Neil Hagwood returns as India women’s hockey team coach

Hockey India (HI) has announced the return of Neil Hawgood as the chief coach of the Indian women’s hockey team ahead of next year’s Rio Olympics. Hawgood had earlier also served as the chief coach of the women’s national team.

“Working with the Indian women’s hockey team has been a great experience. I am extremely proud of their performance and am glad that they secured a spot for themselves for the Rio Olympics 2016. It’s their hard work that has brought them here, and I hope to add value to them and take them to the next level which they and this nation aspires to see them in,” Hawgood, who had represented Australian hockey team from 1985-1991, said.

It was during Hawgood’s regime that the team won the Hockey World League Round 2 in 2013, silver in the Asian Champions Trophy, bronze medal at Asian Games 2014 and bagged 5th position at Commonwealth Games 2014.

“We are happy to have Neil Hawgood back with us on board as a coach for the Indian Women’s hockey program. Under Neil’s able leadership, the Indian women’s hockey team had progressed extremely well in the last two-and-half years and we look forward to a similar and much enhanced result in Indian hockey team’s ranking and performance,” Narinder Batra, HI President, said.

Currently ranked 13th in the world, the Indian women’s hockey team has qualified for Olympics after a long gap of 36 years.