Legendary player takes up role behind the Wolf Pack bench in lead up to 2022 World Cup qualification
Field Hockey Canada is excited to announce Rob Short as the new Women’s National Team head coach.
Short has 346 international caps to his name as a player — second on the Canadian all-time international caps list. He retired in 2013 and has since made coaching his priority, founding the Rob Short Coaching Academy, and coaching at the club, national, and international level.
Short’s most recent appointment was as an assistant coach and domestic trainer for the Men’s National Team in 2018 through until 2020, when the team qualified for the 2020 Olympics. Short has worked as a coach for the Canadian national junior women’s team and had a brief stint as the senior women’s interim coach.
He comes highly qualified as both a player and a coach. In addition to his on-field exploits, Short also holds an undergrad from the University of Victoria, and a master’s degree in international Coaching, which he achieved while studying and playing hockey in the Netherlands.
Short’s international playing career spanned from 1994 until 2013. He retired as one of the most decorated players in Canadian hockey history. He was the team captain from 2001 until 2008. He is a two-time Olympian, he attended two world cups, four Commonwealth Games, Five Pan American Games and played professional hockey in the Netherlands for 14 years.
The Women’s National Team is currently ranked 13 in the world, a decade-high ranking. They are coming off a Pan American silver and a narrow miss at the 2019 Olympic Qualifiers. According to Short, the immediate goal is clear: take this team to the 2022 World Cup.
“This team will be the first women’s team since 1994 to qualify for a major tournament,” Short said confidently. “This is an exciting time for this group. I took this position as head coach because of my confidence in this team to achieve special things. I will ensure that the athletes have no doubt in my confidence in them to reach our goal.”
Susan Ahrens, Field Hockey Canada CEO, said that Rob is an excellent fit at the helm of the Canadian Wolfpack. Short has a working familiarity with many of the athletes from his time as the under 21 women’s assistant Coach in 2011-2013. as many of those junior players are still involved in the program. He also has a track record of success at the international level. Ahrens said she’s thrilled to have him on board.
“We are delighted to have Rob as our Women’s National Team Head Coach. Rob needs no introduction – he was quite simply, a playing legend for Canada with a successful international career spanning decades,” Ahrens said. “With many of the playing group already having worked with Rob almost a decade ago with the junior team, we look forward to a successful period ahead – starting with qualification for the World Cup in 2022.”
For Short, the team’s positive last few years have set up a golden opportunity to achieve international success.
“We will be successful because we have a perfect mix of youth and experience,” Short said. “We have committed and determined athletes. We have compiled an amazing staff around this group who have full confidence in their ability and will do all that it takes to win. I believe we also have a community that will gather around this team and support us where it’s needed.”
Field Hockey Canada Pathway to the National Team
FHC continues to build out our new athlete pathway for talented athletes. FHC remains committed to an athlete pathway that is open and inclusive, with the priority pathway clearly articulated as through our NextGen network and through our PSO-NSO environment. FHC has a full time junior national team coach who is the interface between the junior pathway and national team environment. He also leads our NextGen environment. Our High Performance Director has oversight and will continue to work with our members and broader community on the conversations regarding the pathway towards 2028.
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Kevin Underhill – Communications Manager
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