The inaugural Premier Hockey League has been postponed to November due to the recent Covid-19 outbreak in Auckland.
Continue reading New COVID Outbreak in New Zealand Delays Premier Hockey LeagueAll posts by Hockey World News
India Return To Training As Light is Seen at the End of the Tunnel
With the men’s and women’s teams gradually returning to action, coaches Graham Reid and Sjoerd Marijne plot the road ahead.
Continue reading India Return To Training As Light is Seen at the End of the Tunnel
New High Performance Director AT Field Hockey Canada
Field Hockey Canada (FHC) is delighted to announce the appointment of Adam Janssen as High Performance Director. Adam comes to FHC with significant system expertise having previously served in high performance leadership roles with Athletics Canada, Table Tennis Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee.
Continue reading New High Performance Director AT Field Hockey Canada
Halkett Joins Dutch Ladies
Rhett Halkett succeeds Lucas Judge as assistant coach of the Netherlands
Continue reading Halkett Joins Dutch Ladies
Noordwijkse Hockey Club Coaches Face Allegations of Grooming Underage Girls for Sex
At the Noordwijkse Hockey club (NHC) great unrest has arisen after the publication of the Algemeen Dagblad about an anonymous letter accusing trainers of the club of seducing underage girls into sex. The club’s board acknowledges the letter’s existence, but says an investigation “has not yielded results, nor has there been any report of incidents since.”
Continue reading Noordwijkse Hockey Club Coaches Face Allegations of Grooming Underage Girls for Sex
Putting Luxembourg Hockey on the Map
HV Weert is entering into a collaboration with the Luxembourg hockey association. The Limburg club will mainly work to make hockey more popular in the country with a population of just under 600,000. ‘They’ve always played hockey there for fun, so it’s really recreational. Now they want to take hockey in the country to a higher level, ‘says Manon Eijsvogel, program manager for the Twinning Project from Weert.
Continue reading Putting Luxembourg Hockey on the Map
Hockey Wales appoint Newcombe as new Head Coach
Hockey Wales is delighted to announce that Danny Newcombe will be taking the role of Wales Men’s Head Coach following the recent announcement that Zak Jones will moving to a new role in the Men’s GB set up.
Danny, who has been with the Wales Men’s coaching set-up for over 9 years, has most recently been working with Jones in the role of Assistant Coach.
During this time the pair have seen the team achieve incredible success, including the highest ever FIH World Hockey ranking following promotion to the EuroHockey Championships for the 2019 competition.
Newcombe will take up his new position in September for an interim period of 12 months to ensure continuity for the squad in the lead up to their crucial European competition in June 2021.
“I am incredibly honoured to have the opportunity to lead the senior men’s programme. This is a special group of people, one that is a privilege to be part of. I am very aware that I have some big shoes to fill. However, I am excited to continue the great progress we have made under Zak’s leadership.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Zak for everything he has done for us a group and for me personally, I could not have asked for a better Head Coach to work for and learn from.”
Hannah Bevan, Head of Development for Hockey Wales, explained the Governing Bodies position on the appointment,
“We are delighted that Danny has accepted the role of Head Coach for the Senior Men.
“It is really important that, in this crucial year for the squad, there is trust and continuity in the appointed individual and, having worked with Zak and the players for nearly a decade we can be assured that Danny can provide this tenfold.”
To ensure a seamless handover for the squad and support staff, Newcombe and Jones will continue to work together until both their appointments begin in the coming months. On hearing of the appointment Zak explained his thoughts,
“I am absolutely delighted for Danny. He is thoroughly deserving of the role as he has been an integral part of the senior men’s journey over the past few years. Having worked so closely with him during that time, I know that he has all the required attributes and that there is no one better placed to lead the squad into the next phase of their journey.
“He has a great rapport with the players, and no one understands the group and their values and cultures better than Danny. I am certain that he will have the full support of both the playing group and staff and that he will also provide the squad with stability and continuity as he leads them into their European campaign in 2021.
“I wish him and the squad pob lwc and all the very best for the future.”
Danny will start his new role in September 2020; everyone in Hockey Wales and the wider hockey family wish him well in his tenure as Senior Men’s Head Coach.
Belgian hockey association asks for solidarity: ‘no practice matches in August’
Antwerp is currently the epicenter of the second wave of corona infections in Belgium. The National Security Council and the province of Antwerp have tightened the guidelines to prevent further spread of the virus. Clubs from Antwerp are no longer allowed to play practice matches in their own province until the end of August. The Belgian hockey association (RBFA) also decided to postpone the league at the highest level by three weeks.
“The Belgian government and the province of Antwerp have recently decided that sports with physical contact are not allowed,” explains Denis Van Damme, spokesman for the KBHB. ‘So no practice matches may be played in the province of Antwerp. Training without physical contact is allowed. ” This measure only applies to amateur teams from Antwerp and is valid until 26 August.
Clubs from Antwerp are allowed to play exhibition matches outside the province, although the Belgian Hockey Association strongly advises against this. ‘What is not literally in the new rules is that athletes from Antwerp are not allowed to travel,’ says Van Damme. “But we want to work according to the spirit of the rule and not the letter of the rule. What I especially want to give to athletes from Antwerp: do not get in your car and limit the number of personal contacts. ‘
Antwerp hockey players in the Netherlands
The stricter regulations in the province of Antwerp do not apply to professional athletes. For example, professional football clubs are allowed to play exhibition games. “It’s a bit more difficult in hockey,” says Van Damme.
Arthur van Doren in the Bloemendaal uniform. Photo: Koen Suyk
‘In Belgium, the hockey sport is not as professional as in the Netherlands. An Arthur van Doren is a professional hockey player. He lives in Antwerp, but works in Bloemendaal. It is impossible for him to follow the training digitally from a distance. The same applies, for example, to Sébastien Dockier and Alexander Hendrickx (both Pinoké, ed.). As long as it is their job, they are allowed to play hockey. “
Consequences of the practice campaign for big league teams
The new measures in the province of Antwerp also have consequences for the preparation of the Dutch big league teams. It is rush hour for the managers of big league teams. Monday and Tuesday followed one after the other in the exercise schedule of teams from the big league Men .
Waterloo Ducks players on archive image. Photo: Frank Uijlenbroek
For example, on August 14, an away game at Dragons was planned for the men of Little Switzerland. Two days later, the men of Tilburg were to receive Royal Antwerp. KZ now practices twice against Bloemendaal, Tilburg has found an alternative in promotion class SCHC. The men of Rotterdam have also heard that the Antwerp Beerschot THC does not travel to South Holland on August 23. The practice game between the ladies of Royal Antwerp and Pinoké is also canceled.
Solidarity with Antwerp clubs
There is also a line through the exhibition games against Belgian teams outside the province of Antwerp, such as Waterloo Ducks (against Tilburg) and Gantoise (against Orange-Red). “I am happy that those matches have also been canceled,” says Van Damme. ‘We have asked all clubs in Belgium to show solidarity with the teams from Antwerp and not to play exhibition games in August. Unfortunately, that has not been fully observed. “
This is also reflected in the practice schedule for Dutch big league teams. For example, the practice matches of Amsterdam (against KHC Leuven) and Kampong (against Racing Club de Bruxelles) will continue for the time being.
Highest leagues postponed
To give the demand for solidarity back support, the Belgian federation has decided to postpone the start of the competition of the Belgian League and the Open League Ladies and Gentlemen to 19 or 20 September. ‘These are competitions that require longer preparation. If we ask clubs to show solidarity, we as an association must support this by postponing the competitions at the highest level. “
From left to right: Tom Boon, Thomas Briels and Gauthier Boccard with the national team of Belgium. Photo: FIH
The other hockey competitions for youth and seniors, as it stands, continue as planned. These start during the first weekend of September. Not much will change for the Belgian national teams. “Until last week, there was a lot of intensive training,” says Van Damme. “We had already made reservations for the clubs throughout August. If the regulations remain as they are now, we need to look for the best solutions to prepare ourselves optimally for Tokyo. ”
With undiminished passion and ambition, Oltmans starts working at Kampong
Today Roelant Oltmans leads his first training at Kampong with undiminished ambition and passion. On Monday it was announced that the now 66-year-old coach has signed a four-year contract with the national champion of 2017 and 2018. “Age is not an issue,” says Oltmans. “I feel 35, I called out somewhere. If the passion and ambition were no longer there, I should have stopped. The team deserves a coach who tries to get the most out of them. ”
It was no surprise that Oltmans was presented yesterday by Kampong to succeed Alexander Cox, who announced his retirement last January. The arrival of the former national coach of the Orange Ladies and Gentlemen to the Laan van Maarschalkerweerd has been in the air for some time. “But it is only official when everything has been arranged and that was not until July 31,” says Oltmans, who was only recently able to travel to Malaysia to settle matters there.
Uncertainty due to corona
The decision to leave Malaysia and return to the Netherlands was partly determined by the uncertainty surrounding the corona virus. “When I looked to the future, I had no idea that the situation in Asia would change in the short term. I had been quarantined three times for two weeks, and it doesn’t make you very happy. Can I leave Malaysia later? Can my family come by? Then you take all of them into consideration. No, it was not a difficult decision to make. “
Roelant Oltmans as national coach of Pakistan during the Champions Trophy in Breda. Photo: Willem Vernes
Still, Oltmans admits saying goodbye hurts. Since September 2018, he has been national coach of Malaysia. With the national team, he failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. In the Olympic qualifier, the Malaysians lost to Britain last November. These were also the last international matches for Malaysia. ‘I look back with pleasure on my period in Malaysia. A foreign adventure enriches your life. I have been given the opportunity to look into many cultures, especially the Asian cultures. ‘
National coach in Asia
In addition to Malaysia, Oltmans previously also had the national teams of India and Pakistan under his wing. ‘If you look at these three countries, in which phase they are and in which position they are in the rankings, they have progressed. It means we were on the right track, although we didn’t always get what we wanted to achieve. “
After seven seasons, Roelant Oltmans returns to the Dutch league as a coach. Photo: Willem Vernes
After more than seven years, Oltmans has returned as a coach in the Dutch league. The big league will not feel strange to him. ‘I have always followed the Dutch league and abroad we were able to view the summaries. I have seen many matches of the Dutch national team and when I was in the Netherlands I always went to matches. ‘
Four years
Over the next four years, Oltmans will join the team that has been nationally and internationally successful in recent years. Next Sunday Kampong will play the first exhibition game against Rotterdam
“I’m going to work hard,” says Oltmans. ‘The trick is to walk the path that leads to success. There is a strong selection with experience and I will use that experience too. I will listen to the top players and throw my sauce over it. It is a team that stands and has been together for a long time. That will change, there must be renewed. In the four-year period, the challenge is to succeed not only with the current selection, but also with the new team. ”
Hockey.nl
BAME Players Scared to report Racism
English hockey has an “endemic race issue” from the national team down to the club game and junior levels, and is not doing enough to attract players from more deprived areas, the sport’s governing body has been told in a hard-hitting letter signed by nine clubs.
Continue reading BAME Players Scared to report Racism