Newly-appointed Indian Hockey Chief Coach Craig Fulton has his task cut out and that is to prepare the team for the FIH Pro league and Asian Games.” There is lots of hockey in the next few months in the build-up to the Asian Games” he said on his arrival here on Friday morning.

The 48-year-old South African landed in New Delhi where he met with Hockey India officials. He is scheduled to fly down to Bengaluru where the ongoing National Coaching Camp is being held at Sports Authority of India (SAI), Bengaluru.

“I am really excited to be here finally. Look forward to meeting the squad, hopefully, tomorrow. We don’t have much time because the first FIH Pro League games are only just over three weeks away. There is lots of hockey in the next few months in the build-up to the Asian Games 2023. So, yes, I am really excited and look forward to getting started.” he said

Fulton’s first assignment with the team will be Pro League in Europe where they will take on Belgium, Great Britain, Netherlands, and Argentina in the remaining season of the tournament.

Welcoming the coach , Team Captain Harmanpreet Singh said that Fulton’s arrival will instill a new sense of enthusiasm and excitement ahead of the FIH Pro League . “We are looking forward to playing under the guidance of our new Chief Coach Craig Fulton. His arrival ahead of FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League matches in Europe is a confidence booster for us. The team will continue to focus on our strength and work on putting up a good show in the upcoming tournaments,” the captain said .

Fulton, who was named the Chief Coach of the Men’s Team by Hockey India in March comes with nearly 25 years of coaching experience and has achieved many milestones during his association with the Irish team and reigning Olympic Champions Belgium.

His rise to fame started with a stint with the Irish Team as the Head Coach between 2014 and 2018 when the team qualified for the Rio Olympic Games . This was the Irish team’s first Olympic qualification in 100 years. This feat also won him the FIH Coach of the Year in 2015.

Following this, he worked as the Assistant Coach with the reigning Olympic Champions Belgium, where the Belgium team won the Gold medal in Tokyo. He was also part of the Belgian Coaching Staff when the team lifted the World title in 2018, in Bhubaneswar. He was also named Belgium Coach of the Year 2023 after coaching the Belgium club which won the Belgium League.