Kiwi wins world hockey award
Former Black Sticks coach Shane McLeod has been named coach of the year at the International Hockey Federation 2017 awards in Berlin.
After coaching Belgium to victory at the Hockey World League semifinal in Johannesburg, McLeod shares the award with Netherland’s coach Max Caldas, originally from Argentina.
McLeod is a former Black Stick and coached the side at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games before taking up a coaching opportunity with Belgium club Waterloo Ducks Hockey Club.
Argentina’s Delfina Merino was voted 2017 female player of the year while Belgium’s Arthur Van Doren won both male player of the year and rising star of the year, the latter for the second year in a row.
Australian Alyson Annan won female coach of the year as she led the Netherlands to both the Hockey World League and Rabobank EuroHockey Championship titles. The federation have also released the full schedule for the Hockey Pro League which begins next year.
The Black Sticks men will have home games against the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Germany, Pakistan, Spain, Argentina and Australia.
The Black Sticks women play at home the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Germany, China, USA, Argentina and Australia.
A total of 152 matches have been scheduled between January and June as part of the new competition. New Zealand’s first taste of action at home comes on January 27, a double-header against the Netherlands.