3 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland:Netherlands stormed their way to the top of Pool A after a 3-1 win over Germany, while India and England had an exciting 1-1 draw in Pool B play. Belgium took down South Africa 4-1 with double goals from each of Stephanie vanden Borre and Charlotte Englebert. Pool C saw an impressive performance from Canada but Korea found responses to come back and take the game 3-2, while Argentina blasted Spain 4-1. Favourites Netherlands and Argentina sit atop their respective pools with two wins, while with only one game played each in Pool B and Pool D it’s still anyone’s game. Belgium v South Africa (Pool D) It was a game of penalty corners as four of five goals in the game came off set pieces as Belgium took their opening game in pool D play 4-1 over South Africa. Despite the score margin the Red Panthers had 15 penalty corners in the game to South Africa’s three. Stephanie vanden Borre put in two penalty corner goals in the second quarter to give Belgium a cushion. Belgium retained most of the possession but couldn’t find a way in free play past South African keeper Phumelela Mbande. South Africa had few attacks but were able to garner a penalty corner in the 24th minute after a fast break. Almost catching Belgium by surprise, the ball was very quickly slapped down the pipe and Jean-Leigh du Toit’s shot beat Aisling D’hooghe between the pads to cut Belgium’s lead in half. It was a small resolve though as Belgium still dominated the second half. Credit to Mbande who continued to stymie waves of attack including several penalty corners and a stunner of a back-hand from Charlotte Englebert. Englebert was on fire in the fourth quarter and she buried a penalty corner variation after injecting the ball to make it 3-1 in the 53rd minute. More penalty corners rained on South Africa including a rebound attempt from vanden Borre that rang the left-hand post. Late in the game a bit of pressure on Lisa-Marie Deetlefs forced a turnover at the stroke mark right to the stick of Englebert but Mbande slid out to create congestion. In the dying minutes, eventual player of the match, Englebert, was there to blast in a rebound for a fourth goal in the 57th minute. The 4-1 win gave Belgium the three points they needed to start their tournament on a high. “We are really happy,” said captain vanden Borre after the match. “It was our first goal of the tournament to get the three points so now on to the next one. We need some more energy for the full 60 minutes to keep on playing forward.” England v India (Pool B) It was an action-packed opening game for England and India who drew 1-1 in Poll B play. India had a penalty corner in the opening minute but the England rushers were up to the task. While India seemed to put a little more attacking pressure, it was England who were first on the board. A quick rush down the right side allowed Lily Owsley to feed Isabelle Petter in traffic. The ball came across the circle in the air and Petter’s reaching touch effortlessly redirected the ball into the mesh for a 1-0 England lead. India didn’t seemed phase as they responded with a penalty corner in the other end. Kaur Gurjit flicked high stick side and the ball pinged off the post but eventually ended in a re-award. Shona McCallin was there to clear the second attempt. India came out in the second quarter again with attacking pressure as Kaur Gurjit’s penalty corner delivery flew just under the stick of injector Kaur Navneet in the opening moments. Sophie Hamilton then forced a save out of Indian keeper Savita only to see the end-to-end play continue with an Indian barck-hand shot flying high and wide of the England goal. Finally, India were able to deservingly find their equalizer. A penalty corner strike from Monika was saved by the stick of a sprawling Maddie Hinch and Katariya Vandana was there to flick in the rebound and level the game before half time. It was a quiet third quarter with England holding most of the attack and possession, but Savita was not required in action. Just before the third-quarter hooter though, India had a ball bouncing in the circle and some quality footwork allowed Neha to one-time blast the ball on her back-hand but Maddie Hinch made the save. England continued to dominate but were unable to generate a quality chance on goal. India had fewer chances but looked just as dangerous. A bouncing ball beat Hinch and was on target for a wide open Sonika but the ball hit her in the 57th minute. England thought they had a penalty corner in the final minute but a video referral overturned it. The game remained equal 1-1, a deserving score line as both keepers were superb. Isabelle Petter was named player of the match and said commented after the game: ‘It was always a tough first game against India. They’re a class side. We were happy with the draw would have wanted the win but happy to take the point and on to the next game now. We’ve got a rest day tomorrow and then we will focus on our next game against China.’ Korea v Canada (Pool C) All of the action were in the first and last minutes of the game as Canada and Korea traded goals with two goals in each of the opening two minutes and final three minutes. Despite playing in their own end for a lot of the match, it was Korea that came out with the 3-2 victory to serve heartbreak to the Canadians. Korea wasted no time earning a penalty corner in the first 30 seconds of the game as pressure forced Natalie Sourisseau to clear the ball high into her teammate. Kim Minji flick

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1 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: www.NFTclub.hockey, the NFT marketplace which came to birth thanks to the recent partnership between the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and SIMBA Chain, Inc., a blockchain company delivering real-world Web3 solutions, has delivered its very first offer of hockey digital collectibles today! Taking advantage of the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Spain and Netherlands 2022, which is starting today, July 1, this first-ever series of FIH NFTs gets inspiration from the “collectible cards” concept that are traditionally associated with sports. 16 NTFs, one per participating team, will give the opportunity for fans all around the world to build their own collection from an event that is unique and highly-prestigious. In particular, those NFTs display “must have” FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup all-time statistics for every participating team! And even more: some of the fans collecting each of the 16 NFTs – one from each country’s collection – will have the chance to receive exciting rewards like signed memorabilia from the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Spain and Netherlands 2022, VIP hospitality tickets for upcoming FIH events and access to exclusive discounts! Therefore, don’t wait any longer and acquire your first FIH NFTs! The FIH NFTs are accessible to everybody, without needing any crypto understanding or experience. Fans can access the collectibles on NFTclub.hockey, purchase their favourites by creating a user account and access them once logged in. FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “Today’s launch of our very first NFTs marks yet another step in our ever increasing digital engagement with fans. Collectibles have always been very popular amongst sports fans and we’re hopeful that those digital ones, developed thanks to the expertise of our new partner SIMBA Market, will offer a new way for fans to enjoy and remember their best hockey memories.” “We built SIMBA Market to enable brands like FIH to introduce their communities to NFTs without the need for any crypto understanding. This is in line with our mission to bring blockchain to the world” said Bryan Ritchie, CEO of SIMBA Chain. #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please consult FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.

The opening match will oppose the hosts, Spain, to Canada, in the Terrassa Olympic Stadium, which was the venue of the 1992 Olympic hockey tournaments. On 2 July, the other venue of the 2022 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup, the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, will see the World Cup action in motion with New Zealand playing China. 16 from the best teams in the world have been drawn into four Pools as follows: Pool A: Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Chile Pool B: England, New Zealand, India, China Pool C: Argentina, Spain, Korea, Canada Pool D: Australia, Belgium, Japan, South Africa On the following links, you can watch previews from every Pool: Pool A Pool B Pool C Pool D Also, you can hear the thoughts of the Head Coaches and Captains from the participating nations by opening the following links: Pools A and B Pools C and D Follow all the action across the FIH website and social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), Watch.Hockey and broadcasters.

30 June 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: Pool D contains three teams that have not had the benefit of FIH Hockey Pro League action as Australia, Belgium, Japan and South Africa get ready to take to the field in Terrassa. Australia’s international action since the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 has been limited to Trans-Tasman competition against New Zealand. Despite this, Australia will arrive in Spain as a team to be wary. They have won this competition twice (1994 and 1998) and won silver three times (1990, 2006 and 2014). In 2018 they finished fourth. Current Head Coach Katrina Powell was a member of the gold medal team of 1998 and, with several months of hard work on the training field under her belt, she will be looking to lead this team to a podium finish. The team is talking up the fact that other nations haven’t seen them in action, combined with a real fire to get back onto the world stage among the players. While there is a new look to the squad that played in 2018, with five players arriving with fewer than five caps, there is also a backbone of experience. Captain Jane Claxton is approaching 200 caps and co-captain Kaitlin Nobbs is nearing 100. Another co-captain, Brooke Peris also has more than 180 caps. Combine this knowledge with the desire to show Australian hockey to the world again and the Hockeyroos could be there at the business end of the event. Australia’s Jane Claxton talks here about Australia’s return to international action Belgium are a side that has benefited from FIH Pro League action and, oddly, from not being at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. This latter point was made by former Red Panther Jill Boon, who said the team had been able to quietly develop and grow for the past four years without the intense pressure of an Olympic Games. Despite a high number of caps among their ranks, Belgium is the team with the youngest average age at the competition (24.11) The team is packed with talented players that combine the exciting use of 3D skills and long aerials with a disciplined possession game when needed. Barbara Nelen, Stephanie Vanden Borre and Michelle Struck offer stability. Ambre Ballenghien, Abi Raye and Charlotte Englebert are exciting flair players and Alix Gerniers and Louise Versavel are showing the form of their lives currently. In 2018, Belgium finished a disappointing 10th, expect much better for Raoul Ehren’s team this time. Here Michelle Struijk explains what the World Cup means to her squad Japan won the Women’s Hockey Asia Cup 2022 beating India, Korea and China along the way. Under the charge of former India goalkeeper Jude Menezes, the team has grown and – in keeping with their nickname – blossomed in the past few months. It is a team packed with talent and experience. Captain Yuri Nagai, Hazuki Nagai and Shihori Oikawa are multi capped stalwarts in the team. Yu Asai is unflappable in defence. New squad member Kaho Tanaka may only have a handful of caps so far but she has already proved herself a dynamo in front of goal. Japan’s best finish at a World Cup was fifth in 2006 and in London in 2018 they finished 13th, despite playing some very stylish hockey. This year the Cherry Blossoms are aiming for the high branches. Listen here to Yuri Nagai ahead of the competition South Africa are once more the African continents sole representative and, as always, they will arrive in Terrassa ready to battle for their country and their continent’s honour. The team’s best ever World Cup finish was 7th in 1998 but in 2014 they achieved a commendable ninth, finishing above their ranking. South Africa has competed in every FIH Women’s World Cup since 1998 and they have been solid performers at every edition. The team arrives in Terrassa with a number of inexperienced players but a backbone of athletes who know exactly what competition of this level looks like. Lisa-Marie Deetlefs, Lilian du Plessis, Bernadette Coston and Quanita Bobbs are hardened campaigners who will always leave everything on the pitch. Temper this resolve with the energy and hard running of Hanrie Louw, Bianca Wood and the goal scoring potential of Jean-Leigh du Toit and it is a compelling team to watch. Giles Bonnet is back in charge as Head Coach and he too knows just how to get the most from his players. South Africa’s Phumelela Mbande and Bernadette Coston on South Africa’s hopes and dreams here Pool D action gets underway on 2 July when Australia play Japan at 21:30 local time, then on 3 July as Belgium open their campaign against South Africa at 15:00 local time. Follow all the action across the FIH website and social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), Watch.Hockey and broadcasters. You can check out all the squads here. The media kit is available here. #HWC2022  #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please consult FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.

28 June 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: Pool B has all the makings of a highly competitive set of matches. All four teams – China, England, India and New Zealand – have undergone major rebuilding in the past few months and all four are teams that will have serious podium aspirations. Under the coaching team led by two-time FIH Coach of the Year Alyson Annan, China has shown in recent FIH Hockey Pro League matches that the team is making giant steps forward in combining Asian structure and high technical ability with the creativity and hard work ethic espoused by their coach. China qualified with a fourth place finish at the Women’s Hockey Asia Cup 2022. The China team’s appearances at previous Women’s World Cups has not been auspicious. The best finish was third in 2002 and in 2018 they finished in 16th place. However, this team has some serious talent within its ranks and will be hoping to enjoy a far greater performance than four years ago. Drag flick specialist Gu Bingfeng presents danger at every penalty corner; the speedy and skilful Zheng Jiali can twist and turn through any defence; Li Hong is tall, quick and a fantastically brave first runner at penalty corners and goalkeeper Liu Ping has astonished spectators with her shot-stopping ability. Click here to hear from China’s captain Jiaqi Li England is also a team that has not achieved the heights at previous World Cups it would have hoped for. A third place finish in 2010 is the best result for David Ralph’s team and he will be hoping the team, led by stalwart Hollie Pearne-Webb, will be peaking at just the right time. Pearne-Webb has some worthy lieutenants within the squad. Maddie Hinch is still one of the best goalkeepers in the world; barring injury Laura Unsworth will reach 300 caps at this event; Giselle Ansley, Lily Owsley and Shona McAllin all bring huge experience. Newer members of the squad include the attack-minded Tessa Howard, the super-skilful Hannah Martin and speedy Elena Rayer. The question is whether the team is still too immersed in its development stage. Clich here to hear the thoughts of England captain Hollie Pearne-Webb India women, under the leadership of Dutch superstar Janneke Schopman, have grown and matured in recent years. In the FIH Hockey Pro League the Eves beat the Netherlands in a 2-1 shock result and they finished the Pro League in third place, despite being late entrants to the event. India qualified via a third place finish at the Asia Cup 2022. The team is packed full of talent and their signature style of play is fast, flowing hockey that involves swift passing through the lines of play. Gurjit Kaur is always a danger from the top of the circle and Savita is a steady rock at the other end of the field as she guards the India goal. Devi Sharmila and Kaur Navneet are just two of a host of other creative players who will relish this chance on the big stage. Savita shares here her thoughts ahead of the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup New Zealand are the unknown quantity in Pool B. They have not been seen outside Oceania since the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 but there has been a huge amount of change in the squad since then. Olivia Merry continues to lead the attack and will be hopeful of adding to her incredible international scoring record. She is joint captain along with midfield stalwart Megan Hull and Head Coach Darren Smith and his coaching staff will be looking to these two players to lead a team that includes six players with less than 10 caps. While New Zealand might have missed out on international experience in recent months, they have spent a huge amount of time preparing for this event and will be fit and ready to step back into the limelight. Megan Hull outlines here New Zealand’s hopes for the forthcoming World Cup Pool B is being played in Amstelveen at the Wagener Stadium. New Zealand and China take to the pitch on 2 July, while England play India the following day. Follow all the action across the FIH website and social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), Watch.Hockey and broadcasters. You can check out all the squads here. The media kit is available here. #HWC2022  #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please consult FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.

27 June 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: The four teams competing in Pool A at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Spain & Netherlands 2022 bring with them a range of styles and experiences that will provide some fascinating match-ups. Chile (World Ranking 17), Germany (WR:6), Ireland (WR: 12) and Netherlands (WR:1) will be getting their World Cup campaigns underway on 2 July in the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen. Germany will face Chile at 16:30 (local time), while Netherlands and Ireland will have a re-match of the 2018 World Cup final when they meet at 19:30 (local time). Chile’s first ever appearance at the World Cup comes courtesy of a second place finish at the Pan American Cup. The team, known as Las Diablas, beat USA in the semi-final of the Pan American Cup in Santiago on shoot-out and the celebrations of the home crowd and the delight of the players demonstrated just what this achievement means. For players such as Claudia Schuler, the goalkeeper who starred in that shoot-out, Camila Caram and Manuela Urroz, this has been a long time coming. All three have more than 200 caps apiece and bring a wealth of experience with them. Add into the mix the fire-power of Denise Losada-Krimerman and the energy of newer squad members such as Francisca Parra and Fernanda Arrieta and you know that the South American side could be a disruptive force at this event. Coach Sergio Vigil has a great coaching pedigree as he steered Argentina to gold in the 2002 Women’s World Cup in Perth, Australia. Click here to listen to Chile’s Camila Caram The final FIH Hockey Pro League match between Germany and China showed just how much style, class and ability the German team has as they finished the season with an impressive 4-0 victory. The team sealed their place at this year’s World Cup with a silver medal at the EuroHockey Championships 2021 and they have been growing in stature ever since. Germany has been crowed World Cup winners twice, in 1976 and 1981, and many observers consider a third title is long overdue for the European powerhouse. Head Coach Valentin Altenburg has a wealth of talent at his disposal. Strikers such as Charlotte Stapenhorst, Cecile Pieper, Leena Micheel and Pia Maertens can rip defences apart and then there are the cool heads of Nike Lorenz and Sonja Zimmermann in the midfield and defence to provide the platform from which Germany can play their flowing hockey. Anything less than a podium finish will be a huge disappointment to this squad. Click here to get the thoughts of Germany’s Nike Lorenz and Sonja Zimmerman All eyes will be on Ireland to see if they can repeat their fairytale result from the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup London 2018. A silver medal after a momentous journey through the pool and knock-out stages was the defining memory of 2018. The team qualified as winners of the 2021 European Qualifier in Pisa, Italy and this will be their fifth appearance at a World Cup. Many of the 2018 squad remain, including the 2018 Goalkeeper of the Tournament Ayeisha McFerran, the inspirational Katie Mullan and the experienced campaigners Elena Tice and Deirdrie Duke. Young guns Sarah McAuley and Christina Hamill will be adding flair and fearlessness to a squad that lacks neither. Click here to hear captain Katie Mullan’s thoughts on Ireland at the World Cup The fourth team to make up Pool A needs no introduction. The triumphs of the Netherlands over the past two decades makes for glorious reading if you are an Oranje fan. The team qualified through victory at the EuroHockey Championships 2021. They have won the World Cup on eight previous occasions, including the previous two editions. A team full of superstars was buoyed in recent days by the return to the squad of one of the greatest contemporary players, Eva de Goede. The midfielder underwent an ACL operation in November 2021 and has been fighting to get back to the squad for this World Cup. Add to de Goede the names Lidewij Welten, Frederique Matla and the incredible Xan de Waard and you are looking at a group with a huge number of World Cup and Olympic trophies to their names. Those athletes are now joined by the exciting new talents such as Freeke Moes, penalty corner specialist Yibbi Jansen and the fleet-footed Felice Albers. Click here to get Laura Nunnink’s thoughts ahead of the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2022 Pool A gets underway on Saturday 2 July in the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen. Follow all the action across the FIH website and social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), Watch.Hockey and broadcasters. You can check out all the squads here. The media kit is available here. #HWC2022  #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please consult FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.

24 June 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: Dreaming of offering the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup mascot – Lyla – to your children? Looking for an event T-shirt to watch the matches? Finding your outfit to follow the next FIH Hockey Pro League season? The International Hockey Federation (FIH) brings you the solution: the FIH Official Fan Store! Indeed, as part of its continued journey to connect and engage with hockey players and fans and also enrich its digital offer for them, FIH, together with its partner Kayford, has officially launched today its first ever Online Fan Store, available on the platform www.store.hockey. Thanks to this new platform, hockey players and fans around the world are now able to order official branded FIH, FIH Hockey Pro League and FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Spain and Netherlands 2022 merchandising items, in a very easy and user-friendly way. Items on offer include polos, T-shirts, jackets, caps, scarves, mugs, bottles, keychains, umbrellas and much more! The initial product range will be expanded within the coming months. (note: see athletes competing at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Spain and Netherlands 2022 wearing some of the items on offer: https://www.instagram.com/p/CfLis8QqzEP/) Kayford Holdings Ltd. CEO Markus Kerschensteiner said: “We are very happy to be an integral part of launching FIH’s first ever online store. This would be a much-awaited launch for the hockey fans to be able to buy their favourite merchandise from all over the world. We look forward to welcoming and engaging with the hockey fans through the online store.” FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “The launch of the FIH Official Store is another important milestone for the continued enhancement of the fan experience. We invite the global hockey community, including fans and players, to get hold of their favourite items from the store. On behalf of FIH, I’d like to extend our sincerest thanks to Kayford for their invaluable expertise and guidance in this achievement.” #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please consult FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.

22 June 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: ASOIF’s (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations) fourth governance review of its member federations – published yesterday – has confirmed the steady progress made by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in terms of good governance. Indeed, FIH has scored higher marks than ever before in every section (Transparency, Integrity, Democracy, Development and Control Mechanisms), leading to an overall increase of 16 points compared to the last review (2019-20). With a total of 149 points, FIH tops Group B and is only 1 point away from Group A2. We’re particularly pleased with the following comments from ASOIF: FIH has done a significant work in important areas including gender equality, safeguarding and also outsourcing anti-doping to the ITA (International Testing Agency) FIH has successfully delivered an online Genery Assembly (Congress) FIH performed well on the new indicators for 2021-22: action is being taken to increase the diversity of the Executive Board, support is being provided to enhance the governance of members and there is an established risk management programme FIH achieved the “Top 10” in 9 out of 33 indicators assessed in this way Further, it’s worth noting that ASOIF cites FIH as an example of good governance practice in numerous areas such as gender balance, diversity at Board and Committee level, electoral process and rules, election campaigning rules, the implementation of a Code of Ethics or an Ethics Committee with independent representation. FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “This review confirms that the determination, work and efforts of FIH to become a leader in terms of good governance are being recognized. Of course, there is room for improvement. Therefore, we will keep on working on the areas where we can do better and will engage with ASOIF in this regard as well.” The aim of the ASOIF governance review is to promote and ensure a culture of good governance within the international federations and help drive continuous progress. #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please consult FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.