Gaspard Baumgarten is an established member of the French men’s national team with 139 caps to his name. The French forward has enjoyed being part of a resurgent national team in recent years and, with the excellent bronze medal won by the France U21 team at the Junior World Cup, Baumgarten is looking forward to an even brighter future.
Baumgarten joined the call as the team were preparing to fly to South Africa for their opening FIH Hockey Pro League match against India in Potchefstroom, South Africa on 8 February.
How are you feeling ahead of your entry into the FIH Hockey Pro League?
Gaspard Baumgarten: We are really excited to be in the FIH Hockey Pro League. It is a great opportunity for the French team to be there and play against the best teams in the world. Hopefully we will do our best to be competitive, even though we have not had a lot of time to prepare for this competition.
France has gained a lot of momentum in the past few months. How important is it for France to experience FIH Hockey Pro League action, particularly building up to Paris 2024?
Gaspard Baumgarten: This is a really good opportunity and experience for us. We have two years until the Paris Olympics so this is the perfect moment for us to go to the Pro League and play the best teams in the world. But now it is even better because our junior team did really well at the Junior World Cup so it is the perfect moment to integrate those junior players into the team in readiness for 2024.
How are the young players being integrated into the squad?
Gaspard Baumgarten: It is quite easy as most of these guys were already playing with us, so we already know them. But in these first weeks [of FIH Hockey Pro League] we are all looking at these two weeks in South Africa as a chance to build the team.
What learning will France take from participating in the FIH Pro League?
Gaspard Baumgarten: It is so important to play different teams in different countries. The Pro League is giving us a chance to learn about this. This type of competition is more like what we are used to with the club. And it is interesting because the first game and the second game are always different. You can have a tough first game but if you work well on the video and preparation, the second one can be very different. There are a lot of things to learn from this.
What sort of hockey can we expect to see from France?
Gaspard Baumgarten: Well hopefully we play offensive hockey but we have had little preparation so hopefully we will just become competitive as soon as possible in this league, starting with India.
France begin their FIH Hockey Pro League campaign on Tuesday 8 February, playing Olympic bronze medalists India at the University of North West in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Visit the FIH Hockey Pro League website for all the information. Or download the Watch.Hockey app for live match coverage, highlights and much more.
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