Craig Fulton, the new coach of the Indian men’s hockey team, is slowly settling in India after spending two-and-a-half weeks in Bengaluru. The new coach, who hails from South Africa and replaces the Australian Graham Reid, has already set his priorities for the team.
Fulton had seen the Indian team as a rival coach for nine years, but he believes that the Indian team is filled with talent and flair. The main aim for him is to help India qualify for Paris Olympics 2024, which can be achieved by winning the Asian Games, an Olympic qualifier, in four months. Craig Fulton (Hockey India)
Fulton acknowledges the fact that major international hockey tournaments played in India have given the home team an automatic advantage. Now, as most of the upcoming international tournaments will be away tournaments for India, from the next Olympics to the next World Cup, India will need to consistently perform in such conditions without home support to qualify. Fulton stresses that his immediate goal is to make India the No. 1 team in Asia. Then, they can consistently aim to reach the podium if they are ranked fourth, fifth or sixth in the world rankings.
The Indian team will be playing eight away Pro League games in London and Eindhoven against top teams like Belgium, Great Britain, Argentina, and Netherlands before moving on to a four-nation invitational in Spain in July, followed by the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai in August. The all-important Asian Games will take place in September.
Fulton’s objective is to help India become a stronger and more connected team to be in a good position to qualify for Paris. Although he admits that India is not the best team at the moment, they are a difficult opponent to play against and have a lot of potential.