Today the pools of the FIH Hockey Women's World Cup 2023 were announced. Here is what the teams had to say on their pools:
Pool A
Daantje de Kruijf, Netherlands
"We don't want to tell our dreams, we want to show it! We are really looking forward to playing in the FIH Hockey Junior World Cup and proudly represent the Netherlands. See you in November!"
Lenise Marais, Coach, South Africa
“The team and I are excited for and looking forward to Junior World Cup in Chile. We had a good qualifying tournament in Egypt and are working towards representing ourselves, our country and Africa with pride come December. It is an honour to be a part of this event!”
Australia
“The Australian U21 team (the Jillaroos) are extremely excited to be attending the Junior World Cup. The opportunity to play against some of the best countries in the world as well as visit and experience the Chilean culture has been a goal for many of the team since we first learnt the event would be in Santiago. This is such an important tournament for this group of athletes and we can’t wait to test ourselves on the pitch”
Pool B
Valentina Raposo, Argentina
“Hello everyone, how are you? I wanted to invite you to share the junior world cup with us, which will be in Chile in November. We saw the groups with the girls and we are very excited, eager to leave everything for our country and our colors. We send our best wishes to the organization and we hope that everything goes very well. I had the opportunity to go to Chile and meet the wonderful people there. I send you a big kiss. See you in November!”
Oh Youmin, Korea
"We are delighted to have secured a spot in the Junior World Cup finals after finishing second in the Junior Asia Cup held in Japan. Despite the challenges we faced during the preparation for the Junior Asia Cup, we couldn't train as much as we wanted to. However, we are determined to use this experience as motivation to train harder and deliver a better performance in the Junior World Cup.Your support and encouragement mean a lot to us. Korea, fighting!"
Ana Bousquet, Spain
"We are very excited to play the World Cup in Chile. We will do our best and fight until the end. See you soon!"
Jorja Zones, Zimbabwe
"We are excited to be participating in the 2023 FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup and look forward to the development that this tournament will have for our country's hockey. The friendships, lessons and opportunities will be considerable. We thank the FIH and the local organising committee of the event for their dedication and hard work to make events like these a reality and we will see you in Chile!"
Pool C
Germany
"We are really looking forward to the World Cup in Chile. We definitely want to build on what we have already achieved with the U-21 in recent years and compete with the best teams in the world. Our team is determined to make the most of this chance, aiming to put a great team performance on the field and definitely play for the medals."
Preeti, India
“We are ecstatic to have qualified for the 2023 FIH Junior Women's World Cup. Our road to this event has been paved with victory, as we just won the prestigious Women's Junior Asia Cup 2023. We are excited as we prepare for the upcoming World Cup, and our recent Asia Cup victory resonates within us, fueling our confidence in our ability to repeat the same results in Chile.”
Belgium
“We are honored to represent Belgium in the World Cup in Chile, showcasing the rise of Belgian women’s hockey. The journey has been filled with dedication, training, and excitement. We have worked hard, and we are ready to give our best, fueled by the pride of representing our country. Competing against other nations at the highest level is a privilege. In Chile, we will create our own story and make Belgium proud.”
McKinley Kennedy, Canada
"After a hard fought battle in the Jr. Pan Ams we are incredibly grateful to be returning to Santiago, Chile for 2023 Junior World Cup. Over the past year this team has shown tremendous resilience, determination and heart and we are honored by the opportunity to be competing on the world stage once again."
Pool D
England
"The preparation for the JWC 2023 is underway in England with regular training camps and a tournament in Germany this coming August. We look forward to coming to Chile, experiencing South American culture and exploring such a beautiful country. We look forward to playing against and competing with the worlds’ best young players in the hope that we are able to build on a successful JWC in South Africa last year."
Tracey Paul, Coach, USA
“We are looking forward to competing at the Junior World Cup against the world’s best U-21 teams. The JWC provides our athletes an opportunity to learn how to win at a major tournament. They need to experience pool play and knock out stages. That sort of experience is huge. You can see countries that have a lot of experience at continuously winning at the junior level to go on to win at the senior level.”
Emma Findlay, New Zealand
“We are super excited to be a part of the 2023 Junior World Cup in Chile, playing alongside and against the best under 21 players in the world. We can’t wait to make life long memories and get the chance to experience high quality hockey. “
Japan
"We are thrilled to play our hockey in Chile! Keeping invividual work and team building tot he next level will be to unleash our potential at Women’s Junior World Cup."
#RisingStars
#JWC2023
