As we inch closer to the start of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2025-26 season on December 9, we are pleased to bring you an exclusive pre-season interview series with players and coaches from the best hockey countries in the world participating in the “League of the Best”.
This series delves into the minds of the sport’s best athletes and coaches, revealing their thoughts on the upcoming season, personal goals and the strategies their teams are developing to compete at the highest level. From seasoned veterans to rising stars, these interviews provide unique insight into the passion, preparation and drive that fuel the teams competing for glory.
In today’s interview we speak to David Ralph, coach of the England women’s hockey team…
How does the team look ahead to the FIH Hockey Pro League 2025/26?
We have recently started training again following the lead of the Europeans and one of the exciting aspects of that is that we have been able to fully welcome a number of new team members who have not been able to join us until now. So we feel more complete now and it adds to the excitement and fun as we look forward to a busy year ahead.“:false,”134233118″:false,”335559738″:240,”335559739”:240}”=””>
What are your expectations prior to the start of the competition?
Every Pro League season always brings different challenges, what you can always expect is a high level of competitive matches. We know we can perform better than last season and we are focused on playing better all season and putting ourselves in a better position than last season. We know we are starting with some tough games against Ireland and Belgium which we are looking forward to and we expect to compete well in these games and start this season from game 1.“:false,”134233118″:false,”335559738″:240,”335559739”:240}”=””>
What is the team’s favorite place to play?
One of the good aspects of the Pro League is that we get the chance to play in different countries and in different atmospheres. Last season we enjoyed our trips to China and India, it was the first time for the majority of our team to visit both locations. In general, all the locations we travel to are good, although we like to play in Argentina. That is always a special experience given the support we receive for watching those matches.“:false,”134233118″:false,”335559738″:240,”335559739”:240}”=””>
How important is the home crowd for the team?
Playing at home is always great, we are lucky that we get to play in front of our home crowd so often. For the players, the opportunity to play in front of friends and family is very important and rewarding. It’s special to be able to do that so often and adds to the occasion. It’s always great to get the support we get at home and it’s inspiring to see how the players interact with the crowd before and after games. “:false,”134233118″:false,”335559738″:240,”335559739”:240}”=””>
#FIH #ProLeague #FIH #Hockey #Pro #League #PreSeason #Interview #England #womens #coach #David #Ralph