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, Argentina men’s attacking midfielder Agustín Mazzilli – a gold medallist from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – looks ahead to the forthcoming season.
Los Leones (FIH World Ranking: 4) finished the 2019 FIH Hockey Pro League season in fifth position, just missing out on a place in the Grand Final due to a 4-1 away loss against Belgium in their last game of the season. Their 2020 campaign starts with a home fixture against Spain (WR:8) on 7 February 2020 in Buenos Aires.
What did the side learn from the first season of the FIH Hockey Pro League?
Agustín Mazzilli: “From the last Pro League season I learned that we had to be prepared for the whole six months. It is a really long tournament and you have to be physically really strong, and you had to be mentally stronger to try to get into the play-offs [Grand Final] at the end of the season. For [the 2020] season we will try to be as fit as we can and get there with the whole team because it is an Olympic year.”
What are your thoughts on the new FIH Hockey Pro League format that will be introduced in the second season?
Agustín Mazzilli: “The last calendar for the Pro League was really hard for us. We have a lot of players who play in Europe, and the calendar wasn’t the best for us. But now we will have our best team every game, and this will make us get more results and be near the top of the rankings.”
Which fixture are you most looking forward to?
Agustín Mazzilli: “I think Belgium, being the world champions at the moment. It’s always the rivalry we want to play and [the team] you want to beat, [especially] as we lost our last game to get into the [Grand Final] last year. We will try to get the result against them every game.”
What was your #MyProLeagueMoment from the first season?
Agustín Mazzilli: “My Pro League moment from last season was playing against Holland at home. We were losing and we came back to win 4-3. But this was also a bad moment as I injured my shoulder in that game, but at the end of the day we won the game and that is the most important part.”
What message have you got for the fans to get them along to watch the matches in the second season?
Agustín Mazzilli: “I invite everyone to join in and watch the Pro League. It’s a great tournament worldwide, and a fantastic sporting event. Follow us and watch every game of the Pro League.”
Re-live the first edition of the FIH Pro League on www.fihproleague.com and www.fih.live!
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