The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has appointed Dutchman Herman Kruis as the National Hockey Coaching Advisor and roped in three more foreign coaches in a bid to revive the country's hockey following a dismal performance in the recently concluded FIH Pro Hockey League.
Foreign coaching team appointed
David Dayer of Australia will serve as the fitness coach, Bob Veldoph as the goalkeeping coach, and Chris Bowen as the technical coach and sports psychologist. All three have been given two-year contracts and arrived in Lahore on Saturday. The 70-year-old Kruis is expected to join them soon.
In addition, the PHF has appointed Olympian Tahir Zaman as the Director of High Performance.
Kruis's role and experience
Kruis, who has previously worked in Indian hockey and in the Netherlands, will during his two-year contract help the PHF develop young talent and prepare teams for major international events. Soon after arriving in Lahore, the three foreign coaches held a meeting with Tahir and other PHF officials to discuss a comprehensive roadmap for national hockey programs, covering short-term, medium-term, and long-term development plans.
Reason for foreign coaches
The PHF decided to rely on foreign coaching experts after the national team's poor performance in the just-concluded FIH Pro Hockey League, where Pakistan failed to win a single match against top teams such as Netherlands, Belgium, India, Spain, England, Germany, and Australia.
With the FIH World Cup scheduled for next month, the PHF hopes the induction of foreign coaches and trainers will help improve the national team's performance in the mega event.
