Craig Fulton: Our priority is to win the Asian Games and directly qualify for the Paris Olympics

The newly appointed men's hockey coach spoke ahead of his first tour with the team for the FIH Pro League 2022-23.

Indian Men's Hockey Team's Chief Coach Craig Fulton is all geared up for his first assignment with the team as they will travel to Europe for the FIH Pro League 2022-2023 with the matches starting 26th May.  

In their previous FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League 2022/23 matches during the home leg played in Rourkela, Odisha, last year, the Indian team put up a solid showing and remained unbeaten against reigning World Champions Germany and Australia which helped them climb up to top of the points table.  

Now, under the guidance of Fulton, who joined the team at the India National Coaching Camp at SAI Centre, Bengaluru on 29th April, the Indian Men’s team will aim to continue their winning momentum as they take on reigning Olympic champions Belgium (May 26 and June 2) and hosts Great Britain (May 27 and June 3) in London.  

The Indian team will then travel to Eindhoven to take on hosts and world No.1 Netherlands (June 7 and 10) and conclude their campaign in the prestigious nine-team competition with ties against world No.7 Argentina (June 8 and 11). 

Preparations ahead of a challenging tour

Speaking on the team’s preparation during a virtual press conference, Craig Fulton, who has nearly 25 years of coaching experience, said, “We had intensive running and conditioning sessions in build-up for our upcoming competitions. Moreover, we are focusing on the group of players who have been selected to play in the FIH Pro League in Europe and they are being trained in a certain way.” 

“Players are riding high on confidence courtesy of their brilliant display in Rourkela, where they defeated Australia and Germany. They also understand what I want from them and are performing well in training, which is definitely a good sign for us as a group ahead of our upcoming Pro League matches,” he added.

A good opportunity to battle the best

Fulton further said that the FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League 2022/23 in Europe will be a great opportunity for the team to compete against top-ranked teams and further improve their overall game ahead of the 19th Asian Games in China, which is a crucial tournament apropos the qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

“Our priority is to win the Asian Games as it will ensure our direct qualification for the Paris Olympics. So, in that sense, FIH Pro League, as well as other lined-up tournaments including Asian Champions Trophy is of vital importance for us as they will not only enhance our preparations but also help us emerge as the title contender in the Asian Games in China later this year. 

Harmanpreet focusing on strengthening defence

Notably, ace dragflicker and defender Harmanpreet Singh will be the Captain of the Indian team during their upcoming matches in Europe, while prolific midfielder Hardik Singh will serve as the Vice- Captain. 

Meanwhile, Skipper Harmanpreet said that for the FIH Pro League in Europe, there will not be much changes to the structure and tactics that the team implemented during their Pro League matches in Rourkela. 

“Our performance against Australia and Germany was a big confidence booster for us, hence we will aim to follow the similar structure that we followed in Rourkela. However, the Chief Coach has instructed us to focus on solidifying our defence, so, we are preparing accordingly,” Harmanpreet said.

Schedule and Broadcast Details of the FIH Pro League 2022-2023 matches

On 26th May 2023, India Vs Belgium at 1900 hrs IST will be live on SS First.

On 27th May 2023, India Vs Great Britain at 2130 hrs IST will be live on SS First + Select 2SD + HD. 

On 2nd June 2023, India Vs Belgium at 1900hrs IST will be live on SS First + Select 2SD + HD. 

On 3rd June 2023, India Vs Great Britain at 1700 hrs IST will be live on SS First + Select 2SD + HD. 

On 7th June 2023, India Vs Netherlands at 2300 hrs IST will be live on SS First + Select 2SD + HD. 

On 8th June 2023, India Vs Argentina at 2030 hrs IST will be live on SS First + Select 2SD + HD.

On 10th June 2023, India Vs Netherlands at 2100 hrs IST will be live on SS First + Select 2SD + HD. 

On 11th June 2023, India Vs Argentina at 2100 hrs IST will be live on SS First + Select 2SD + HD. 

The matches will also be live streamed on fancode.com