Simply put, Rob Short is one of the Field Hockey greats in Canada. He has the second most caps for the Men’s National Team in the history of Canadian Field Hockey with 346. He may have hung up his boots in 2013, but Short is back in 2018 as an assistant coach for the Men’s National Team.
Short’s international playing career is nothing shy of legendary. He played professional hockey in the Netherlands for 14 years. He attended two Olympic Games, two World Cups, five Pan American Games and four Commonwealth Games for Canada. Known for his competitive desire, Short was the national team captain from 2001-2008.
Short has made coaching his priority over the past several years, founding the Rob Short Coaching Academy. He lives and works in the Greater Vancouver area and continues to be dedicated to the growth and development of the sport in Canada. According to Short, he is excited to be back involved with the national team program.
“For 20 years, the national team was my passion in life and I haven’t lost this,” Short said. “While I would still love to be playing, coaching is the second-best job in the world.”
Short joins the team as a domestic trainer focusing his efforts on the daily training environment. Short joins a coaching staff featuring Paul Bundy and Gregg Clark. Clark and Short battled each other for over a decade of international play and Short said there was no love lost when their rivalry was at its height. The two now make an unlikely duo as they support Bundy and the Canadian Men’s National Team.
“For many years I played against Gregg when he was playing for South Africa and I can’t remember a game when we weren’t yelling at each other throughout the match,” Short said. “He always wanted to win as badly as I did…once we get our history behind us, I am convinced we will make an excellent support team for Bundy.”
According to Bundy, Short brings a wealth of experience from a 20-plus year playing and coaching career to the national team training environment.
“Rob has worked with some of the best coaches in the world. He knows the international game, he knows the Canadian game and most importantly, he comes to training with a whole different perspective,” Bundy said. “He has great energy and a really good rapport with the players.”
Short said he always knew he was going to return to the national team in some capacity, it was just a matter of when. For him, the fit was right, the vision matched his own and he’s excited to return to the fold.
“I love Bundy’s vision and his plan for the current team, but also for the younger generations in Canada,” Short said. “I am excited about what lays ahead for us, and for the future of this sport in Canada.”
The team will host Pakistan, China and France over the summer months leading up to the 2018 FIH World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India in November.
Rob Short (left), assists Paul Bundy (middle left) with a training session at Rutledge Field in West Vancouver. Photo/Kevin Underhill – Field Hockey Canada
