As the final stages of the current FIH Hockey Pro League season approach (starting from 13 June), let us hear from the participating teams. Today, Zak Jones, head coach of the England men’s side, shares his thoughts.

What does Pro League London mean to the squad?

Playing at home in front of friends and family and our home crowd is always a very special and unique experience for the squad and something they all really look forward to. Lee Valley is a pretty cool venue, especially when full and the support we get is always loud, passionate and positive which gives the players inspiration and a real buzz.

How are the preparations going?

Preparations at Bisham continue to go well with us always looking to improve and develop our game. I would imagine that similar to other countries, the recent period does have some challenges in terms of managing training load alongside the business end of the club season. However, we will soon be back in “full international mode” and with a now established coaching team of Robert van der Horst, David Ames and Ashley Jackson driving our growth and standards in their areas of the game, we are all super excited to put our game out there in our home Pro League.

The squad were unbeaten in the second stage of the league, can you tell us about those matches and what those performances have meant?

Firstly, I think it is important to acknowledge that they were an incredibly competitive set of physically tough matches, against two very good teams in both Spain and the Netherlands. The most pleasing aspect was that despite the differing contexts of each match, we were relentless in all aspects of delivering our identity and our game, which resulted in us finding a way to get over the line and win each time. The stage also showcased not only the depth and quality we have within the squad but that the squad is a very tight and together group and that they are willing to go to the well for each other, time and time again. Valencia has given the squad confidence in what we are doing and how we are going about it but also momentum and the aim will be to carry both of those aspects with us into the London stage of the Pro League.

How important will the London stage be for preparations for the World Cup?

The London stage of the Pro League will be very important in terms of our preparations for the World Cup as it provides us with a high density of competitive fixtures that allows us to get a good measure and feel for where we are as a squad and how we are tracking, in our ability to deliver our game. It also allows us to try, tweak, test and cement certain aspects of our game as well as look at our best combinations in order to finalise our World Cup selection.