Friday 31 January 2025
Namibia ready for the World Cup
By Helge Schutz
Danja Meyer celebrates her opening goal in their 4-1 win against Croatia with team mates. Photo: Helge Schütz
Namibia’s indoor hockey women’s team got the perfect send-off for next week’s World Cup with an emphatic 4-1 win against Croatia on Wednesday night.
Get to know the Namibian hockey players
By Limba Mupetami
The seventh edition of the FIH Indoor Hockey tournament will take place in Poreč, Croatia from 3 to 9 February and the anticipation and excitement is palpable. Twelve teams will be competing in both the men’s and women’s competitions The countries in contention are host Croatia, Namibia, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Iran, Malaysia, Poland, South Africa and Trinidad & Tobago. The Namibian men will face Belgium at 14h30 on Monday, Trinidad & Togabo at 10h30 on 5 February and Australia on 6 February at 22h20. Here is the Namibian men’s squad.
Passmore Announces Women’s 2025 FIH Hockey Nations Cup Traveling Roster
SANTIAGO, Chile – U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach David Passmore has announced the traveling roster for the 2025 FIH Hockey Nations Cup. Taking place February 23 to March 2 in Santiago, Chile, the third edition of this event offers top-level competition to the best-ranked teams not participating in the FIH Hockey Pro League and gives the winning team the option to be promoted to the FIH Hockey Pro League next season.
2025 Oceania Junior World Cup Qualifiers
Auckland
All times GMT +13
Men
30 Jan 2025 18:00 NZL v AUS (RR) 4 - 3
1 Feb 2025 14:00 AUS v NZL (RR)
2 Feb 2025 14:00 NZL v AUS (RR)
Women
30 Jan 2025 16:00 NZL v AUS (RR) 1 - 3
1 Feb 2025 16:00 AUS v NZL (RR)
2 Feb 2025 16:00 NZL v AUS (RR)
FIH Match Centre
Hockey India League 2025
All times GMT +5:30
Men
Rourkela
30 Jan 2025 was a rest day
31 Jan 2025 06:00 PM Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers v Tamil Nadu Dragons (SF1)
31 Jan 2025 08:15 PM JSW Soorma Hockey Club v Hyderabad Toofans (SF2)
Final Standings
Official HIL Website
Hero Hockey India League 2024-25: Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, JSW Soorma Hockey Club, Hyderabad Toofans, and Tamil Nadu Dragons gear up for semifinals
Tigers will face Dragons, while Soorma will take on Toofans in the semifinals on 31st January
Rourkela, 30th January: The exhilarating group stage of the Men’s Hero Hockey India League 2024-25 concluded on Wednesday, with four out of the eight participating teams advancing to the semifinals after securing top four spots on the points table. Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, JSW Soorma Hockey Club, Hyderabad Toofans, and Tamil Nadu Dragons earned their places in the next round, while Delhi SG Pipers, Vedanta Kalinga Lancers, Team Gonasika, and UP Rudras were eliminated.
Four men in a boat: Rohidas, Harmanpreet, Sumit, Rupinder set sail for HIL semifinals
Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit and Rupinder Pal Singh, who won bronze with the national team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, were in great spirits ahead of the final-four showdown.
Aashin Prasad
Captains of the Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25 semifinalists, from L-R: Amit Rohidas (Tamil Nadu Dragons), Harmanpreet Singh (Soorma Hockey Club), Sumit (Hyderabad Toofans) and Rupinder Pal Singh (Rarh Bengal Tigers) pose with the HIL Trophy. Photo Credit: VEDHAN M / THE HINDU
Four friends walked into a room, shared laughs and posed for pictures together before leaving for their respective camps. At least, that was the vibe when the Hockey India League (HIL) semifinalist teams’ skippers sat for a press conference at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium on Thursday.
Significant contribution of Foreign players in the ongoing Hockey India League; semifinal tomorrow
K. ARUMUGAM
Hero Hockey India League is on its business end. Action filled 34 days witnessed 40 matches across two venues. However, fans had to wait for the last two matches to know the last two semifinalists, showing how close and suspenseful has been the League. Tamil Nadu, Soorma, Hyderabad and Bengal will fight for medals. Soorma & Dragons wanted a point from their last match and they got it after much sweat.
HIL: The best matches from the group stages
With 179 goals scored across 40 matches, the HIL group stage was a spectacle for the fans.
By Arjun Mylvahanan
After a seven-year hiatus, the Hockey India League (HIL) is back and for over a month, fans around the country and the globe have been treated to a hockey spectacle.
HIL: Top 5 Indian performers in the 2024-25 season
As the HIL 2024-2025 approaches its business end, with the final set for February 1, The Bridge takes a look at the top 5 Indian performers in the HIL.
The men’s Hockey India League (HIL), revived for the first time since 2017, has provided hockey fans with thrilling moments, as both Indian players and their international peers have dazzled with remarkable performances.
Rupinder Pal Singh’s second wind: Veteran rediscovers joy in hockey at HIL
Rupinder Pal Singh, a a retired Olympian, has returned to the HIL, embracing a leadership role while adapting to hockey’s evolution while rediscovering his passion for the sport.
Aashin Prasad
Rupinder Pal Singh has been instrumental in leading the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers to the semifinals of the Hockey India League. | Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
Rupinder Pal Singh can’t help but laugh when reflecting on how much life has changed for him since he last took the field in the Hockey India League (HIL) seven years ago. Back then, he was India’s premier drag-flicker, in the prime of his career.
Farmer’s son Arshdeep Singh impresses in the HIL to earn Indian team call-up
Apart from his three goals for the Toofans in the league phase, Arshdeep's overall gameplay has been a standout feature of the teams' run to the semifinals.
by Vinayakk Mohanarangan
Arshdeep Singh playing for Hyderabad Toofans (Credit: HIL)
At the sidelines of the Hockey India League in Rourkela, India men’s team head coach Craig Fulton said that he was indeed looking at the tournament as a platform for selecting players into the senior squad ahead of the FIH Pro League in mid-February. On Thursday, when a 32-member team was named for the 8 matches coming up in Bhubaneswar, one of the notable young performers of the league saw his name added to the list: Hyderabad Toofans’ Arshdeep Singh.
Yibbi Jansen — The Dutch queen conquers Ranchi
Yibbi Jansen, FIH 2024 Player of the Year, has overcome challenges to win Olympic gold and inspire future players through her journey and standout performance in India’s inaugural women’s Hockey India League.
Santadeep Dey
Yibbi Jansen, instrumental in her team’s gold medal defence at Paris 2024, was named FIH 2024 Player of the Year. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Dreams come easily to children. Back in the early 2000s, fringe millennials thought it would be cool to grow up and search for Aladdin’s magic lamp. But it wouldn’t have taken them long to realise that, more often than not, wishes don’t get fulfilled.
From cards to cricket: How Hockey India League overseas stars are making most of their time in Rourkela
For some, it’s not their first trip here after travelling with their national teams for the World Cup in 2023 and Pro League matches in recent times.
Aashin Prasad
It’s a lot of card games by the pool, movies, golf, books, ping-pong, snooker and some cricket which has helped them break out of the monotony. | Photo Credit: Instagram/@victorwegnez
Unlike other franchise tournaments in India, where the caravan travels to different parts of the country, the men’s edition of the Hockey India League (HIL) has been confined to the remote district of Rourkela in Odisha with a short pit-stop in Ranchi.
Kenyans begin hunt for continental hockey glory
By Elizabeth Mburugu
Butali Sugar’s Francis Kariuki and Bethuel Wanyonyi of Western Jaguars during the 2023 Africa Cup for Men and Women's clubs championships at Sikh Union, Nairobi. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]
Reigning Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) Men’s Premier League champions Western Jaguars will lead Kenya’s onslaught at this year’s Africa Cup for Club Championships (ACCC) that begin on Thursday in Ismailia, Egypt.
USIU-A Spartans off to a flying start as ACCC games begin
By Elizabeth Mburugu
USIU’s Rachel Njogu (left) is challenged by Blazers Beverly Akoth in a past KHU Women League match at City Park. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]
United States International University of Africa (USIU-A) Spartans returned to the continental stage with a bang routing their hosts El Nasr Sporting Club 3-0 as the hockey Africa Cup for Club Championships (ACCC) began on Thursday in Ismailia, Egypt.
FIH creates dedicated website page for athletes
Lausanne, Switzerland: As part of its Empowerment and Engagement Strategy, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) is glad to inform all hockey athletes around the world that a page specifically dedicated to them is now available on its website, FIH.hockey.