Double Commonwealth medallist and former captain, Ian Sloan, has announced his decision to retire from International Hockey having earned 141 caps in a lustrous career.
Born in Northern Ireland, Sloan followed in his parents’ footsteps making 19 appearances for Ireland before making the switch to Great Britain and England in 2015, making his first appearance in GB colours during Test Matches against Argentina.
Sloan made his Olympic debut in 2016 at just 22-years-old and went on to make the 2020 squad in Tokyo, featuring in all of GB’s 11 matches across the two Olympic Games.
After making just 28 international appearances, Sloan was named co-captain of GB and England in 2017 alongside Phil Roper and George Pinner, following suit of his father Martin who captained Ireland 108 times.
Sloan played a pivotal leadership role in England’s Bronze Medal victory at the 2017 EuroHockey Championships in Netherlands, scoring one of his 10 international goals in a 4-2 victory over Germany in the Bronze Medal match.
The 31-year-old continued his medal success during the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, achieving a Bronze Medal in both the Gold Coast and Birmingham.
Sloan would also go on to feature in four FIH Hockey Pro League campaigns since its inaugural season in 2019.
Sloan finished his international playing career with 67 caps for GB and 74 for England and continued his passion for coaching, helping coach for Loughborough Students, Wycombe HC and Wimbledon HC, and has now started coaching in the GB set up.
From May 2025, Sloan has taken up the role of Coach Developer for England Hockey and will be key to training the next generation of coaches.
On his retirement, Sloan said: “I have loved being part of the senior squad but it’s the right time to step away. I was in the squad for 10 years which is quite a long stint and in my last few years, I suffered a lot of injuries and, as the gears progressed, I started to get more and more into coaching.
“Looking forward to what I wanted to do next, I felt like I was at the point of wanting to spend most of my time coaching and still playing club hockey but focussing on my family and on my coaching.
“I’ve been working with Old Georgians HC, as Director of Junior Hockey, doing a lot of coaching and as I was getting towards the end of the season, I started to try to think about what other things I could do. It was very good timing that this role as Coach Developer at England Hockey came up. It’s the exact type of thing that I’m very interested in. So thankfully, so far, it hasn’t felt like work, it’s felt like a hobby just you know talking about coaching and talking to other coaches.
“I definitely want to thank my family. My parents got me into the sport and followed me across to England and I have been a huge help in my career and all of my family constantly travelling over from Northern Ireland to support me has made a huge difference.
“Also, my first club was Cookstown Hockey Club. and it was an amazing place to grow up and learn how to play the game and a lot of club members have continued to support me over the years, which I’m very grateful.”
England and GB Hockey Men’s Head Coach, Zak Jones said: “Ian has been an integral part of the Great Britian and England men’s hockey squad throughout and prior to my time with the squad and it was a pleasure to work with him.
“He is an outstanding hockey player who has a deep understanding of the game and an ability to lead, guide and support others and I have no doubt that he will carry the same insight and integrity into his new role as a coach developer.
“I am sure it was a very difficult decision for Ian to make but he should be incredibly proud of his career and what he achieved. He was the consummate professional and someone who always carried himself with humility and dignity.
“I know he will continue to make an impact on hockey in this country with his various coaching roles, and I would like to wish him and his young family all the very best in this next chapter. I look forward to catching up with him again on the side of a hockey pitch in the near future.”
