Indian hockey is gearing up for an enormous problem in 2026, with the World Cup and Asian Video games separated by lower than three weeks. For males’s crew head coach Craig Fulton, it presents a puzzle to resolve as a result of he can’t afford to disregard one for the opposite. A World Cup medal has lengthy eluded Indian hockey, whereas Asian Video games winner qualifies for LA 2028.
Chatting with The Indian Categorical after India’s current block of matches plus coaching at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and in South Africa, Fulton elaborated on how he’s planning to deal with the upcoming schedule.
Excerpts beneath:
Each time you go to South Africa, there’s something distinctive that you just plan for the crew…
In South Africa, we had fairly an enormous give attention to the off-field crew construct and periods with Paddy (Upton), which labored effectively, and the efficiency and the coaching with the goalkeeper coach additionally labored. We had the Lion’s Head trek. It’s fairly a steep incline. It’s on the identical top as Desk Mountain. So now we’ve executed each of these. On off days, we did Garden Bowls, which is a superb, unbelievable recreation. After which we did browsing in Muizenberg, the place we taught the gamers methods to surf, as a result of some don’t actually swim. Then we had a 40K mountain bike trip by means of the mountains in Stellenbosch on the best way to Franschhoek, which was actually tough, however rewarding. We had a few falls (chuckles) it was very pleasing. Simply placing a marker down for the yr that’s to come back in 2026. Since Paddy lives in Cape City, it’s so much simpler to do these workout routines. The message from Paddy and I is that greater the dream, greater the crew. We’re going to want plenty of the precise individuals in the precise seats doing the precise issues most of the time for us to achieve success.
Craig Fulton (PHOTO: Hockey India)
What’s HIL’s function in constructing the larger squad for 2026’s workload?
We have now a very aggressive squad now. However now simply to open it up once more to see if we haven’t missed anybody and provides somebody a chance from possibly the Underneath-21 World Cup for various combos. HIL is a unique sort of match. Sure gamers can be enjoying out of place, which can also be attention-grabbing. I’m trying to make a choice for a brand new World Cup and Asia Video games squad. We have now Professional League developing early February, with 4 video games in India. It’s fairly a tough schedule as a result of we solely have 5 days between enjoying in India and enjoying in Hobart.
How do you intend to deal with that?
We’re presumably going to have two teams. One group will play the primary leg in Rourkela, these 4 matches and one other group will already go forward to Hobart as a result of we don’t have sufficient time. To take the identical group, journey 35 hours after which have three days to be prepared for a time zone change to get to Hobart shouldn’t be doable. So we’ll do that block and see how we go along with this, expose a couple of extra gamers as a result of we’ll want a couple of extra gamers to do the World Cup-Asian Video games block. If we need to do it correctly, then we’ll want a couple of extra gamers. Once you consider World Cup and Asian Video games three weeks aside, it may set a blueprint for the way we need to strategy that. We even have to separate our workers, which isn’t probably the most optimum manner of doing issues. Some further assist has already been authorised by Hockey India.
How do you put together to peak for this schedule?
We have now two blocks that we have now to peak for. One is the World Cup, one is the Asian Video games. In the event you mentioned to European hockey groups that you just’re going to play the World Cup and three weeks later, you’re enjoying the Euros, which is your qualifying match for LA2028, they’d say you’re mad, they’d say we’re not enjoying. However as a result of it’s Asian hockey and we’re on this scenario, we have now to make the perfect plan doable. It’s not simple as a result of you’ll be able to’t simply take one group and simply do each. We’ve been constructing in the direction of this for some time. It’s simply methods to use it now and use it correctly.
India’s males’s hockey crew coach Craig Fulton. (Hockey India)
At HIL, all eight groups have Indian captains, which should assist along with your management group as effectively…
That’s what we’re at all times searching for, even in our personal atmosphere, even with out HIL. And I believe it will get uncovered in Hockey India League, which is a greater factor as a result of now it’s nearly made official. You don’t really want a captain’s band to be a frontrunner. That’s extra our dialog with the gamers. It’s actually about doing all your job, doing it effectively and provoking others to be higher. Once you create options and also you assist your teammates, you turn into a frontrunner as a result of individuals will come to you for solutions. And that’s what we’re searching for throughout a match. If issues aren’t precisely how we wish them, who will we go to to try to assist clear up that drawback in a five-minute block? And if nobody places their hand up, then we’ve received an issue.
