM Showdown at North West University took place on Thursday afternoon. Having won the first game 4-1, the SA Hockey Men were looking to create more connections and take advantage of more turf time together.

Game two produced moments of quality that would please Garreth Ewing and his management team, but also areas to be work on over the next period of time together. The team will want to improve on the amount of chances given up to the Under 21s.

One thing that was particularly pleasing was the execution at penalty corner time. With Austin Smith not yet being used, Matthew Guise-Brown showed his power and ability superbly as the South African hot-shot scored a hat-trick of penalty corners.

Another aspect that was pleasing was the off the ball running and combination play of Dayaan Cassiem, Bili Ntuli, Keenan Horne and Tevin Kok. With South Africa likely to play with backs against the wall in Tokyo, space creation will be integral for the attacking players, who will have limited opportunities.

For the U21’s the fourth quarter gave them a blue print of what they need to do in the coming games and an indication of the approach they will look towards in Namibia. The finish of Trevor de Lora was particularly pleasing as the U21’s benefitted from exploiting the right hand side of the attack.

The two teams line up for the third match on Saturday at 16:00 and you can watch this live on the SA Hockey Association Facebook page.

SA Hockey Association media release

Australia & New Zealand set to clash ahead of Olympic Games Tokyo 2020



The final matches of the extended 2020-21 FIH Hockey Pro League will take place in the Western Australian city of Perth next weekend, with Australia’s men and women taking on great rivals New Zealand in an Oceania derby double header.

With the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 just weeks away, the importance of these games for the competing teams cannot be overstated. As both Australia and New Zealand have now confirmed the sixteen player squads that will compete in the men’s and women’s competitions in Japan, they are very much entering the home straight in terms of their preparations for the global sporting showpiece.

With Oceania derby matches taking place in both the men’s and women’s pools in Tokyo 2020, there might be a reluctance to give away too many team secrets in these clashes. Whilst we may not see extravagant penalty corner routines or new tactics on display, it is worth stating that Australia versus New Zealand clashes rarely disappoint and we can expect some highly entertaining hockey from four teams who, quite rightly, will be targeting a place on the podium at the Games of the XXXII Olympiad.

Less than one month ago, New Zealand played host to Australia’s men and women in Palmerston North. Australia’s men were comfortable winners of their four-match series against the Black Sticks, taking 1-3, 0-3, 2-4 and 1-5 victories over the home favourites. It marked a sign of Australia’s continuing dominance over New Zealand, with the Kookaburras having tasted victory in 32 of their past 37 meetings since 2013. Head coach Colin Batch – the former Australia attacker and one time head coach of the Black Sticks men – will be looking for more of the same from his charges in Perth. New Zealand’s men may have recorded just two wins over their great rivals since 2013, but head coach Darren Smith will be acutely aware about how great an impact a win in either of these FIH Hockey Pro League matches could have on his talented team.

The recent head-to-head between the women’s teams of Australia and New Zealand is far, far closer. Australia – now coached by legendary attacker and two-time Olympic gold medallist Katrina Powell - have the edge in terms of matches won since 2013, having claimed 19 victories compared with New Zealand’s 11 with 12 fixtures drawn. The past ten meetings have been even closer, with five draws, three Australian wins and two victories for New Zealand. The Black Sticks – coached by Graham Shaw, the man who guided Ireland women to World Cup silver in 2018 – edged their rivals in the 2019 Oceania Cup to book their ticket to Tokyo, while Australia emerged 3-1 winners in their most recent encounter, which was played on 1 June. The outcomes may be difficult to predict, but fierce contests between these legendary rivals are almost certainly guaranteed.

The matches will be available to watch via television or digital streaming thanks to our broadcast partnerships, as well as on the Watch.Hockey app in every country where a rights holding broadcaster is not showing the matches live. We are pleased to confirm that live audio commentary of all four games will be available on Watch.Hockey, with commentary coming from Nick Irvine and Todd Williams.

More information about this weekend’s matches can be found below. 

Australia vs New Zealand (Women & Men)

Where: Perth Hockey Stadium (AUS)
Dates: Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 June 2021

Men’s Matches

Times (UTC +8): Saturday: 12:30 | Sunday: 12:30
Match pages: Match 1 | Match 2

Current FIH World Ranking: Australia: 1 | New Zealand: 8
Current FIH Hockey Pro League position: Australia: 5 | New Zealand: 7
Final standings - FIH Hockey Pro League 2019: Australia: 1 | New Zealand: 8

Head-to-heads in all competitions (since 2013 – 37 matches)
Wins: Australia: 32 | New Zealand: 2 | Draws: 3
Goals scored: Australia: 114 | New Zealand: 39

Team pages (squads & statistics): Australia | New Zealand

Women’s Matches
Times (UTC +8): Saturday: 15:00 | Sunday: 15:00
Match pages: Match 1 | Match 2

Current FIH World Ranking: Australia: 4 | New Zealand: 6
Current FIH Hockey Pro League position: Australia: 6 | New Zealand: 3
Final standings - FIH Hockey Pro League 2019: Australia: 2 | New Zealand: 6

Head-to-heads in all competitions (since 2013 – 42 matches)
Wins: Australia: 19 | New Zealand: 11 | Draws: 12
Goals scored: Australia: 87 | New Zealand: 69

Team pages (squads & statistics): Australia | New Zealand

You can also keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Hockey Pro League via the event website and through FIH social media channels -Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

#FIHProLeague
 #HockeyInvites
 #PlayHockeyStayHealthy

Official FIH Pro League Site

2021 Test matches SUI v CZE (W)
Lucerne (SUI)

All times GMT +2

18 Jun 2021 19:00     SUI v CZE
19 Jun 2021 17:00     SUI v CZE
20 Jun 2021 10:00     SUI v CZE

FIH Match Centre

AHF caught in a sticky situation

By Jugjet Singh


AHF CEO Datuk Tayyab Ikram and his team are facing a dilemma, with the possibility of both the tournaments not being held this year, looms large.

The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) have never faced such a situation

— the dates for the men's and women's Junior Asia Cup still remain an uncertainty even though half the year has elapsed.

Both the tournaments, which serve as qualifiers for the Junior World Cup, have been postponed thrice each due to Covid-19.

The tournaments were supposed to be held last year for Under-21 players. But AHF and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) allow the Under-22 players to represent their countries after the pandemic pushed the events to this year.

AHF CEO Datuk Tayyab Ikram and his team are facing a dilemma, with the possibility of both the tournaments not being held this year, looms large.

"The new target date for the men's Junior Asia Cup is early September but things are very uncertain at this stage," said Tayyab.

The men's tournament was last planned to be held on July 1-10 in Dhaka, Bangladesh but was postponed. This has left AHF having a hard time convincing all their affiliates to agree to a new date.

"As for the women's tournament, the dates are still as planned (Aug 16-22 in Kakamigahara, Japan) but again, everything depends on travel restrictions for several countries," said Tayyab.

The women's tournament will see China, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Uzbekistan vie for the crown.

Previously, Tayyab confirmed that there has been an extension of the age limit — players will still be eligible to compete if they are born on or after Jan 1, 1999.

This means that the players, eligible to play this year, will have the opportunity to play on the suggested dates next year.

The men's JAC will, for the first time, feature 10 teams that consist of the hosts Bangladesh, China, Taiwan, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Uzbekistan and Pakistan.

New Straits Times

Junior Men’s National Team roster announced for Junior Pan American Cup

Eighteen Athletes and Reserves Selected for Junior Pan American Cup Roster


Photo: Blair Shier

Field Hockey Canada is excited to announce the Junior Men’s National Team that will represent Canada at the 2021 Junior Pan American Cup in Santiago, Chile in August. Following a week-long selection camp, the coaching staff have selected 18 rostered athletes and eight reserves.

The original U21 Pan Am Cup was scheduled for 2020 but will now take place in August 2021. The age restrictions shifted to recognize the postponement of the tournament. Anyone born in 1999 or later will be eligible to compete in the Junior Pan American Cup but only those born in 2000 or later are eligible to compete in the Junior World Cup.

The team will be led by Head Coach Indy Sehmbi and Assistant Coach Geoff Matthews. For Sehmbi, this roster is the culmination of a four-year build working from the 2016 Junior World Cup. For Sehmbi, the extra year — due to the COVID-19 Pandemic — was a challenge but also an opportunity to work with this cohort of junior athletes for another year.

“It’s been a long process. We’ve had to navigate a lot of changes. With the extra year, the prep has been a little bit disjointed. And this build really started in 2017,” he said. “I’m really proud of our whole group, not just the guys that were selected. Everyone, including the staff have worked really hard and it shows.”

The Pan American Cup will take place from August 16-29, 2021 with the top two teams qualifying for the Junior World Cup, set for December in India. On the men’s side, Canada has qualified for the last two Junior World Cups and will look to make it three in a row with a top-two finish this year in Chile. If the team qualifies, Sehmbi and Matthews will host an additional camp in October to make roster changes as necessary.

Sehmbi said selection camp served its purpose and made the decisions extremely difficult. As such, he’s confident in this group to make it happen.

“We have a very deep squad and a lot of parity throughout our lineup of identified athletes. It’s a coach’s dream to have such a strong group of athletes,” he said. “It’s a luxury for us to have such a diverse and deep athlete group. This is more than just one selection camp, it’s a culmination of several years of prep.”

From here, the junior men have a week off before centralizing in Vancouver to prepare for the tournament. Many of these athletes have played with and against each other and toured together over the past few years. For Sehmbi, the focus is about establishing a high standard and building on the existing cohesiveness.

“We have a group of guys that know each other pretty well,” he said. “We’ll be building that team cohesiveness with the smaller squad now. It’s about connection, character, confidence and competence. And we have a group that embodies that. We’re going to go down and contend to win this Pan Am Cup, no question.”

ROSTER

RESERVES

Coaching Staff
Inderpal Sehmbi – Head Coach
Geoff Matthews – Assistant Coach

Schedule and more information will be released prior to the Pan American Cup in August.

Field Hockey Canada media release

Selection Camp brings top Junior Women’s talent to Vancouver

Forty athletes battle for 18 spots bound for the Junior Pan American Cup


Photo: Blair Shier

The last time the full NextGen Women’s cohort was on the field together was in February 2020 in Chula Vista, California. Three teams made that journey south. Now, the majority of that group reconvene to train together and set up the build to the Junior Pan American Cup.

The original U21 Pan Am Cup was scheduled for 2020 but will now take place in August 2021 in Santiago, Chile. The Junior Women’s National Team is hosting a selection camp in Vancouver, BC, from June 13–19, with over 40 players named to the camp roster. Only 18 will be selected to travel to Chile in two months’ time.

The age restrictions shifted to recognize the postponement of the tournament. To be clear, anyone born in 1999 or later will be eligible to compete in the Junior Pan American Cup but only those born in 2000 or later are eligible to compete in the Junior World Cup. The coaches will lead another selection camp later in the year to determine the JWC roster as necessary, but for now, the focus remains solely on Santiago.

This week’s selection camp is led by Head Coach and NextGen Director Patrick Tshutshani who will look to build the best roster of U22 athletes, to give Canada the best chance to qualify for the Junior World Cup. Tshutshani is supported on-field by coaches Jenn Beagan and Bernadette Bowyer. He said that having everyone in the same place at the same time is a big win for the program and it’s already paying off.

“It’s a great chance to evaluate all athletes across all ages of our NextGen group, especially after a long time apart,” he said. “It’s exciting for them to be training and competing with this full group again. You can tell they’ve been enthusiastic to get back on the field and play together.”

For the duration of the pandemic, players have been preparation in their local training environments. This means players in different cities around the country have been working with their groups to maintain and grow their technical, tactical and physical abilities. For Tshutshani, now is a good opportunity to work on team-skills in a group environment.

“There’s a focus on examining their physical conditioning and working on accelerating our team skills for this camp,” Tshutshani said. “But mostly, players have been training in different environments for over a year, so it’s just good to get them all together for this week.”

Tshutshani notes that the large selection cohort and high level of play so far already fills him with confidence looking forward to the Junior Pan American Championships.

“This week will be a challenge for the players but on top of that, it will be a challenge for the coaching staff,” he said. “The athletes are making our decisions very difficult and that’s what you want as a coach.”

SELECTION CAMP ROSTER

*Injured
** Indoor National Team Commitments

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