On Sunday 30 June, the winner of the inaugural men’s FIH Pro League competition will be decided. The two highest ranked men’s teams in world hockey will contest the title match in the inaugural FIH Pro League, with world champions Belgium set to take on in form Australia in the event final following two thrilling semi-final matches at Amsterdam’s Wagener Stadium on Friday (28 June). In the semi-finals on Friday (29 June), second ranked Australia produced a powerhouse performance to dismantle Great Britain 6-1 with Jacob Anderson scoring a six minute hat-trick as the Kookaburras matched the Hockeyroos as FIH Pro League finalists, while a moment of dazzling brilliance from Tom Boon helped top ranked Belgium overcome lowland rivals and FIH Pro League Grand Final hosts the Netherlands with a 3-1 score-line. The Netherlands and Great Britain will play in Sunday’s 3-4 play-off match at 1430 Central European Summer Time (CEST – UTC/GMT+2), with the title match between Australia and Belgium getting underway at 1700. Team information and quotes from the teams competing in both matches can be found below, with a complete list of fixtures for the competition available here. 3-4 Play-Off: Great Britain vs Netherlands – 1430 CEST (UTC/GMT+2) Previous FIH Pro League meetings 2 June 2019: Netherlands 1-3 Great Britain – HC Oranje Rood, Eindhoven (NED) 14 June 2019: Great Britain 2-2 Netherlands (3-4 after shoot-out) – Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre, London (ENG) Great Britain FIH World Ranking: 7 Position in regular FIH Pro League season: 4th FIH Pro League results summary (regular season): Pl: 14 Wins: 6 Draws: 3 SO-Bonus: 1 Losses: 5 GF: 35 GA: 31 GD: 4 Pts: 22 Notable honours: 2x Olympic gold medallists (1920, 1988), Olympic silver medallists (1948), 2x Olympic bronze medallists (1952, 1984), FIH Champions Trophy silver medallists (1985), 2x FIH Champions Trophy bronze medallists (1978, 1984) Player Perspective – Adam Dixon: “It’s been a long Pro League season, one that we have thoroughly enjoyed, and we want to go out on a high. Hopefully with good weather and a good crowd – this is a great place to come and play hockey – we’ll be looking to put on our best showing on Sunday.” FIH Pro League Team Page: https://www.fihproleague.com/men/teams/great-britain__4837  Website: http://www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk/ Twitter: @GBHockey  Facebook: @GBHockey Instagram: gbhockey Netherlands FIH World Ranking: 3 Position in regular FIH Pro League season: 3rd   FIH Pro League results summary (regular season): Pl: 14 Wins: 5 Draws: 5 SO-Bonus: 3 Losses: 4 GF: 37 GA: 32 GD: 5 Pts: 23 Notable honours: 2x Olympic gold medallists (1996, 2000), 3x FIH Men’s World Cup winners (1973, 1990, 1998), 8x FIH Champions Trophy winners (1981, 1982, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006), Hockey World League winners (2012- 14 Edition), 5x European champions (1983, 1987, 2007, 2015, 2017). Player Perspective – Seve van Ass: “This crowd and this stadium, it’s so wonderful and we really enjoy it here. It will be great to hear everyone cheering for us again once more.” FIH Pro League Team Page: https://www.fihproleague.com/men/teams/netherlands__4842 Website: www.knhb.nl Twitter: @oranjehockey Facebook: oranjehockey Instagram: oranjehockey Final: Australia vs Belgium – 1700 CEST (UTC/GMT+2)  Previous FIH Pro League meetings 3 February 2019: Australia 1-4 Belgium – State Netball & Hockey Centre, Melbourne (AUS) 23 June 2019: Belgium 0-2 Australia – Wilrijkse Plein, Antwerp (BEL) Australia FIH World Ranking: 2 Position in regular FIH Pro League season: 1st  FIH Pro League results summary (regular season): Pl: 14 Wins: 10 Draws: 2  SO-Bonus: 0 Losses: 2 GF: 40 GA: 26 GD: 14 Pts: 32 Notable honours: Olympic gold medallists (2004) 3x Olympic silver medallists (1968, 1976, 1992), 5x Olympic bronze medallists (1964, 1996, 2000, 2008, 2012), 3x FIH Men’s World Cup winners (1986, 2010, 2014), Hockey World League champions (2015, 2017), 15x Champions Trophy winners (1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1999, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018), 6x Commonwealth Games gold medallists (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018), 10x Oceania Cup champions (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017). Player Perspective – Jacob Anderson: “There is no preference [on who we face in the final]. Both teams are really good, being top four in the world, so we will do our homework so we will be ready to face them on Sunday. This is my first major tournament so it would be really good to come away with the win, but you never know what is going to happen.” FIH Pro League Team Page: https://www.fihproleague.com/men/teams/australia__4840 Hockey Australia website: www.hockey.org.au Twitter – @kookaburras Facebook: @TheKookaburras Instagram: hockeyaustraliaofficial Belgium FIH World Ranking: 1 Position in regular FIH Pro League season: 2nd FIH Pro League results summary (regular season): Pl: 14  Wins: 8 Draws: 3  SO-Bonus: 1 Losses: 3 GF: 52 GA: 29 GD: 23 Pts: 28 Notable honours: World Cup winners – Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018, Olympic silver medallists (2016), Olympic bronze medallists (1920), Hockey World League silver medallists (2015), European silver medallists (2013, 2017), European bronze medallists (2007), 5th place – Olympic Games (2012), 5th place – Rabobank Hockey World Cup (2014), 5th place – Hero Hockey Champions Trophy (2014). Player Perspective – Thomas Briels: “They [Australia] are looking really sharp, in very good form. We played them two weeks ago at home where we lost 2-0. They have come here to Europe to win the tournament, but we are going to do our best to take the first ever FIH Pro League cup and bring it to Belgium.” FIH Pro League Team Page: https://www.fihproleague.com/women/teams/australia__4869 Website: www.hockey.org.au Twitter: @hockeyroos Facebook: thehockeyroos Instagram: @hockeyaustraliaofficial Keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Pro League via the event website and through FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Saturday 29 June 2019 – women’s competition 1430: 3-4 play-off – Germany vs Argentina 1700: Final – Netherlands vs Australia #FIHProLeague

The Netherlands have been crowned winners of the inaugural FIH Pro League thanks to a shoot-out victory over Australia, triumphing in a thrilling final played in glorious sunshine at the Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam on Saturday 29 June 2019. A breathtaking contest saw the match finish with the scores locked together at 2-2, before the Netherlands emerged 4-3 winners in the one-on-ones to defeat an Australia team that pushed them every step of the way in front of a sell-out crowd. Australia silenced the home fans when Mariah Williams scored from a penalty corner in the 19th minute before Marijn Veen pulled the Dutch level four minutes later. Kelly Jonker’s fourth quarter strike put the hosts ahead in the fourth quarter, but a late penalty stroke was clinically dispatched by Kaitlin Nobbs to send the match into a shoot-out. With the score locked at 3-3 after four attempts each, a disallowed goal from Australia’s Brooke Peris allowed Lauren Stam to wrap up the victory as the Oranje added the FIH Pro League to their world and European titles. As well as the lifting the trophy, the Netherlands also saw one of their players collect an individual award, with Frederique Matla named as the Best Player of the FIH Pro League. Australia’s Rachael Lynch was named Deloitte Goalkeeper of the Grand Final, while Argentina’s Micaela Retegui took the Auping Best Goal of the FIH Pro League Grand Final thanks to her brilliant strike against Germany in the 3-4 play-off. New Zealand’s Olivia Merry was also confirmed as the overall top scorer in the FIH Pro League, with her sensational 15 goal tally proving too much for the chasing pack who were competing here at in Amsterdam. It was also an extra special day for Lidewij Welten, who was a trophy winner on 200th international appearance. Following the completion of the women’s FIH Pro League, the FIH World Rankings have been updated. The next rankings update will take place on 8 September 2019, following the completion of the Continental Championships. In the title match, Australia (FIH World Ranking: 3) were forced to soak up huge amounts of pressure from the Netherlands (WR:1) in the opening quarter, with goalkeeper Rachael Lynch making numerous crucial blocks to keep the hosts at bay. Laurien Leurink came the closest with a backhand strike that Lynch could only parry, but the Australian shot-stopper produced a remarkable save by spinning around and brilliantly clearing the ball off the goal-line with an instinctive swing of her stick. The huge crowd watching on were being thoroughly entertained by the home favourites, but they fell silent four minutes into the second quarter when the Hockeyroos scored a perfectly executed penalty corner routine, with Mariah Williams brilliantly touching home a low flick from Jodie Kenny which left Dutch goalkeeper Josine Koning stranded. However, the home fans were cheering once again when Marijn Veen powered into the circle from the right and levelled the scores with a fierce strike, beating Lynch at her near post to restore parity. The Netherlands dominated the closing stages of the second quarter but both teams had massive chances in the third period, with Australia – the only team to have beaten the Netherlands in this year’s FIH Pro League – showing no fear against the world champions ahead of an extraordinary final quarter. Laurien Leurink appeared to put the hosts ahead just one minute after the break, only to see her goal ruled out by an Australian appeal to the video umpire. There was no doubt about Kelly Jonker’s goal three minutes later, with the striker guiding an angled deflection into the roof of the net after a perfect pass from Player of the Match Eva de Goede. Just when it seemed that a Netherlands victory was a certainty, a goal-bound penalty corner drag-flick from Jodie Kenny hit the foot of a Netherlands defender, with a penalty stroke being awarded. Kaitlin Nobbs made no mistake from the spot, firing home to send the match into a shoot-out. With only one miss apiece from the two teams from the first eight shoot-out efforts, the match was effectively at sudden-death going into the final round. Australia’s Brooke Peris found the target but a video referral deemed her shot illegal, with Lauren Stam showing the coolest of heads to give the Netherlands a dramatic and hard-earned victory. “It was amazing, it was a tough match with the shoot-outs but I’m so proud we got the win”, said Netherlands ace Xan de Waard. “It’s the first FIH Pro League ever, so I think that is amazing. We’ve had so much fun, so to end it like this is amazing.” Australia’s Jane Claxton said: “The Dutch are a force to be reckoned with, and we knew that coming into this game. But we’ve got a lot of fire in our bellies now and it’s really good to have that coming into an Olympic year, so I’m really proud of the girls.” Earlier in the day, Germany (WR:5) claimed a shoot-out victory over Argentina (WR:4) to claim a third place finish in the FIH Pro League after the match finished 1-1 in searing temperatures at the Wagener Stadium. Argentina took the lead thanks to a wonderful improvised shot from Micaela Retegui, who squeezed the ball through her own legs to find the bottom left corner of the goal moments after a mazy run from Victoria Granatto. Retegui’s terrific finish – later named best goal of the FIH Pro League Grand Final – was the only goal of the first two quarters, but Germany hit back early in the third period when Anne Schröder volleyed home from close range. Germany probably had the better of the quarter, but Argentina – who lost Micaela Rebecchi to a head injury – rallied hard in the latter stages but the two teams remained locked at 1-1 to trigger a shoot-out. The opening four efforts in the one-on-ones were missed before Germany took control, with Janne Müller-Wieland,

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Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) today unveiled a new icon in the history of the sport: the Winners’ Trophy of the very first FIH Pro League! The Trophy will be handed over for the first time at the FIH Pro League Grand Final, which involves the top four teams – Men’s and Women’s – of the inaugural edition of the global home and away league for national teams in Amsterdam (27-30 June). FIH decided to give students the opportunity to design the prestigious trophy. To this end, it commissioned Swiss Design school ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne, who enjoys international renown and features regularly among the world’s top ten universities of art and design. The trophy is made of gold-plated brass, matte finish with polished logo. According to ECAL, the nine blades staged on a hockey ball size sphere represent the nine founding teams of the FIH Pro League united around a common purpose. The simple and graceful curved shape embodies the spirit of the international hockey community and express the dynamism of the sport. The largest center blade evokes the one team that will strive and succeed in being the best of the FIH Pro League. “As a designer, I’m curious by nature and always seeking new challenges. When I heard about the FIH Pro League design competition, I was very excited by the idea of designing a trophy for top athletes. I chose to work with casted brass because of the noble and yet tough qualities inherent to this attractive metal. The strength of brass will also ensure the legacy of the FIH Pro League cup”, explained ECAL’s Swiss student Olivia Dall’Omo, who designed the trophy. “I’m delighted that the FIH Pro League Trophy was designed by a student. Young people are the future of sport. They are key for the growth of hockey. Their creativity, innovative ideas and energy are refreshing. Our sincerest thanks to ECAL, in particular to Olivia Dall’Omo, and to all involved in the production of this remarkable trophy”, FIH President Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra commented. In line with its #EquallyAmazing strategy, the designs of both trophies for the Men’s and Women’s Leagues are equal. There is only one tiny difference: a blue (for the Men’s trophy) and a red (for the Women’s trophy) marker under the base, only visible if the cup is turned upside down. The FIH Pro League Trophy in a nutshell: ·Date of manufacture: 2019 ·Weight (kg): 7 ·Height (cm): 48.5 ·Base (cm): 10 ·Widest point (cm): 18 ·Material: Gold plated brass, matte finish with polished logo ·Design: ECAL/Olivia Dall’Omo, Switzerland To find out all information about the FIH Pro League, view the official event website here. #FIHProLeague

The two highest ranked men’s teams in world hockey will contest the title match in the inaugural FIH Pro League, with world champions Belgium set to take on in form Australia in Sunday’s event final following two thrilling semi-final matches at Amsterdam’s Wagener Stadium on Friday (28 June). Second ranked Australia produced a powerhouse performance to dismantle Great Britain 6-1 with Jacob Anderson scoring a six minute hat-trick as the Kookaburras matched the Hockeyroos as FIH Pro League finalists, while a moment of dazzling brilliance from Tom Boon helped top ranked Belgium overcome lowland rivals and FIH Pro League Grand Final hosts the Netherlands with a 3-1 score-line. The Netherlands and Great Britain will play in Sunday’s 3-4 play-off match at 1430 Central European Summer Time (CEST – UTC/GMT+2), with the title match between Australia and Belgium getting underway at 1700. The first semi-final saw FIH Pro League table-toppers Australia (FIH World Ranking: 2) taking on fourth placed finishers Great Britain (WR:7) in a match that was packed full of action and goals. The chances of an upset increased significantly in the fifth minute when Australia’s Jeremy Hayward received a green card two minute suspension and a re-award of a penalty corner. Great Britain took full advantage of the situation, with Ashley Jackson slamming a low effort against the back-board for his first goal since his return to international hockey after a near three-year absence. Australia’s response was both ruthless and emphatic, with striker Jacob Anderson scoring three times in just six minutes to establish a 3-1 lead for the Kookaburras. Anderson’s first and third goals were finishes of real composure, although it was his second goal that was arguably the pick of his quick-fire treble, showing brilliant control before unleashing a ferocious strike that left GB goalkeeper George Pinner stranded. Great Britain had some good moments towards the end of the half, but it was the Australians who extended their advantage with two goals in quick succession shortly after half time when Jeremy Hayward and Blake Govers – the latter scoring his 11th goal of the FIH Pro League – drag-flicked the team into a 5-1 lead before Tim Brand added a sixth in the final quarter. “We stuck to our game plan really well”, said hat-trick hero Jacob Anderson after the match. “We wanted to attack the right side of the field and we got a lot of circle penetrations down that side which obviously I score my goals from, so we are pretty happy with how we played as a team and the goals I scored reflected that.” Great Britain captain Adam Dixon said: “It was an incredibly tough game. The way you start the game against Australia often sets the tone for the game, and I think we really went out there to step our authority on it for the first five or ten minutes. Then, a couple of mistakes against Australia, they are always going to put those opportunities away and then we were always fighting our way back into it. We want to go out on a high … we’ll be looking to put on our best showing on Sunday [in the bronze medal match].” The opening stages of the Belgium (WR:1) versus Netherlands (WR:3) semi-final was intense and dramatic, with both teams clearly taking to the field with a determination to assert their authority over the other. Injuries to Belgium’s Thomas Briels and Jorrit Croon of the Netherlands hampered both teams, while tempers flared when Dutch ace Jeroen Hertzberger and Red Lions defender Alexander Hendrickx clashed, resulting both players being given ten minute yellow card suspensions. With both teams reduced to ten players, it was the Belgians – beaten twice by the Dutch in the regular FIH Pro League season – who made the extra man count when Arthur Van Doren split the defence with a trademark slap-pass from the left that was touched home from close range by Tanguy Cosyns in the 18th minute. However, the Dutch pulled themselves level eight minutes later thanks to Jelle Galema, who tapped home after a superb interchange down the right from Thierry Brinkman and Jip Janssen, the latter supplying the perfect cross for Galema to score. The Netherlands had missed some good opportunities to take the lead in the third quarter, something that proved costly when Belgium’s Tom Boon produced a moment of outrageous, individual brilliance. The Red Lions striker showed an incredible first touch to receive a wonderful Felix Denayer pass deep in Netherlands territory before juggling past Joep de Mol and lifting over the onrushing goalkeeper Sam van der Ven to score from a tight angle. It was a remarkable finish that swung the match fully in Belgium’s favour, with Alexander Hendrickx slamming home a four quarter penalty corner to seal the victory and send the reigning world champions into the final. “It was a really important game for us as it’s been a long time since we got a win against Holland”, said Belgium captain Thomas Briels after the match. “We won at the world cup but the match finished a draw, so we really wanted win in front of their home crowd which is more difficult. I think today the victory was deserved.” Discussing Tom Boon’s stunning goal, Briels said: “It was incredible. Sometimes you get a little flash as a striker, and I think he is going to remember this one for a long time. I’m really happy for him.” Netherlands star Seve van Ass said: “Both teams had momentum, but in the third quarter we has some good opportunities and did not score from those. Then we felt the game turning a little bit, and they got the better part of us in the fourth quarter. If we’d have scored a couple of goals it would have been different, but that’s always the same, of course.” On Saturday 29 June, the winner of the inaugural women’s FIH Pro League competition will be decided. World champions the Netherlands, who

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The final of the women’s FIH Pro League competition will be contested between home favourites the Netherlands and Australia following two fiercely contested semi-final matches, with both teams overcoming monumental challenges posed by Germany and Argentina – who will play for bronze – at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen. The final and bronze medal matches take place on Saturday 29 June. Argentina (FIH World Ranking: 4) made a sparkling start to the first semi-final and needed less than four minutes to open the match scoring, with Julieta Jankunas showing a cool head to eliminate Australia (WR:3) goalkeeper Rachael Lynch and fire into an empty goal after Carla Rebecchi sparked a rapid counter-attack. Having largely dominated the play and scoring chances, it was a lead that Las Leonas deservedly took into the quarter-time break, although the Hockeyroos improved greatly in the second period and, despite numerous chances for the Argentineans, pulled level on the stroke of half time. A penalty corner drag-flick from Jodie Kenny drew the Aussies level, with the effort taking a huge deflection from the stick of Argentine defender Victoria Sauze to deceive goalkeeper Belen Succi and find the bottom right corner. The third quarter was tense and twitchy with neither side able to take control, although it was the South Americans who came closest to a winner in the final period as Agustina Albertarrio, Florencia Habif and Eugenia Trinchinetti all had clear sights of goal but failed to test the goalkeeper. The result was eventually settled by a shoot-out that saw both teams gain slim advantages before finishing with the scores locked at 3-3, triggering sudden death. Rosie Malone put the Hockeyroos into a 4-3 lead, meaning that Silvina D’Elia had to score in order to keep the contest alive. However, Australia goalkeeper Lynch – later named Player of the Match – did everything in her power to stop D’Elia from getting her shot away, with the clock timing out the Argentinean player as Australia reached the final of the FIH Pro League. “I’m super excited, I’m so happy”, said Australia’s Brooke Peris after the match. “Lynchy was outstanding in the one-on-ones, as was Rosie [Malone]. Some times you win like that and I guess we deserve to go through, and I’m very excited for the weekend.” Argentina’s Agustina Albertarrio said: I think it was hard game and we deserved to win, but now we have to look forward to the [bronze medal] game.” Australia awaited the winner of the second semi-final, as hosts and FIH Pro League table-toppers the Netherlands (WR:1) faced Germany (WR:5), who finished the regular season in fourth place. The Oranje were heavy favourites, but it was Germany who scored first and then proceeded to frustrate the world champions for long periods. Die Danas took the lead one minute before the end of the first quarter and it was a strike to savour, with Rebecca Grote’s penalty corner drag-flick flying into the top left corner of the Dutch goal. The Netherlands battled hard but found the Germany defence at the top of their game, making numerous important blocks and also making full use of their video referral in order to overturn the award of a penalty stroke just before half time. Inspired by a Player of the Match performance from defender Sonja Zimmermann, Germany soaked up relentless Netherlands pressure in the third and fourth quarters, with goalkeeper Nathalie Kubalski brilliantly denying Frederique Matla and Xan de Waard while Pia Maertens showed terrific 3D skills to almost score for Germany very much against the run of play. The Netherlands finally got the breakthrough they both needed and deserved in 52nd minute thanks to a wonderful defected effort from Frederique Matla, who guided a cross from the right into the bottom left corner just seconds after Germany’s Elisa Gräve had been given a yellow card five minute suspension. Gräve was still serving her suspension when Lidewij Welten scored the winner, producing a wonderful spin shot to pick out the bottom right corner and put the Netherlands into the gold medal match with a 2-1 victory. “I’m really happy with the win in the end, but we didn’t really play our own game so I’m not very happy about that and that’s something we can definitely do better on Saturday [in the final]”, said Netherlands captain Eva de Goede. “We really wanted to start well, but we didn’t. Germany played really well though, so I’m really happy that we turned it around into a 2-1 victory for us.” Germany captain Janne Müller-Wieland said: “We are gutted that we gave it away in the last minutes again, because we had a strong start, played really well. We weren’t afraid of the Dutch at all. It’s just annoying that we gave it away. Also, in the second half we had three cards and it is so tough to compete with such a nation being one person down. We did really well and will learn from it, but right now it’s just really annoying.” The match between Netherlands and Germany was a special one for umpire Sarah Wilson, who took charge of her 100th international match. In recognition of this special achievement, Sarah was present with her Golden Whistle by Marijke Fleuren, European Hockey Federation President and FIH Executive Board member. Friday 28 June is men’s semi-finals day at the FIH Pro League Grand Final, with two world class matches featuring the four highest finishers in the regular FIH Pro League season taking place on the second of four days of top-class hockey action at Amsterdam’s Wagener Stadium. Table-toppers Australia (FIH World Ranking: 2) face fourth place finishers Great Britain (WR:7) at 1715 (CEST – GMT/UTC+2) ahead of a meeting between world champions Belgium (WR:1) and European champions the Netherlands (WR:3), who finished second and third in the standings respectively, at 2000. The winners of the men’s semi-finals will meet in the title match on Sunday 30 June, with the losing teams playing in the 3-4 play-off. A

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