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, Australia men’s co-captain Aran Zalewski looks ahead to the forthcoming season where his team will aim to defend the title that they won in June 2019.
Australia (FIH World Ranking: 1) secured the 2019 FIH Hockey Pro League title with a 3-2 victory over reigning world champions Belgium at the Grand Final event in Amstelveen, Netherlands. Intriguingly, the Kookaburras’ 2020 campaign starts with a home fixture against Belgium’s Red Lions (WR:2) on 25 January 2020.
What did the side learn from the first season of the FIH Hockey Pro League?
Aran Zalewski: “The Kookaburras loved the first edition of the FIH Pro League. We got to play the best teams in the world over the home and away format, so the inaugural competition was very exciting. We tested ourselves against the best teams in the world and we got to play in lots of different venues. We wouldn’t normally get that opportunity in many other years or in any other format of competitions that we play, so I think that was a great exponent of the first edition of the Pro League. Things are a little bit different this year with less travel, which I think is very positive in an Olympic year, trying to take some of the stresses away from what that travel brings. We are very excited for the second edition of the Pro League. The Olympics, after the Pro League, will change our preparations a little bit – we’ll be trying to build up and get better as the tournament goes. We’ll probably look to peak after the Pro League, different to this year when we were trying to be at our best right at the end of the Pro League.”
What are the team’s ambitions for this second season?
Aran Zalewski: “It was great to win the first edition of the Pro League, [there were] lots of great teams and we had some really close contests and I know the final was a really hard-fought game against Belgium. Look, our ambitions this year are very much focussed on the Olympics, but we’ll be looking to play some pretty good hockey throughout the Pro League and sure we’d love to back up our title, to be Pro League champions in 2020.”
What are your thoughts on the new FIH Hockey Pro League format that will be introduced in the second season?
Aran Zalewski: “I think India is coming in this year, which is exciting – we love playing in India, the 2018 World Cup was there and the fans were absolutely amazing. We are very excited to go back there, somewhere where the Kookaburras feel very familiar. Less travel this year changes things a bit, with double-headers each weekend. It’s going to be a very exciting year; we are really looking forward to FIH Pro League number two.”
Which fixture are you most looking forward to?
Aran Zalewski: “I think our first games against Belgium, who we played in the final of the [2019] Pro League. That is going to be a great fixture. They are a great team that has had really good results in the past three or four years, so that is a game that will be very exciting. I think playing some home games in Perth in front of family and friends is something I’ll be looking forward to in 2020.”
FIH: What was your #MyProLeagueMoment of the first season?
Aran Zalewski: “My favourite moment was personal but also team-based, but taking away the championship in the inaugural year of the Pro League was fantastic. The Kookaburras started to play some great hockey towards the end of that campaign, so it was a very enjoyable place to be and we’ll be looking to try to repeat that this [coming] year.”
FIH: What message have you got for the fans to get them along to watch the matches in the second season?
Aran Zalewski: “Get down to the Pro League, It’s a great spectacle. You get to see the best teams in the world playing their best players in an Olympic year, which is very exciting. I think it will be a great spectacle, so get down there, lots of goals and I hope you enjoy it.”
Re-live the first edition of the FIH Pro League on www.fihproleague.com and www.fih.live!
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