A Look Ahead at 2014 for Canada’s National Programs

2014 is ramping up to be a year of growth and development for the Field Hockey Canada national programs – and both the women’s and men’s teams have their sights set on the 2014 Commonwealth Games and beyond.

For the women’s national program, the past year saw a young team emerge from the shadows and make important steps toward a bright future – and they are determined to keep that momentum building.

The two upcoming highlights of the women’s year ahead are the 2014 Commonwealth Games (July) in Glasgow, Scotland and the World League Round 1 (September) in Veracruz, Mexico.

“This year allows us the opportunity to continue testing our game, individually and collectively, against some of the best teams in the world,” said Ian Rutledge, Women’s National Program Director and Head Coach.

Several test series and tours throughout the rest of the year against England, New Zealand and the USA – all ranked among the top ten in the world – will give Canada an important measure of where they stand ahead of the 2015 Pan Am Games and the 2016 Olympic qualifiers.

“2014 will continue to be an important year for our young squad, and they will be looking to take the success and lessons of 2013 and building upon those experience, as they continue to develop the team into something they can be proud of for many years to come,” continued Rutledge.

“I’m definitely looking forward to getting back to the pitch full time; the coming year also looks quite promising in terms of touring and competition. 2013 was an incredibly exciting year and I think we progressed quite well, so it’ll be nice to continue that momentum into 2014.”

— Lauren Logush, Women’s National Team

The coming year will see the continuation of the Target 2016/2020 Program, and a thorough schedule of identification and development planned for the next generation of athletes. The opportunity to train and play alongside and against the senior group at competitions throughout the year will be highlights in a busy year for the Junior Development Squad.

For the Men’s National Program, a primary focus in 2014 is on playing more quality international matches, with the calendar including an increased number of planned games and tours.

“Last year saw us implement a new style of aggressive play both in attack and defense,” said Anthony Farry, Men’s National Program Director and Head Coach. “In 2014 our goal is to refine and tighten our defensive work while continuing to be aggressive with the ball in attack. We worked extremely hard in training throughout last year, with our physiology being one of our biggest assets, and we will be looking to use that to our advantage.”

The men’s program starts the year with a development tour to Chile for the Pan American 4 Nations Tournament in late January – a wonderful opportunity for a number of athletes to put forward their case for selection for the next three major tournaments: the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup (March) and the Champions Challenge (April), both in Malaysia, and the 2014 Commonwealth Games (July).

With a greater number of tournaments for the men’s program this year comes the opportunity to expose more athletes to international hockey – with no fewer than 12 players competing in their first senior international matches on the Chile tour – adding to the strong veteran core.

2014 At A Glance

Working in collaboration with a variety of partners, Field Hockey Canada is the national sport governing body responsible for the development, growth and promotion of field hockey in Canada. Through the Women’s and Men’s National programs, Field Hockey Canada selects, prepares and promotes Canada’s teams for international competitions including Continental Championships, World Championships, and major multi-sport games such as the Olympic Games, Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games. Approximately 15,000 Canadians participate in field hockey, which is currently played in more than 600 schools and 400 clubs across the country. For more information, please visit fieldhockey.ca.

Photo credit: Paul Winstanley