Herman Kruis of the Netherlands was appointed as the head coach of both the junior national teams for men and women by Hockey India on Tuesday.
Ahead of the crucial FIH Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2023 in Malaysia and FIH Women’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2023 in Santiago, respectively, later this year, he will be in charge of the Indian junior men’s and women’s teams’ preparations while he is in India.
In his extensive coaching career, Kruis has served as the head coach of the Dutch club Den Bosch Ladies, where under his leadership the squad won the European Cup eight times in a row. Between 2006 and 2008, he served as the national head coach of the Netherlands indoor women’s hockey team, and from 2008 to 2010, he served as the national head coach of the Netherlands outdoor squad.
From August 2016 until August 2023, he served as the indoor and outdoor national head coach of Belarus. Kruis has a FIH Coach-Educator certification.
In a statement, Kruis stated, “I am looking forward to this new job with Hockey India. I am excited to work closely with emerging talent in India. The junior men’s and women’s hockey teams from India have some really gifted athletes. The four months running up to the Junior World Cups are both thrilling and crucial for the teams’ pre-tournament preparations. I’m excited to collaborate with them to get the desired outcomes.
“Herman Kruis is a great senior coach, and Hockey India is pleased to have him join our national junior teams program. He will be in charge of the continuous training for the junior men’s and women’s teams, and I am certain that his background will improve our chances of winning the FIH Junior Hockey World Cup in 2023. He will collaborate closely with CR Kumar, coach of India’s junior men’s team, and Tushar Khandker, coach of India’s junior women’s team, according to Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey.
