Last Update: March 03, 2023, 11:32 AM IST
Hockey India has appointed Craig Fulton as the new head coach of the Indian men’s hockey team. The announcement was made ahead of the team’s home matches in the FIH Hockey Pro League, starting March 10.
The 48-year-old South African with almost 25 years of coaching experience will join the team as soon as the formalities are completed.
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A true believer in leadership, Fulton has shown exemplary results in his previous roles. His rise to fame began with the Irish men’s team as head coach between 2014 and 2018 when the team qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. It was the first Olympic qualification for an Irish team in 100 years. This historic achievement also won him the FIH Coach of the Year in 2015.
Following this, he served as assistant coach with then-Olympic champions Belgium, where the Belgian team won the gold medal in Tokyo. He was also part of the Belgium coaching staff when the team won the world title in 2018 in Bhubaneswar.
He was named the Belgian coach of 2023 after coaching the Belgian club that won the Belgian league. He has also been a part of the rise of the Belgian national team in world hockey, taking the team from World No. 5 in 2018 to World No. 3 in 2023.
In his illustrious career as a hockey player with the South African team, Fulton has 195 international caps playing international hockey over a period of 10 years. He played for his home team South Africa at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics. He has also played in the World Cup and Commonwealth Games.
Talking about the selection of Craig Arthur Fulton for the role of Chief Coach of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team, Padma Shri Dr. Dilip Tirkey, President, Hockey India said, “It gives me immense pleasure to inform that Hockey India The ICC has finalized Craig Fulton for the role of head coach of the Indian men’s hockey team. hockey team. I have had the honor of playing against him and now I look forward to working closely with him in this new phase for the men’s hockey team. He comes with tremendous experience in coaching and his work ethic instills confidence in enhancing the performance of the team in world hockey. I welcome Craig to India and wish him all the best.”
Speaking on the occasion, Craig Arthur Fulton said, “It is an honor to be appointed to the role of Head Coach for the Indian Men’s Hockey Team. India has a deep sporting history and heritage and I look forward to working to take this forward with the current team, which has some very promising talent.”
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