India sit eighth in the standings with 4 points from 8 matches, ahead of only Pakistan. The European leg takes them to Rotterdam to face Netherlands and Germany, before moving to London for matches against Pakistan and England.

The World Cup is the priority. Asian Games gold offers direct Olympic qualification for 2028. Both tournaments demand a squad that is fit, settled, and scoring goals. There is also an open question of peaking at the right moment, something India have struggled with before. Right now, India are 0 for 8 with the lowest goal tally in the league.

With the World Cup and Asian Games in mind, here are five things worth watching as India begin this leg.

1. Results Now or a Plan for August?

India have not won a single match this Pro League season. Eighth place, ahead of only Pakistan, with Netherlands, Germany, Pakistan, and England waiting in Rotterdam and London.

Go all out, chase a result, end the winless run, give the squad something to build confidence on heading into the World Cup. That is one option.

But there is history here that complicates it. At the 2023 World Cup, India beat Spain on day one, then faded over the following nine days, eventually losing on penalties to New Zealand in the crossover after leading 3-1 with nine minutes left. India peaked too early. By the time it mattered most, the sharpness was gone.

The European leg sits two months before the World Cup. If India go all out here purely to get a result, they risk being in a similar position come August, sharp now, faded later.

The honest tension is this. Does India use Rotterdam and London to build combinations, fitness, and tactics with August in mind? Or does a winless season demand a result now, even if it means peaking at the wrong time again?

Read More: Peaking at the Right Moment: The One Thing That Will Define India at the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup

2. Where Are the Goals?

India have scored 9 goals in 8 matches this season, the lowest in the Pro League.

The forward line is the most obvious concern. Abhishek has played 7 matches and scored 0 goals. Sukhjeet Singh has played 3 and scored 0. Between them, India’s first-choice forwards have not found the net once this season.

Part of this could be a service problem. Watching India this season, the midfield has not consistently created chances for the forward line. If the ball is not getting to Abhishek and Sukhjeet in positions to score, the goal drought is not just a finishing issue, it becomes a question about how India build attacks through midfield.

Penalty corners tell a similar story. India have scored 4 PC goals from 21 attempts, a conversion rate of 19 percent. On its own, that is a respectable number. But when your forwards are not scoring from open play, the penalty corner unit needs to do more than be respectable. It needs to be the difference.

Read More: FIH Pro League: India’s Squad and Schedule for European Leg

3. If Not Harmanpreet, Then Who?

Penalty corner specialists hunt in pairs. Most top hockey nations have at least two recognised drag-flickers who can both occupy the top of the circle, giving the opposition two threats to defend rather than one.

India still relies overwhelmingly on Harmanpreet Singh. If he is off form, injured, or simply has a quiet day, the question becomes immediate: who else can step up?

Jugraj Singh has been the traditional second option but his numbers this season, 1 from 6, do not inspire confidence. Amandeep Lakra is an interesting case. He scored 9 goals in the Hockey India League for his franchise and 2 at the Junior World Cup, showing he has the ability. But he has played only 3 matches for India and is yet to convert at senior international level. Amit Rohidas can still contribute but mostly takes hits now rather than drag-flicks, a different kind of penalty corner threat altogether.

Rotterdam and London are an opportunity to find out if India has a genuine second option, or if Harmanpreet remains a one-man penalty corner unit heading into the World Cup.

4. Harmanpreet’s Form and Leadership in FIH Pro League

During India’s home leg of FIH Pro League in Rourkela, Harmanpreet Singh’s positioning was a concern. He was rarely visible in the frame during defensive sequences, raising questions about his role as the last line of defence. There was also a visible drop in how quickly he covered ground, a problem for a player whose entire role depends on being the last man back, covering spaces before attackers get there.

Harmanpreet then took personal time away from the squad and missed all four matches of the Hobart leg in Australia.

He returns as captain for the European leg. The question is which version of Harmanpreet shows up. The one whose positioning and pace were under scrutiny in Rourkela, or a sharper, more engaged defender and leader.

As captain, his presence on the pitch sets the tone for the rest of the side. Rotterdam and London will tell us a lot about where he stands.

5. The World Cup Audition

This is the last Pro League leg before the World Cup squad is announced. 22 players are in this squad. 18 will go to the World Cup. Four will not. The question is which 4 players will miss the World Cup bus. Here is how things look right now.

Several positions are settled. Harmanpreet, Amit Rohidas, Sumit, Sanjay, and Jarmanpreet look set in defence. Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, and Vivek Sagar Prasad are sure shots in midfield. Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, and Abhishek look set in attack.

But several spots remain open. In defence, Yashdeep Siwach, Amandeep Lakra, and Jugraj Singh are all competing, with Jugraj under the most scrutiny given his recent form. The midfield, Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, and Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem are fighting for the remaining spots, alongside Rajinder Singh, the least experienced of the group but talked about as a long-term successor to Sardar Singh’s role. In attack, Aditya Arjun Lalage, Dilpreet Singh, Shilanand Lakra, and Selvam Karthi are all in contention for the remaining forward spots.

Goalkeeping has its own storyline. Suraj Karkera looks set to be India’s number one. The second spot is between Mohith and Krishan Bahadur Pathak. Pathak was expected to inherit the gloves after Sreejesh’s retirement in 2024. Instead, he finds himself on standby with others ahead of him in the pecking order.

Rotterdam and London are the last major opportunity for these players to make their case before the World Cup squad is finalised.

Read More: 411 Caps and Still Going: The Manpreet Singh Story

What FIH Pro League Need to Show

India head to Europe without a win and with more questions than answers. The World Cup is only two months away. Whether it is goals, penalty corners, Harmanpreet’s form, or the battle for World Cup places, Rotterdam and London should tell us whether India have learned from an ordinary Pro League campaign so far. They may not be looking to peak in June, but they will want signs that the pieces are beginning to come together before August.

2026 is a big year for Indian hockey. Nations Cup. World Cup. Asian Games. We will be covering every important moment of this journey. Subscribe to the Give Me Hockey newsletter and stay with us through all of it

<p>The post FIH Pro League 2025-26: 5 Things to Watch as India Heads to Europe first appeared on Give Me Hockey.</p>

Having lost to Japan in the group stage, India could not have asked for a better response. Sardar Singh’s side finished the tournament with five wins from six matches, including an impressive 5-3 comeback victory over Pakistan in the semi-final.

India’s U18 Asia Cup Stats

The Final

Having been beaten by Japan in the pool stage, India came into the final with something to prove. A penalty corner in just 90 seconds and Tani Purti, impressive from the top of the circle throughout the tournament, wasted no opportunity. 1-0.

Japan grew into the first quarter but the Indian defence denied them. The first quarter ended 1-0 in India’s favour.

The second quarter started brightly for Japan too. They won their first penalty corner and looked threatening. India defended well and struck back. Tani Purti stepped up again in the 28th minute to make it 2-0. Prahalad Rajbhar then broke forward and found Kushwaha in front of goal. The captain finished coolly. 3-0 at half-time.

The third quarter saw Tani Purti complete his hat-trick. Varinder Singh’s run at Japan’s defence drew another penalty corner and Tani Purti finished clinically in the 34th minute. India had a 100 percent penalty corner conversion record in the final.

Japan scored a consolation goal through Numada Gaku in the 52nd minute from a penalty corner. They won three more penalty corners in the closing stages but India, who converted all three of their penalty corners while limiting Japan to one goal from four attempts, were not going to let this one slip.

Tani Purti won Player of the Match for his impressive hat-trick.

Read More: Why Hiring Tim White and Frederic Soyez is Only a Half-Battle

The Pool Stage

India opened with a 13-0 win over Kazakhstan and followed it up with a one-sided 13-1 result against Chinese Taipei. The goals were flowing but the real test had not arrived. When it did, India failed it. A complacent performance against Japan ended in a 4-2 defeat.

That defeat forced India to reset.

India beat South Korea 4-1 in their next match to respond strongly to the setback. Captain Ketan Kushwaha scored twice while Varinder Singh and Shahrukh Ali also found the net. Korea pulled one back through captain Yun Jaehyeok, but India were comfortable throughout.

The win ensured India finished the pool stage with three victories from four matches. However, Japan’s perfect record meant India had to settle for second place in Pool A.

The Semi-final

India vs Pakistan lived up to the hype.

India led 1-0 at half-time through a Tani Purti penalty stroke in the 12th minute. Pakistan fought back in the third quarter and led 3-2 going into the final quarter.

3-2 down going into the final quarter, India needed a response. Tani Purti scored three times in seven minutes, in the 49th, 53rd, and 56th minutes, all from penalty corners. India won 5-3. Shahrukh Ali had scored India’s second in the 35th minute.

U18 Asia Cup Results

Tani Purti and Kushwaha: The Standouts

Tani Purti finished the tournament with 13 goals, all but one from set pieces. Across six matches that is more than two goals per game. He scored 12 penalty corners and one penalty stroke.

Remarkably, he scored three hat-tricks across the tournament, against Chinese Taipei, Pakistan in the semi-final, and Japan in the final.

At under-18 level, he already looks like one of India’s most promising drag-flickers.

Kushwaha scored 8 goals across the tournament, five from field play and three from penalty corners.

India’s Top Scorers

Individual Honours

Ashish Tani Purti finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 13 goals and was named Player of the Match in the final.

Ayush Rajak was named Best Goalkeeper of the tournament.

Cash Awards

Hockey India announced a cash award of INR 3 lakh for each player and INR 1.5 lakh for each support staff member.

Jimmy Bhogal is the founder of Give Me Hockey

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<p>The post India Beat Japan; Win Men’s U18 Asia Cup 2026 first appeared on Give Me Hockey.</p>

The Nations Cup comes at a crucial point in the Indian women’s programme. It is the first of three major tournaments in a compressed window, with the FIH Women’s World Cup and the Asian Games to follow. Additionally, the Nations Cup winner earns promotion to the FIH Pro League, giving the victorious nation a season of weekly high-level competition against the world’s best.

Notable Selections

Lalthantluangi and Shilpi Dabas both earned their maiden senior call-ups during the Australia tour and keep their places for Auckland. Sonam also makes the squad after scoring her first senior international goal against Australia in Perth. Marijne has kept faith with all three after their performances in the four-match friendly series.

Meanwhile, Navneet Kaur heads into the tournament as India’s most in-form forward. She stood out across both the Argentina and Australia tours, scoring in multiple matches and captaining the side in Argentina.

However, Baljeet Kaur misses out despite being part of the Australia tour squad. Hockey India have not given a reason for her absence.

What Marijne Said

Speaking to Hockey India, Marijne said the tours of Argentina and Australia have given the squad the preparation they needed. The focus now is on translating that into consistent performances across a full tournament.

“The Nations Cup is an important tournament for us. We want to go there and play with ambition to set a standard for ourselves that we can build on. We have built on those aspects in the Argentina and Australia tours, which gave us good preparation as a team. Now it is about taking the next step and showing that level consistently across a full tournament. The squad is motivated and ready for the challenge.”

India’s Fixtures in FIH Nations Cup 2026

India are in Pool A alongside Japan, the United States, and Uruguay. Their opening match is against the United States on June 15 at 16:15 IST. They then face Japan on June 16 at 18:30 IST. The pool stage concludes against Uruguay on June 18 at 16:15 IST. The semi-finals follow on June 20 and the final on June 21.

For the full schedule, what is at stake, and the Pro League promotion picture, read our FIH Nations Cup 2026 schedule and preview piece.

India’s Squad for FIH Nations Cup 2026

Goalkeepers: Savita and Bichu Devi Kharibam

Defenders: Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Ishika Chaudhary, Lalthantluangi, Shilpi Dabas, Jyoti and Nikki Pradhan

Midfielders: Salima Tete (c), Neha, Sunelita Toppo, Sakshi Rana, Deepika Soreng, Sonam and Lalremsiami

Forwards: Navneet Kaur, Deepika, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal, Ishika and Annu

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Before the team departed for Perth, Captain Salima Tete had set out what she wanted from the tour. “We want to head into the Nations Cup in Auckland with momentum and confidence. Australia will push us to our limits, and we want to use that to become a stronger, more cohesive unit. The Nations Cup itself will be another important marker for us as we build towards the Asian Games and the World Cup. We want to peak at the right time.”

How the Series Played Out

India lost the opener 1-2. Navneet Kaur converted a penalty corner for the only Indian goal. However, Australia’s Abby Wilson scored twice from penalty corners to secure the win for the hosts.

The second match ended 1-1 after regulation. Olivia Downes gave Australia an early lead. But Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam equalised in the final quarter. India then won the post-match shootout 4-2 with Navneet Kaur, Ishika Chaudhary, Annu, and Rutuja Dadaso Pisal all converting.

Read More: FIH Nations Cup 2026 (Women): Schedule, India’s Fixtures, and What Is at Stake

The third match was a different India. A disciplined defensive display kept Australia scoreless through the first half. Sonam then broke the deadlock with a field goal in the 36th minute, her first goal in senior international hockey. Lalremsiami doubled the lead in the 49th minute. As a result, India won 2-0 with a clean sheet.

The fourth match raised a question Marijne will need to answer before Auckland. Navneet Kaur struck in the second minute from a penalty corner. Deepika Soreng then doubled the lead before half-time. However, Australia scored three times in 16 minutes through Abby Wilson, Olivia Downes, and Courtney Schonell. India conceded three goals without reply after leading 2-0. The same thing happened in Argentina, where India led 2-0 in the opening match before conceding four. Consequently, how India manage a lead will be on Marijne’s agenda before Auckland.

Argentina: Where It Started

India played four matches against Argentina in Buenos Aires in April. They lost the first two 2-4 and 1-2. However, they won the third 2-1 through Navneet Kaur and Neha, both from penalty corners. The fourth ended 0-0 before India won the shootout 3-2. Navneet Kaur captained the side throughout.

The same pattern then repeated in Australia. India lost the opener, regrouped, and came back with their best performance of each tour in the third match.

After the Argentina series, Navneet Kaur said: “It isn’t easy to trail 0-2 against a world-class team like Argentina, but we showed the heart and character needed to fight back. These back-to-back wins prove that we are moving in the right direction.”

What India Can Take Into FIH Nations Cup 2026

India have played eight matches against Argentina and Australia across six weeks, both away from home. These are practice matches. However, competing against top nations on foreign soil and finding ways to respond when behind is not something a training camp can replicate.

Navneet Kaur has been the most consistent performer across both tours. She scored in Argentina, led the side as stand-in captain, and subsequently continued her form in Australia with goals in the first and final matches.

Sonam scored her first senior international goal in the third match against Australia. Meanwhile, debuts for Shilpi Dabas and Lalthantluangi show Marijne has used this window to build depth alongside results.

The Nations Cup in Auckland starts on June 15. India go there having been tested, having come from behind, and with at least one question about game management still to answer.

2026 is a big year for Indian hockey. Nations Cup. World Cup. Asian Games. A lot can go right. A lot can go wrong. Subscribe to the Give Me Hockey newsletter and follow every step of it.

<p>The post India Women’s Australia Tour: Results, Lessons and the Road to FIH Nations Cup 2026 first appeared on Give Me Hockey.</p>

The numbers from the 2026 season made the case for how strong the league is. Despite several foreign players being unavailable, HIL crossed 1 billion social media views in just over two weeks. That milestone took the entire previous season to reach. TV viewership was also up 37 percent after the first six matches. The HIL YouTube channel recorded over 80 million views in 28 days, drawing audiences from Argentina, the UK, Australia, Germany, Belgium, and beyond.

Which Nations Can Register for Hockey India League?

Players from 14 nations are eligible on the men’s side, and 15 on the women’s side.

Men: India, Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, England, Argentina, Germany, Spain, Ireland, France, New Zealand, South Africa, Malaysia, Japan.

Women: India, Netherlands, Argentina, Belgium, China, Spain, England, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, United States, Ireland, Scotland, Japan.

Players can register directly through the Hockey India website.

One notable absentee on the men’s side is Pakistan. Ranked 12th in the world, Pakistan would ordinarily be in contention. The Government of India does not allow Pakistani players to take part in tournaments hosted in India. This applies unless the event is a multilateral international competition. HIL is a domestic league and falls outside that exemption.

Last season, more than 1,000 players registered for the auction. That included over 500 Indian men, 350 Indian women, and more than 240 international players across both categories.

Hockey India League Proposed Venues

Season 3 expands to three venues from the two used in Season 2. All franchises agreed in a meeting with Hockey India that Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, and Delhi will host the competition. SG Pipers president Digvijay Singh Deo confirmed the decision. Dilip Tirkey has also proposed Bhubaneswar as the venue for the women’s tournament, with Kalinga Stadium as the likely base.

Delhi is a new addition to the Season 3 calendar. While Hockey India has not confirmed the specific venue, matches in Delhi have historically been held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, which holds 16,200 spectators. A detailed schedule is expected by end of June.

When Does Hockey India League Season 3 Start?

Hockey India has scheduled Season 3 for January 2027. The move shifts the tournament away from the holiday window that cost the league key foreign players in Season 2. Top European players typically take a break over Christmas and New Year. Several were unavailable for Season 2 as a result.

The Netherlands did not release their senior players for Season 2 due to fixture congestion and the home World Cup. Both obstacles are now gone. The 2026 World Cup completes in August, well before the January 2027 window.

Read More: India Tour of Australia: Squad, Schedule and Streaming Details

Hockey India League Auction

The auction is confirmed for September 11. Hockey India wants the auction done before the Asian Games. The Games serve as an Olympic qualifier for India. The aim is to avoid any distraction for players in contention for national selection.

Three franchises withdrew before or during Season 2. UP Rudras cited financial sustainability concerns and pulled out two days before the auction. The HIL governing council subsequently took over franchise operations. Team Gonasika in the men’s section and Odisha Warriors women also withdrew, citing personal reasons. However, reports suggested the Warriors players had significant problems with the franchise owners.

Despite those withdrawals, the auction produced competitive bidding. Australian pair Liam Henderson and Cooper Burns were picked up by Vedanta Kalinga Lancers. Sander de Wijn then triggered a fierce bidding war before joining Tamil Nadu Dragons. Agustina Gorzelany of Argentina emerged as the most expensive women’s player. Monika became the costliest Indian women’s player after an intense bidding battle.

What Hockey India League Season 3 Needs to Be

HIL’s social media numbers are strong. However, the harder challenge is breaking out of the hockey ecosystem. The league’s audience today is largely people who already follow the sport. That ceiling is real.

Meanwhile, the wider Indian sports landscape is shifting in HIL’s favour. Pro Kabaddi League, once the most credible challenger to cricket’s dominance, has seen its momentum plateau. The Indian Super League is also in active turmoil. Several ISL clubs issued a joint statement this year. They warned the AIFF they may reduce their commitment if uncertainty continues. As a result, Indian football’s top league ran a shortened 13-match format in 2025-26 after months of administrative deadlock.

Hockey India League does not have those problems. It has a growing international audience, a clear calendar, and franchises that showed up even when Season 2 got difficult. The chance to become India’s second biggest sporting league is real. But television production quality needs to improve. The in-stadium experience needs work too. Social media reach alone does not build a league. Sustained viewership does.

Season 3 starts in January 2027. The window to become India’s second biggest sporting league will not stay open forever.

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Read More: The Sreejesh Paradox: Why India’s Most Successful Junior Coach Was Passed Over for a Foreign Vision

White guided Belgium U21 women to bronze at the 2025 Junior World Cup. He was part of the Belgium senior staff that took the women from 12th to 3rd in the world. They reached the Paris 2024 semi-finals. Soyez has coached at three Olympics. He won Junior World Cup silver with France in 2013 and spent seven years building Spain into a European force. White is also not an unfamiliar face in India. He coached the Accord Tamil Nadu Dragons in HIL Season 2 before taking up this role.

Hockey India has recruited well. Both appointments carry a clear mandate. Build a pipeline. Develop players who can bridge to the senior team. Prepare for India’s 2036 Olympic bid, with Ahmedabad as the proposed host city. However, the structure for Indian junior hockey today does not match the ambition.

How Does the Calendar Look Today?

In 2026, both junior teams have one confirmed tournament. The Junior Asia Cup in Moqi, China. The Sultan of Johor Cup for the men has not been announced yet. The women’s side has no invitational tournament equivalent. That is the reality facing two coaches who have just arrived with a mandate to build towards 2027.

This is not unusual, it is the pattern. In World Cup years, both teams play four to six tournaments. In non-World Cup years, that drops to one or two. Sometimes just one.

*As of May 2026. 2020 not captured as hockey was impacted by Covid.

The next Junior World Cup is in 2027. Six months remain in 2026 and both programmes have one tournament confirmed. That is not a preparation calendar. That is a holding pattern.

The Investment

Hockey India has not disclosed what Soyez and White are being paid. But Craig Fulton’s salary provides useful context. Fulton is the highest paid foreign coach engaged by any National Sports Federation in India. He earns Euro 24,286 per month. That figure was confirmed through a Rajya Sabha reply in December 2025. Even if they earn one third of Fulton’s salary, that is approximately Rs 8.10 lakh per month per coach. This takes Rs 100 to the euro as a working average.

Foreign coaches earn far more than Indian coaches in hockey. That gap is well documented and goes beyond any single appointment. An Indian coach at the top of the system earns between Rs 2.25 and Rs 2.50 lakh per month. A mid-level Indian coach earns around Rs 1 lakh. If Hockey India had appointed Indian coaches to both junior roles, the combined monthly outlay would likely have been under Rs 5 lakh.

The federation has chosen to go foreign. The credentials of these coaches justify that call. But it makes the question of competitive exposure more pointed. You cannot justify the spend on the coaches without also justifying the spend on giving them something to work with.

This is not an argument against paying Soyez and White well. Both are experienced coaches who should command competitive salaries. The question is simpler. If Hockey India is spending big on coaches, the calendar has to reflect that ambition. One confirmed tournament per programme in 2026 is not a return on that investment. It is a wasted opportunity.

The Structure Gap and What Can Be Done

The senior men’s team has the FIH Pro League. Roughly 16 home and away matches against the world’s best sides every season. The junior teams have nothing close to that. The gap is not just between senior and junior hockey in India. It is between how Indian junior players build competitive experience and how their European counterparts do it.

A Dutch or Belgian junior player at a top club plays 30 to 40 competitive matches in a season before reaching a national camp. European junior players arrive at tournaments match sharp because their club seasons demand it. Indian junior players do not have that. Soyez and White know what a match-ready player looks like. They will notice the difference quickly.

Extend the HIL roster for junior players

Hockey India could ask each HIL franchise to field at least three junior players. The cost would be split between Hockey India and the franchise. Junior players would not command significant salaries unless exceptional. That makes this a low-cost addition for franchises. Junior players get competitive HIL exposure. Soyez and White get players who arrive at national camps having played real hockey, not just practised it.

Build more MoUs on the Australia model

IIndia and Australia already have a framework for bilateral matches at senior and junior level. The current U-18 Australian men’s and women’s teams are in India for matches. The senior sides have also toured each other ahead of major tournaments. Hockey India should now look to build similar arrangements with New Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina. None of these countries have strong domestic structures. Many of their players are based in European club competitions. Guaranteed fixtures serve both sides. Their teams get competitive matches outside Europe. India gets intensity of playing against physical, well-coached opposition.

Revive the Australian Hockey League model

India junior men entered the Australian Hockey League as a team in 2016 and 2017. Hockey One League replaced it and already has an appetite for international involvement. The MoU with Australia makes this a conversation worth having, either as a team entry or as individual players picked up by clubs.

Inter-squad domestic tournaments

Cricket in India runs A, B, and C team tournaments that mix first-choice, development, and junior players. Junior players get quality exposure without international travel. Hockey has national championships domestically, and last year saw national team players take part for the first time. But Soyez and White are not connected to that domestic structure. An India A versus India B format, run by the junior coaches, gives them match-sharp players. It gives fringe players a real pathway.

None of this requires a structural overhaul. It requires Hockey India to be more deliberate with what it already has.

Soyez and White are good appointments. But credentials alone do not build a junior programme. Hockey India has made the announcements. Now it needs to build the structure that gives these coaches a real chance to deliver.

2026 is a big year for Indian hockey. Nations Cup. World Cup. Asian Games. A lot can go right. A lot can go wrong. Subscribe to the Give Me Hockey newsletter and follow every step of it.

<p>The post Why Hiring Tim White and Frederic Soyez is Only a Half-Battle first appeared on Give Me Hockey.</p>

Read More: The Sreejesh-Hockey India Dispute Is About More Than Just One Coaching Job

Who Is Frederic Soyez?

Frederic Soyez is one of the most decorated players in French hockey history. He represented France from 1995 to 2009, earning 196 caps and scoring 195 goals, both national records. At the 2003 Indoor World Cup in Leipzig, FIH named him top scorer and best player as France finished third.

He retired from playing in 2009 and moved into coaching, first at Lille MHC and then as France senior men’s coach from 2011. Spain came next in 2014. He guided them to fifth place at Rio 2016, a quarter-final at Tokyo 2020, and a silver medal at the 2019 European Championships. During his time with Spain, he also served as HPD for the Spanish federation. In 2021, he returned to France as both head coach and High Performance Director, leading them at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Welcoming the appointment, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey said: “Frederic comes with outstanding international credentials, having coached at multiple Olympic Games, World Cups, and European Championships, while also successfully developing young talent and high-performance systems. Our focus is not only on immediate results but also on building a deep talent pool and a coaching structure that remains aligned from sub-junior to senior level.”

Frederic Soyez Junior World Cup Record

France have qualified for seven of the fourteen FIH Junior Men’s World Cups. Three of those appearances produced medals, and all three came under Soyez in some capacity. The 2013 Junior World Cup in New Delhi was his first assignment as a junior coach. France came in as a surprise package and finished second, their first ever Junior World Cup medal. When he later served as HPD of the French federation, the junior team finished third in 2021 and second in 2023.

France are not a traditional junior hockey powerhouse. That record across three tournaments, spanning twelve years, is not coincidence. There is an interesting footnote to 2013 as well. It was the first Junior World Cup hosted by India, and the first time India had a foreign coach in the junior dugout. Gregg Clark took charge of the Indian side that tournament. India finished tenth.

Paris 2024 and What Followed

Soyez’s tenure with France ended in October 2024, two and a half months after the Paris Olympics. France drew against Spain but lost to Germany, the Netherlands, England, and South Africa. They finished with one point from five pool matches. The target was seven points minimum to reach the quarter-finals. France’s National Sport Agency organised a debrief that revealed a climate of mistrust between the coaching staff and players. Senior players criticised the staff during the process. The French federation removed Soyez shortly after. He remained at the federation’s technical directorate in an advisory role.

What He Brings

Soyez is known for his penalty corner expertise. His coaching philosophy goes beyond set pieces. After Spain’s fifth place finish at Rio 2016, he spoke about the role of communication and behaviour in building a competitive team. “The work on behaviours performed upstream allowed us to go to the Olympic Games and get the results we had,” he said. “They are, for me, as important as physical preparation.” He added that his players “really grew during the competition, in the way of communicating, of behaving.”

That emphasis on communication is relevant in the Indian context. Craig Fulton’s senior men’s team runs on clear roles, player trust, and collective decision making under pressure. If Soyez can build those same habits at junior level, players moving into Fulton’s setup would arrive with the foundations already in place.

The Mandate

Hockey India has framed the appointment around the 2036 Olympics. The federation wants a coaching structure that runs seamlessly from sub-junior through junior to senior level. Indian coaches will work alongside international experts at every camp. Soyez served as HPD at the French federation from 2021 to 2024. He has built exactly that kind of structure before.

Soyez’s first assignment will be the Junior Asia Cup 2026 in Moqi, China. Dates are yet to be confirmed.

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<p>The post Frederic Soyez: The Tactical Blueprint for India’s Junior Hockey first appeared on Give Me Hockey.</p>

Sreejesh came back with sharper questions. Hockey India offered him a role coaching the development squad. He asked who the players were, what the structure was, what camps were planned, what tournaments they were preparing for. Hockey India has not responded to his latest post on social media website X.

Read More: The Sreejesh Paradox: Why India’s Most Successful Junior Coach Was Passed Over for a Foreign Vision

Hockey India named Sardar Singh as coach of the developmental squad, ideally to prepare the India A side for the Commonwealth Games. He ended up coaching the India A developmental squad at the Asia Cup in May 2022, where they finished third. After that, nothing. No matches, no camps, no updates.

Sardar moved to Hockey 5s in August 2023, then to the U17 side for a Netherlands tour in October 2023, then back to coach the Hockey 5s World Cup in January 2024. The developmental squad has not played since May 2022. Hockey India offered Sreejesh a role in that programme. Is this a functioning structure or one being dusted off because Hockey India needed somewhere to put him?

Sreejesh also shared the numbers. Four teams. Six foreign coaches. Three foreign strength and conditioning coaches. One foreign video analyst. Two visiting foreign goalkeeper coaches. One visiting foreign sports psychologist. His question was simple. Can Indian coaches develop Indian hockey?

Was the Appointment Ever Logical?

Sreejesh’s appointment as coach of India’s junior team was nothing less than a surprise. There is no doubt about his on-field credentials and we are in no way questioning that. However, Sreejesh had just won his second Olympic medal in Paris. He retired immediately after, they retired his jersey number in a ceremony, and within the same breath Hockey India appointed him chief coach of the junior men’s team.

CR Kumar had been coaching the junior men’s side through the Sultan of Johor Cup and Junior World Cup 2023. What did he do wrong? Was there a review, a process, a reason given for the change? Hockey India made none of that public. At no point during this entire sequence did anyone publicly ask what Sreejesh’s coaching credentials were. Was this a coaching appointment or a farewell gift that came with a job attached?

The Mentorship Programme and What It Produced

Read More: Hockey India’s New Coaching Mentorship Program Could Be a Gamechanger

In 2025, Hockey India launched a coaching mentorship programme. The stated goal was to build an Indian coaching pipeline, give experienced domestic coaches exposure to top level methods, and reduce long term dependence on foreign coaches. Eight Indian coaches, all holding FIH Level 3 certification, shadowed Craig Fulton and Harendra Singh during national camps. It was a promising idea on paper.

But the timing raises questions. Sreejesh was the sitting junior men’s chief coach when the programme ran. He holds Level 3. Was he part of it? If he was not included, a coach at national level was left outside a programme designed specifically to develop coaches at that level. If he was included, why has nobody said so? Either way, Hockey India has not connected the programme to the people it was supposed to benefit.

And who were the eight coaches? Hockey India has not published their names. We do not know what level they were coaching at before the programme, what they were coached on, or where they went after. A mentorship programme should have measurable outcomes. Did Hockey India set targets for what these coaches would go on to achieve? Were they tracked? Did they publish it? None of that is in the public domain. A programme with no names, no outcomes, and no accountability is not a pipeline. It is a gesture.

Does that work or do you want to push any of these points further?

The Results Were There

The results were there. Four podiums from five events. A Junior Asia Cup gold. A Junior World Cup bronze on home soil. India finished on the podium in every medal tournament Sreejesh coached. Sreejesh has done great as a coach in the limited time had with the team.

The bronze medal match against Argentina told its own story. India trailed 2-0 with eleven minutes left. They scored four times to win. A team that does that has not just been prepared tactically. They have been prepared physically and mentally to keep going when the game is against them.

This is something the senior men’s team does consistently under Craig Fulton. They stay fresh in Q4 and when they get going, they give opponents no breathing space. If the junior team was already playing the same way, that culture was filtering down from the senior setup. Which raises a fair question. If Fulton’s philosophy was already reaching the junior players, what exactly would a foreign junior coach add that was not already there?

The 2018 Question and What Follows From It

Sreejesh’s words from 2018 stay with me every time I read his name alongside the word coaching. When Marijne was coaching the senior men, Sreejesh pushed back hard against the player-driven approach. He said the coach should show players where to walk, draw the picture first. If he coached his junior team the same way, then Fulton’s preference for a foreign coach starts to make sense. A coach who believes players need to be led rather than empowered is not building the kind of autonomous, decision-making culture modern hockey demands.

Marijne said it himself in 2018. Getting Indian players to unlearn habits from childhood and adopt a different way of playing is hard work.

Whether Sreejesh carried those beliefs into his coaching is something only those inside the camp would know. Hockey has changed rapidly. Players now take more decisions on their own, read situations in real time, and are expected to solve problems without waiting to be told. Did his approach as a coach reflect what he said as a player in 2018? And if it did, did that cost him the job?

The High Performance Director Problem

The HPD job description Hockey India published this week makes the role clear. The HPD sets targets and KPIs for all national teams, oversees coaching development, manages the pipeline from grassroots to senior level, and implements the high performance strategy across all age groups. It is the most important non-coaching role in Indian hockey.

David John held the position from 2016 until he resigned in August 2020. He spent much of his tenure in the dugout alongside the head coach. His reasoning for appointing Marijne as men’s coach in 2017 was that Marijne understood Indian culture after six months with the women’s team. Eight months later, Sreejesh and senior players were complaining that Marijne’s methods did not work for Indian players. That is not a vision. That is improvisation.

Hockey India then appointed Herman Kruis as HPD in January 2024, a contract that ran only until September 2024. Since then, the position has been vacant. A functioning HPD would have assessed whether Sreejesh was the right appointment, ensured he met the required coaching standards, and if the decision was still to go with him, built the support structure around him. Whether Fulton expressed a preference for a foreign coach or not, that is a conversation an HPD should have been part of. Instead, that position sat empty through the entire period in question.

The application deadline for the new HPD was today, May 15, 2026.

Read More: The Federation Is Not the Dressing Room, Part 2: What Hockey India Own Documents Reveal

The Question That Remains

The Sreejesh and Hockey India public dispute has opened a can of worms that goes well beyond one contract. Was the decision to appoint Sreejesh correct in the first place? If yes, then looking at his results, was the decision not to offer him a renewal fair? What happened to the mentorship programme and what did it produce? Why has the HPD position been vacant since September 2024 and what has Indian hockey lost because of it?

And then there is this. Hockey India’s own website lists 337 Level 1 certified coaches, 54 Level 2, 80 FIH Academy Level 1, 57 FIH Academy Level 2, 74 FIH Academy Level 3, and 4 FIH Academy Level 4. Over 600 certified Indian coaches. Where are they? What are they coaching? What support are they getting to reach the next level?

Sreejesh asked whether Indian coaches can develop Indian hockey. The answer is not in the argument between him and Hockey India. It is in those numbers.

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Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Sreejesh’s FIH coaching qualifications were not public. Hockey India’s records confirm he holds an FIH Level 3 coaching badge. The article has also been updated to correctly reflect FIH’s Coaching Education Pathway, which has four levels: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and High Performance. Both sections have been updated accordingly.

<p>The post The Sreejesh-Hockey India Dispute Is About More Than Just One Coaching Job first appeared on Give Me Hockey.</p>

Hockey India appointed Sreejesh as junior team coach in August 2024, immediately after he retired from international hockey. He posted a statement on his Twitter account on Tuesday. His contract expired on December 21, 2025, following the FIH Junior World Cup in Chennai. He reapplied when Hockey India advertised the position. Hockey India did not select him.

“It seems like my coaching career comes to an end after 1.5 years, during which we played 5 tournaments and secured 5 podium finishes, including a Junior World Cup bronze medal,” Sreejesh wrote. “I have heard about coaches getting fired after bad performances. But this is the first time I am experiencing being removed to make way for a foreign coach.”

Sreejesh said the Hockey India President told him that Craig Fulton prefers a foreign head coach for the junior side. Fulton believes it will help develop Indian hockey from junior level through to senior level.

He also cited a meeting with Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on March 7, 2026. “I was told, “Sreejesh, we need coaches like you to step up and lead our country as we prepare for 2036.” However, Hockey India continues to place its trust in foreign coaches over Indian ones across all four teams.”

A Record That Made the Case for Him

Across his 18 months in charge, Sreejesh led India to podium finishes in all four medal tournaments he entered. The Junior Asia Cup title in November 2024 was the standout result of his first year. In 28 games across five tournaments, India won 19, a win rate of just under 68 percent. The Junior World Cup bronze medal match against Argentina captured what his side was capable of at their best. Trailing 2-0 with 11 minutes left, India scored four times through Ankit Pal (49’), Manmeet Singh (52’), Shardanand Tiwari (57’), and Anmol Ekka (58’) to complete a remarkable turnaround on home soil in Chennai.

Sreejesh’s Record as Junior Men’s Coach

*Four Nations was a preparatory tournament, not a medal event.

Hockey India is yet to announce who will take charge of the junior men’s team. Until that name is confirmed, the question Sreejesh has raised publicly remains unanswered.

Editor’s Note

Sreejesh’s record speaks for itself. Five tournaments, five podiums, including a Junior World Cup bronze on home soil. That is not a record you usually walk away from without a strong reason.

The Programme That Should Have Included Him

Last year, we wrote about Hockey India’s coaching mentorship programme. Eight FIH Level 3 certified Indian coaches shadowed Craig Fulton and Harendra Singh during national camps. The idea was to build an Indian coaching pipeline and reduce dependence on foreign coaches. It was a promising step. But here is the thing. Sreejesh was arguably the most obvious candidate for something like that programme. A recently retired player freshly into coaching, working alongside Fulton or Harendra during national camps, would have been the ideal candidate for that initiative. Whether that ever happened, we do not know. If it did not, that is a question about how seriously Hockey India takes its own programmes.

Choosing a foreign coach over Sreejesh despite that programme existing raises an obvious question about whether any of it means anything.

But this is not entirely straightforward either.

Hockey coaching has changed considerably over the past decade. The game is faster, more structured, and tactically more demanding than it was even ten years ago. At the top level, coaches are not expected to do everything for the players. International players are expected to read the game, make decisions under pressure. They also take responsibility on the field without waiting to be told. The coach sets the framework. The players execute within it and solve problems as they arise.

A Question Worth Asking

Which makes Sreejesh’s comments from 2018 worth revisiting. When Marijne was coaching the senior men’s side, Sreejesh was among the players who complained about his methods. Sreejesh said at the time: “He can show me where I have to walk… He can’t ask me to draw a picture and say he will paint it. He should have an idea of how we are going to play and we can help him make it beautiful.” The message was clear: the coach draws the picture first. Players would then help colour it in.

That view sits directly against where modern coaching has gone. The coach no longer draws the picture alone. Players at international level are expected to bring their own ideas to the canvas. Only those inside the camp would know whether Sreejesh the coach moved on from what Sreejesh the player believed. But it is a fair question to ask.

We also do not know what coaching qualifications Sreejesh holds. FIH has a structured certification programme. The eight coaches in Hockey India’s mentorship programme all hold FIH Level 3 certification. Whether Sreejesh has gone through any part of that pathway is not public information. Results matter, but so does the framework around them.

Sreejesh himself said it best in 2018: “We should develop our own coaches, that’s for sure. We need to give them more experience and technologies.” Sreejesh was right then. Hockey India has not built a system where that development happens in a structured way.

That is not entirely Hockey India’s failure. And it is not entirely Sreejesh’s either.

Appeal

If this story made you think, there is more where that came from. The Sreejesh question is not going away, and neither are the bigger questions around how Indian hockey develops its own. Please subscribe to the Give Me Hockey newsletter and get these stories in your inbox before anyone else.

<p>The post The Sreejesh Paradox: Why India’s Most Successful Junior Coach Was Passed Over for a Foreign Vision first appeared on Give Me Hockey.</p>

Two days later, a different Indian side turned up. One that looked deflated, out of ideas, and tired. India faced England and could not score. 0-0.

January 19. Wales. A minnow side. India led 2-0 and looked comfortable. Then Wales scored twice in the 43rd and 45th minutes to level it at 2-2. India eventually won 4-2, with Akashdeep scoring in the 46th minute and Harmanpreet in the 60th. But the warning signs were there.

January 22. The crossover. New Zealand, a team that had won only one of their three group games. India led 3-1 with nine minutes left. Lalit had scored in the 18th minute. Sukhjeet in the 25th. Varun in the 41st. The quarterfinals felt inevitable.

Then Lane scored in the 29th minute. Russell equalled the 44th. Findlay in the 50th. 3-3. Penalties. India were knocked out.

The team that had beaten Spain on day one could not hold a two-goal lead against a side that barely qualified for the crossover round. Nine days. Four matches. The sharpness that was there on January 13 was gone by January 22.

While Indian fans have been calling this pressure or the inability to hold their nerves, there is another aspect that we fail to grasp. Peaking at the right time. And understanding it might be the most important thing Craig Fulton does between now and August 15.

What Peaking Actually Means

Peaking is not something a coach talks a team into. It is something the body goes through. Tudor Bompa, one of the world’s leading sports scientists and author of the coaching manual published by World Rowing’s FISA development programme, defines it precisely. Peaking is a temporary state of training produced when physical and psychological elements are maximised and when technical and tactical preparation are optimal. It is not something that happens by accident. It is planned, sequenced, and timed.

In plain terms: there is a window when a team is at its absolute best. The job of a coach is to make sure that window opens at the right tournament, not three months before it.

The key word in Bompa’s definition is temporary. An athlete or a team cannot sustain peak performance indefinitely. The body does not work that way. What Bompa calls the overcompensation cycle explains why. Hard training breaks the body down. Recovery allows it to rebuild, and crucially, to rebuild higher than before. That rebuilt state is the peak. But if competition demands keep coming before recovery is complete, the body never reaches that higher state. It stays flat, or starts to decline. The team looks the same from the outside. Inside, they have already given their best.

Read More: India’s Big Call: Chase World Cup Glory or Secure Olympic Qualification?

What the Research Shows

James Hillier, former National Coach for England Athletics and now Athletics Director at the Reliance Foundation, puts it directly. “Peaking starts on the first day of training, not a week before competition,” he told Scroll.in. “I have always been a big advocate of less is more in the period before a major competition. A lot of people make the mistake of doing too much before the big competitions. It is a very common mistake.”

Bompa goes further with a specific number that is directly relevant to Indian hockey right now. Studies of elite athletes show that seven to ten competitions are enough to reach a high state of readiness for a major tournament. More than that and the risk of declining performance before the main event increases significantly. The longer the phase of weekly competitions, Bompa writes, the lower the probability of duplicating high results.

Eight Pro League matches. June 14 to June 28. That number is not a coincidence. It sits exactly within the optimal range.

Read More: The Federation Is Not the Dressing Room, Part 2: What Hockey India Own Documents Reveal

FIH Hockey World Cup 2018: When India Got It Wrong

In June 2018, India finished second at the Champions Trophy in Breda, Netherlands. It was one of their best results in years against top international opposition. The momentum felt real. The confidence was genuine.

What followed was a compressed, brutal schedule. Asian Games in Jakarta in August. World Cup in Bhubaneswar in November. Three major tournaments in six months, each treated as a must-win, each demanding peak output from the same group of players.

At the FIH Hockey World Cup, India topped their group above Belgium, who went on to win the entire tournament. India and Belgium finished level on points. That is not a team that has lost its way tactically. That is a team performing at a very high level in the group stage. Then they lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals and went home.

Apply Bompa’s framework and the picture becomes clear. India had been in high-intensity competitive mode since June. By November, the overcompensation cycle had no room to work. The body was not rebuilding between tournaments. It was just coping. The peak had come and gone months before the World Cup arrived.

FIH Hockey World Cup 2023: The Same Mistake, Different Year

The 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup was on home soil. India had the venues, the crowd, the preparation time. What they also had was an eleven-match block in the two months directly before it.

In late October and early November, India hosted six Pro League matches in Bhubaneswar against New Zealand and Spain. Competitive matches, home crowd, high intensity. Then in late November and early December, India toured Australia for five test matches in Adelaide. They lost four of the five. But look at the scorelines. 5-4, 7-4, 3-4, 5-1, 5-4. These were not comfortable defeats. These were physically brutal, high-scoring, end-to-end matches against the world’s best side. The kind of matches that take something out of you even when you win.

By the time the World Cup arrived in January 2023, India had been in high-intensity competition mode since October. Eleven matches in two months. Bompa’s warning about the declining probability of high results after a long competitive phase was not abstract. India had lived it. You saw it in how they played against England on January 15. You saw it again against New Zealand on January 22.

Tokyo Olympics 2021: When Circumstance Forced the Right Approach

Tokyo 2021 was different for a reason nobody would have chosen. Covid eliminated the competitive calendar entirely. India could not tour. They could not play international matches. They trained in a bio-bubble in Bengaluru, separated from the world, preparing without the competitive rhythm that coaches normally rely on.

And then they beat Great Britain 3-1 in the Olympic quarterfinals. The result which gave hope to India for the first time in decades.

The bio-bubble preparation forced exactly what Bompa’s science recommends. A long build-up without the accumulated fatigue of a heavy competition schedule. The body had time to reach overcompensation. The team arrived at Tokyo not spent from months of back-to-back tournaments but genuinely fresh, with the physical and psychological capacity to produce something special when it mattered most.

It was not planned that way. But it worked that way. And that distinction matters enormously for what comes next.

Paris Olympics 2024: When Fulton Got It Right

Before the Paris Olympics, India’s preparation results were poor by any measure. They lost all five test matches in Australia. At the Four Nations in South Africa, results were mixed. At the Five Nations in late 2023, they did poorly. Every conventional reading of that form said India were not ready.

But Craig Fulton was not chasing results in those tournaments. He was managing load, rotating combinations, testing players under competitive pressure without demanding peak output. The intent was never to win in Australia or South Africa. The intent was to arrive at Paris at the right point on the curve.

In Paris, India beat Australia 3-2 in group stages. A match that still gives goosebumps. India ended up winning bronze at the Paris Olympics, beating Spain 2-1 in the bronze medal match.

That sequence, poor preparation results followed by a major tournament performance, is not a coincidence. It is what deliberate peaking looks like from the outside when you do not understand what the coach is actually doing. Fulton understood the difference between preparation form and tournament readiness. Paris proved it.

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FIH Hockey World Cup 2026: What Fulton May Be Looking To Do

India’s Pro League form across the last two seasons looks alarming on paper. Winless across multiple matches, sitting eighth in the current standings. The instinct is to treat this as a crisis.

The current Pro League winless run needs to be read through the same lens as Paris 2024. Is this genuine decline or deliberate preparation management? The honest answer is that from the outside, it is impossible to know with certainty. What we can say is that the pattern fits. A coach who managed the Paris preparation correctly is capable of doing the same for the World Cup.

The eight Pro League matches in Rotterdam and London, June 14 to June 28, are not results to be won. They are the competition block that Bompa’s research says is exactly the right number to reach peak readiness. The question is whether Fulton uses them to find answers about midfield combinations and penalty corner structures, rather than chasing points in a standings table where India cannot realistically compete for the title.

Sometime after the Paris Olympics, I had a conversation with K Arumugam, one of India’s most respected hockey writers. We were discussing the 2026 World Cup and what Fulton’s preparation might look like. We both came back to the same point. Before Paris, the form was worrying. It did not look like a team ready to win a bronze medal. Then they did. Now, looking at the Pro League results, the pattern looks familiar. Is Fulton doing the same thing again? Is this the Paris preparation repeating itself? That is the question neither of us could answer with certainty. But we both knew it was worth asking.

Read More: Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Schedule: Full Fixtures, Groups and India Match Dates

What August 15 Will Tell Us

Peaking at the right moment is not a mystery. It is a decision. A coaching decision made months before the tournament, through every training session, every competition selected, every player rotation, every time a coach chooses to rest rather than push.

India have got this wrong before. FIH Hockey World Cup 2018 showed what happens when you peak too early. 2023 showed what happens when the competitive load runs too long. Tokyo and Paris showed what happens when the approach is right, whether by design or by circumstance.

Fulton has eight matches in June and 48 days after them before the World Cup opens. How he uses both will tell us everything about whether India arrive in Amstelveen at the top of their curve or past it.

The tournament does not care about Pro League standings or preparation results. It only cares about what a team produces on the day that matters. For India, that day is August 15.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are those of the author. References: Tudor Bompa, Peaking for the Major Competition, FISA Coaching Development Programme. Ernest Maglischo, The Taper Period, FISA Coaching Development Programme. James Hillier interview, Scroll.in.

<p>The post Peaking at the Right Moment: The One Thing That Will Define India at the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup first appeared on Give Me Hockey.</p>