Teams in Pool C and Pool D spoke to the media at the pre-tournament Press Conference in Terrassa. Click on the video below to view the full Press Conference at the FIH Hockey Women's World Cup Spain and Netherlands 2022.
Belgium
Raoul Ehren, Head Coach: “It means a lot for us to be here. We want to play our own style. Our FIH Hockey Pro League matches have given us a lot of confidence.”
Michelle Struijk, Captain: “There’s a lot of excitement to play teams that we haven’t played for a long time. It’s a really nice thing to be able to play these teams.”
South Africa
Giles Bonnet, Head Coach: “It’s great to be playing again a major tournament. Terrassa is a fantastic venue. We’re in a very tough Pool. There’s always a surprise result in these tournaments and we hope it will be us.”
Phumelela Mbande, Captain: “Great to be here but it’s also part of a much bigger process. We are in a tough Pool but our focus is on building our own brand of hockey.”
Bernie Coston, Captain: “Excited to get back onto the field and compete. Keen to start! As South Africans do, we will play with resilience.”
Japan
Jude Menezes, Head Coach: “We did a series of matches in Japan and in Ireland and are playing Spain tonight. We’re prepared to take on any team. We’re a very resilient team. The stadium is really beautiful and the turf very good.”
Yuri Nagai, Captain: “We are ready and are looking forward to playing at the World Cup. Our first focus is the team. We play each match as a team.”
Australia
Katrina Powell, Head Coach: “Excited to finally be in Spain to play such a prestigious event as the World Cup. The lack of international competition makes it difficult to see where we are. However, we have the advantage to have be training together for long.”
Jane Claxton, Captain: “We’re super excited to finally be able to travel again internationally and play such a high-level event, since we haven’t done so since the Tokyo Olympics. Overall, the atmosphere in Terrassa is incredible.”
Canada
Robert Short, Head Coach: “It’s been 28 years since we’ve been at this stage, so it’s super exciting for us to be here. In a World Cup, every team is a good team. We’ll just take from game at a time. Friday is our National Holiday so it makes it a bit special.”
Natalie Sourisseau, Captain: “None of us have played in a World Cup before. We’re a bit nervous but really excited. We have nothing to lose. Nobody is expecting anything from us so it’s a good place to be. We’ve always had good games against Spain. One of our main strengths surely is our defence, as we showed during the Pan Am Cup.”
Korea
HAN Jin Soo, Head Coach: “We’ve been preparing for 2 years for this World Cup. We’re very nervous to compete against Spain. We lost to Spain at the Olympic qualifiers in 2019. Our goal is to beat them this time! Our Pool is the strongest, I think. We’ll try to do our best during this tournament.”
CHEON Eunbi, Captain: “We’re in good condition. The turf and the weather are great here in Spain. The conditions are met for us to play well.”
Argentina
Fernando Ferrara, Head Coach: “It’s good for us to be in Spain. We want to continue the strategy that we applied during the FIH Hockey Pro League. We don’t consider ourselves as favourites, we need to be ourselves. Personally, I’ve played here at the 1992 Olympics, so it’s a really nice sensation for me.”
Rocio Sanchez, Captain: “We’re a little nervous because of the first match approaching. We’re very happy to be here in Spain, it’s an honour for us. The FIH Hockey Pro League gave us some confidence. We hope that all Argentines living here in Spain will come and support us.”
Spain
Adrian Lock, Head Coach: “We’re looking forward to starting! Looking forward to that moment and experience the atmosphere in the stadium. The transformation and renovation of the stadium has been awesome. It sounds a little bit like a stereotype to say that we will take each game at a time but that’s the way to approach a tournament.”
Georgina Oliva, Captain: “We’re a little bit under pressure since we’re playing at home, but we’re all very motivated, with the support of our families and friends. It’s a wonderful feeling to play a World Cup at home. Thanks to everyone who made it possible. We’re looking forward to showcasing what we’re able to do.”
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