From 1 to 4 August England Hockey will host a three-match series against Olympic silver medallists the Netherlands, as part of England Hockey’s pledge to host more top-flight international hockey.
The series, entitled the NOW: Pensions Nations Cup will be held at Wakefield Hockey Club and the senior men’s team will be looking to bring their best form to the matches against the Dutch side before August’s TriFinance EuroHockey Championships campaign in Belgium. The series promises some extremely exciting hockey and in addition the U21 team will be playing Malaysia U21 prior to the senior England matches, in a bid to gain more international experience before they compete in the Junior World Cup later in the year.
Thousands of hockey supporters revelled in both the superb hockey and spectator activities at the recent Investec World League in London, so England Hockey is confident of replicating that success in Wakefield. The event will offer a fantastic and very social day out for families, friends and hockey clubs with coaching and have-a-go sessions in the Fun Zone to keep the whole family entertained between matches.
England Hockey’s Chief Executive Sally Munday noted: “We’re delighted to be able to offer international hockey at Wakefield, as we feel it’s important to give a spectator experience to supporters to a wider audience. The Dutch are a fantastic hockey nation and we look forward to welcoming them to England for what promises to be an exciting battle.”
Following their bronze medal and some good performances in the Hockey World League earlier this month the England camp are in a positive mood ahead of the matches with the Netherlands. Head coach Bobby Crutchley described the World League result as “a much needed confidence boost ahead of the European Championships next month”, while Reading’s Nick Catlin added “we’ve been building this team since April and playing in Malaysia is as tough as it gets so it’s been good experience for some of the new players.”
Tickets for the NOW: Pensions Nations Cup are being sold through Ticket Zone online, by clicking on the web button on England Hockey’s homepagewww.englandhockey.co.uk, or by calling the England Hockey ticket hotline on 08444 99 32 22. Family, multiple match and advanced ticket discounts are available.
Source: England Hockey
