The FIH Hockey Pro League second season gets underway in January 2020 after a hugely successful first edition. We caught up with the coaches and players from the participating teams as they prepare for the new look FIH Hockey Pro League season to get underway. In the following interview, Darren Smith, Head Coach to New Zealand men talks about the forthcoming season and what the Hockey Pro League means to him and his players.
New Zealand (FIH World ranking: ) finished the 2019 FIH Hockey Pro League season in eighth position. Their 2020 campaign starts with a home fixture against Belgium (WR:2) on 1 February 2020.
What did your team learn from the first season and how will that help preparations for the coming season?
Darren Smith: 2019 was interesting because we came into the Hockey Pro league straight off the back of the World Cup. We came back to the country in December and suddenly we were in the Hockey Pro League in January. What we learnt was that it was exciting and there were big crowds and mini Kiwi’s [children] getting the chance to see the world’s best players and they were playing against the Black Sticks. There was a lot going on around the matches so it was a little bit more than a normal event in the annual calendar. It was different to a series of three or five test matches. This time it was a match and it had a fair bit [going on] around it.
What are your ambitions for this second season?
Darren Smith: We are just looking forward to it. We will take each fixture and just do as well as we can. We will look to win some games and also use it as preparation for the Olympics. The games in the Hockey Pro League will be perfect for that. In terms of ambition and where we will finish, well we will know that at the end of the Hockey Pro League. We just want to play each match, win some games and play some good hockey and give our guys the chance to play the best in the world in New Zealand and then go and visit them in their country.
With the new season coming up, what difference will the new format of the FIH Hockey Pro League make to your preparations?
Darren Smith: No finals means you have to accumulate points and it becomes a classic league. There isn’t that second chance where you qualify fourth and then win it. So every game is going to count. The other interesting thing is that we will be playing a team and then, 24 hours later, playing the same team and those fixtures mean just as much as each other. We could have a situation where a team plays really well but the other team bounces back the next day, or the other way round, so that will provide extra interest.
Which fixture is the side most looking forward to?
Darren Smith: Well, we will play India in India and Australia in Perth, that will be pretty cool. We are also scheduled to play Holland [Netherlands] in Rotterdam. As well as that, the New Zealand based games are going to be great so which fixture am I most looking forward to? Well, I always love the chance to play Australia. They are a country we have close ties to and getting the chance to play them in Perth will be good fun. So I’ll go for that one but there are many others that will be good fun as well.
What was your highlight from season one?
Darren Smith: The first game of the Hockey Pro League when the Dutch rocked up and played us in Auckland was fantastic and as we went through the Hockey Pro League, the last home match, which was against Australia was a great test. We were the Blacksticks playing the Kookaburras who are a great team. It was a fantastic match with a great atmosphere and finishing after the match we all spent some time, with The Australian team just celebrating being Anzacs. So to name a couple of moments, it would be the opening match against Holland and then playing the final match on Anzac Day.
What is your message to the fans ahead of season two?
Darren Smith: Season one was a great start. We had some great moments. I mentioned the Dutch game and the Anzac Day game but we also played at The Stoop in front of 12,000 [people] in London. Season two promises to be another fantastic Hockey Pro League season, so for the New Zealand fans this is a chance to see the best teams in the world so get along to Christchurch, get along to North Harbour, the new facility, and watch some fantastic hockey, it’s going to be breathtaking.”
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