February 5, 2023 Having watched the South African Women go down to a narrow defeat in their opener, the South African Indoor Hockey Men, powered by Tops at SPAR, were determined to give themselves a winning start as they took on 2018 fourth place finishers Australia. They couldn’t have asked for a better start. Lungani Gabela’s shot was rebounded to Chad Futcher who shaped to shoot but was taken out and a penalty stroke was awarded. Mustapha Cassiem stepped up to fire home his 53rd international indoor goal. Elation and jubilation doubled up for the South Africans when Cassiem made it 54 reacting to a goal bound effort that sneaked off to him. His goal delighted the home crowd. The Australians though have a tenacious fighting spirit and found their way back into the game. Ben Staines pulling a goal back for the Australians just before the half-time break. In the third quarter Jake Sherren levelled matters with a well struck penalty corner into the top corner. For the South Africans the frustrations grew as Australia completed a superb turnaround with Jack Staines scoring on a counterattack right on the hooter to give the Australians the lead. The South Africans had a few half chances but were looking to raise the tempo and precision in the final quarter of the game. They did exactly that as they asked questions on a continuous basis, and they eventually found the answer through their inspirational captain Jethro Eustice who fired home from a penalty corner for his fourth historical Indoor Hockey World Cup goal. The South Africans continued to look for a winner but were unable and ultimately the two teams settled for a draw. Source: SAHockey.co.za

February 5, 2023 The historic FIH indoor Hockey World Cup, presented by SPAR, got started at the Heartfelt Arena in South Africa. An almost capacity crowd created a cauldron of noise as the South Africans and Austrians locked horns at a World Cup for the first time since 2007. It was the SPAR South African Women who got the game to a raucous start and rewarded through for their efforts with an opening goal from captain Jess O’Connor. Playing in her 125th test cap the South African captain fired home from the Penalty Corner to send the crowd into a frenzy. The hosts had a couple of half chances but were disappointed that they couldn’t add to the score line as the Europeans gained in confidence in the game and produced and spirited fightback to level before the half time break. A penalty corner was fired home from a tight angle by Buchta and the scores were level at the break. Marta Laginja gave the Austrians their first lead of the game in the 25th minute with a penalty corner goal. Her first shot was well saved by Cheree Greyvenstein before the second nestled its way into the back of the net on the far post. But the South Africans showed characteristic fighting spirit pulling level through a piece of brilliance from Kayla de Waal. Her individual run saw the keeper sent the wrong way before her finish lifted the roof off the Heartfelt Arena. Despite their best efforts the South Africans were trailing again. Laginja fired in another blistering strike and the disappointed was etched on the crowd with two minutes remaining in the game. The South Africans though continued to fight and thought they had levelled through Kayla de Waal. Unfortunately the ball had been lifted and the goal was rightfully chalked off. South Africa were given the golden opportunity to level with a penalty stroke awarded after the hooter. Tegan Fourie’s shot was strong but was brilliantly saved to secure a victory for the Austrians and disappointment for the South Africans. Source: SAHockey.co.za

04 February, 2023 Pretoria, South Africa: With just 1 day to go for the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup South Africa 2023, the players and coaches of the men’s and women’s teams have spoken to express their expectations. Men’s Teams  Martin Hanus, Captain (Czech Republic) “We are pleased to come to the IHWC once again after such a long time. The group is perfectly mixed as there are six teams from six continents. That makes the group stage very interesting as we are going to take on teams we did not have a chance to play yet. The crossover is a must for us and will probably bring one of the more known opponents as there are the European teams more represented.” Trevor Cormack, Head Coach (Namibia) “As the Namibia Men’s Hockey Team we want to share our Namibian brand and style of Indoor Hockey with the World as well as Enjoy and Love every single moment of doing just that.” Maxime Bergez, Head Coach (Belgium) “Don’t wait for an opportunity, create it.” – George Bernard Shaw Jethro Ray Eustice, Captain (South Africa) “We are truly excited for the opportunity to be a part of the first African FIH IHWC, which will be held in South Africa, and believe we have the potential to create history for our country and achieve a top 6 result at this event.” Steve Willer, Head Coach (Australia) “We are excited to be playing at the Indoor World Cup in South Africa. A new and different experience from previous World Cups. As a team we are focused on taking the next step and improving from our 2018 performance in Berlin. The Indoor World Cup in South Africa will be an amazing event and the whole team is looking forward to stepping up to the challenges it will bring and proving ourselves on the world stage against the best.” Dean Armstrong, Captain (New Zealand) “We’re excited and proud to be back on the world stage after 20 years away. We’re under no illusions about the challenge ahead, but we’ve come here with a great group who are eager to learn and grow. We think that if we can control our performance well, and improve from quarter to quarter, then we’ll have an enjoyable and productive week.” Robin Rösch, Head Coach (Austria) “We are the European and World Champions, but each match is a new challenge, so we have to perform in each match. We are curious about what will happen, but we are also full of hope.” Robert Tigges, Head Coach (Netherlands) “It’s great to be here in South Africa for the World Cup, we had a strong preparation and are ready to compete and are really excited to start this tournament on Sunday!” Massimo Lanzano – Head Coach (Argentina) “All the teams in group B have different styles of play and different realities. We are going to face them with a lot of humility and confidence in our work game by game. We want to surprise and our first objective is to get into the quarterfinals.” Women’s Teams Gaye Tarrant, Head Coach (New Zealand) “I feel unbelievably privileged to have been given the opportunity to Coach the New Zealand Women’s team to their first Indoor Hockey World Cup. The experience will be invaluable to the players as they move back into International Indoor hockey after an extended hiatus. The team has worked hard over a very quick campaign so I am excited to see their development over the tournament.” Emma McLeish and Lizzy Duguid, Co-captains (Australia) “The group is excited to finally be able to test ourselves against the best in the world after a lengthy preparation due to COVID. Being able to share the experience with this group of girls is something we both cherish and can not wait to take the field together.” Yevheniia Moroz, Captain (Ukraine) “We are extremely happy to be part of this World cup for sure we will give everything from our brave hearts.” Corinna Zerbs, Head Coach (Austria) “We are excited to be a part of this world cup that is the first one to be played outside of Europe. We are a young team and our aim is to get to the semi-finals first and take it from there and win a medal, hopefully in the finals.” Shank Premakanthan, Head Coach (Canada) “The opportunity to compete at a World Cup is always a great honour. Although we have a very young team, I am proud of the progress this group continues to make & the positive strides we continue to take. I am excited to see what this group can do against the world’s best.” Maximiliano Garreta, Head Coach (Belgium) “Enjoy the journey. Enjoy every moment and quit worrying about Winning or losing.” Jess O’Connor, Captain (South Africa) “We are feeling excited. There are some good nerves, we are well prepared after a tough test series. We know we can compete with the best nations in the world and we want to bring it to the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup” Magreth Mengo, Captain (Namibia) “We are super thrilled to play on the African Soil. We are keen to really compete and leave a legacy at this world cup. For us It’s not about how much experience you have or how mentally tough you are. It’s about trust and belief! We trust and believe in God and we trust and believe in each other as a team!” Annie McDonough, Captain (USA) “We are so grateful to be here and look forward to showing the world how this young American team can work together to succeed.” Katerina Lacina, Captain (Czech Republic) “We are dreaming about a medal again. That feeling with the bronze medal in 2015 was something special.” The sixth edition of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup will start on 5 February, in Pretoria, South Africa. All information about the tournament is available here.

The 12 best men’s and women’s teams from around the world are converging in Pretoria, South Africa as we countdown to the final few days till the start of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup South Africa 2023! Each team comes with the aim of becoming indoor hockey world champions, but only one team can earn the highest honour at the end of the World Cup. The first obstacle for all 12 teams in both men’s and women’s category, come in the form of their pool opponents. The top-4 teams in each pool will qualify for the quarterfinals with the teams finishing in the bottom two spots in their pool getting eliminated from the quest for the title. In today’s preview, meet the teams in Pool B of the men’s competition, and find out the unique playing styles they will bring to the World Cup. Argentina Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 20 Indoor World Cup history: Debutants About the Team: Argentina are the current Indoor Pan American champions, having lifted the title in June 2021 thanks to a 4-2 victory over host nation USA in Spring City, Philadelphia. The South Americans finished top of the pile in a three-nation competition also featuring Canada, with Facundo Navarro and Agustin Ceballos both scoring four times in the event. Navarro and Ceballos feature in the initial squad named for Pretoria alongside Juan Eleicegui, who scored three times at the 2021 Indoor Pan Ams and gets the honour of captaining Argentina at their first ever Indoor World Cup. The team is coached by former Italy international Massimo Lanzano, with ex-Argentina outdoor star Guillermo ‘Willy’ Schickendantz taking the role of team manager. Australia Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 10 Indoor World Cup history: 2003 – 8th, 2007 – 8th, 2011 – 7th, 2015 – 10th, 2018 – 4th. About the Team: Australia have featured in every edition of the Men’s Indoor Hockey World Cup played to date, earning a reputation as a team to be feared. They produced a series of outstanding performances at the 2018 Indoor World Cup event in Berlin, Germany, storming into the semi-finals before suffering a narrow 2-1 loss at the hands of eventual champions Austria. Defeat to Iran in the bronze medal match was a painful ending for the inspirational Aussies, who proved definitively that they can mix it with the very best. Three players from Berlin 2018 have been selected for the 2023 competition in Pretoria, with James Knee, Jake Sherren and goalkeeper Ben Rennie –competing in his third Indoor World Cup – being given their chance by head coach Steve Willer, who was also in charge of the team in Berlin. The squad contains twin brothers Ben and Jake Staines, who will both be looking to make a big impression at their first Indoor World Cup competition. Czech Republic Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 4 Indoor World Cup history: 2003 – 7th, 2007 – 4th, 2011 – 8th, 2015 – 9th, 2018 – 5th. About the Team: As two-time European indoor silver medallists (1997, 2012) and fifth place finishers at the Berlin 2018 Indoor World Cup, Czech Republic have a solid reputation in this event. The team were in action in December’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship competition in Hamburg, Germany, but finished bottom of the standings in sixth position. However, with a squad containing numerous high quality, vastly experienced players, they should not be underestimated. Thirty-somethings Tomas Prochazka and Martin Hanus and 47-year-old goalkeeper Pavel Hraba – a participant at the inaugural Indoor Hockey World Cup in 2003 in Leipzig, Germany – all know what it takes to compete at this level and will be keen to remind the world of their abilities. A player to watch is Lukas Plochy, who is capable of scoring from penalty corners and open play. Iran Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 3 Indoor World Cup history: 2011 – 9th, 2015 – 4th, 2018 – 3rd About the Team: With a swashbuckling playing style and blessed with some truly outstanding individuals, Iran will rightly be considered as one of the competition favourites in Pretoria. Since recording a ninth-place finish on their event debut at Poznan 2011, Iran have improved at every subsequent tournament, finishing fourth at Leipzig 2015 before claiming a sensational bronze medal at Berlin 2018 with a crushing 5-0 victory over Australia. Iran have won the Men’s Indoor Hockey Asia Cup a record eight times, but are not the current title holders, having finally lost their crown in 2022 when Malaysia claimed a shoot-out victory after the final finished with the scores locked at 4-4. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Iran, who had dominated the competition with six wins out of six prior to the gold medal match, inspired by the form of Amirmahdi Mirzakhani, who finished competition top scorer with 13 goals in seven matches. Will 2023 be their year? South Africa Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 11 Indoor World Cup history: 2003 – 10th, 2007 – 11th, 2015 – 11th, 2018 – 11th. About the Team: Tournament hosts South Africa have competed in four of the five previous editions of the men’s Indoor World Cup, having only missed the 2011 event in Poznan, Poland. Their 10th place finish at Leipzig 2003, the inaugural edition, remains their highest placement to date, an achievement that they will be determined to surpass in front of their home supporters in Pretoria. The team were crowned continental champions at the 2021 Men’s Indoor Africa Cup, defeating Namibia 4-1 thanks to goals from Mustaphaa Cassiem, Chad Futcher (2) and Jethro Eustice. Mustaphaa Cassiem scored 18 goals in the competition, with older brother Dayaan Cassiem bagging 16 and being named as the player of the tournament. The Cassiem brothers, Futcher and Eustice have all been named in South Africa’s Indoor World Cup squad and will do everything in their power to thrill the home fans at the Heartfelt Arena. United States Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 19 Indoor World Cup history: 2003 –

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The 12 best men’s and women’s teams from around the world are converging in Pretoria, South Africa as we countdown to the final few days till the start of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup South Africa 2023! Each team comes with the aim of becoming indoor hockey world champions, but only one team can earn the highest honour at the end of the World Cup. The first obstacle for all 12 teams in both men’s and women’s category, come in the form of their pool opponents. The top-4 teams in each pool will qualify for the quarterfinals with the teams finishing in the bottom two spots in their pool getting eliminated from the quest for the title. In today’s preview, meet the teams in Pool A of the men’s competition, and find out the unique playing styles they will bring to the World Cup. Austria Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 1 Indoor World Cup history: 2007 – 6th, 2011 – 3rd, 2015 – 2nd, 2018 – 1st. About the Team: The defending champions and ranked number one in the world, Austria enter the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup South Africa 2023 event widely regarded as favourites. Their sensational victory at the previous event, where they defeated tournament hosts Germany to gold in front of a raucous capacity crowd at Berlin’s Max Schmeling Halle, is undisputedly the finest moment in the history of Austrian hockey. Numerous players who competed in Berlin have been named in the preliminary squad for the competition, including goal-scoring machine Michael Körper, playmaker Benni Stanzl and team captain Xaver Hasun. Another key player is Fabian Unterkircher, who scored both goals in Austria’s recent 2-1 victory over home favourites Germany in the final of the 2022 Men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship in Hamburg. Defending a world title is never going to be easy, but Austria have every chance of success in Pretoria. Belgium Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 8 Indoor World Cup history: 2018 – 7th About the Team: Having claimed World, European and Olympic titles in recent years, Belgium have a sparkling reputation outdoors. Their commitment to the indoor game has grown significantly in recent times and were set to host the 6th Indoor World Cup in 2022 before Covid-19 restrictions forced the cancellation of the event in Liege. A second-place finish at the EuroHockey Indoor Championships in 2018, losing only to Austria – who went on to become world champions a matter of weeks later – is the highlight of Belgium’s recent indoor endeavours, but they will be looking to make a big impact in Pretoria. They certainly have the talent to go deep into this competition, especially in Philippe Simar, who finished top scorer at the 2022 Euro Indoors with 20 goals. Simar – who has been named captain of the team in Pretoria – scored seven times in Belgium’s 9-7 triumph over Czech Republic to claim a fifth place finish in that competition, with Mallory Magnant and Dylan Englebert also contributing. Kazakhstan Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 14 Indoor World Cup history: 2018 – 12th About the Team: Kazakhstan return to the Indoor Hockey World Cup stage for the second time. Despite finishing bottom of the standings on their debut at Berlin 2018, they certainly won the hearts of those who saw their tireless, battling performances at the Max-Schmeling-Halle. They showed good form at the 2022 Men’s Indoor Asia Cup, claiming the bronze medal with a 5-4 victory over Indonesia thanks to goals from Aman Yelubayev (2), Daulet Urmanov, Yerkebulan Dyussebekov and Agymtay Duisengazy. Kazakhstan lost just one of their six matches at the event in Bangkok, Thailand, with Urmanov – who captains the team in Pretoria – netting ten goals to finish third in the top scorer chart. Namibia Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 17 Indoor World Cup history: 2011 – 12th About the Team: Namibia men make a return to the Indoor Hockey World Cup stage after an absence of 12 years and will be keen to make a big impact. The team finished bottom of the standings at the 2011 competition in Poznan, Poland, but will be relishing the opportunity to give a good account of themselves at the first Indoor World Cup to take place on African soil. Namibia finished in second place at the 2021 Indoor Africa Cup competition, which took place in Durban, South Africa and featured the hosts and Botswana in a three-nation event. Namibia’s Fagan Hansen, who was 18 at the time, finished as the top scorer in that competition, netting 24 goals in just five matches. Hansen remains a potent goal threat for Namibia, having scored seven times in ten matches against South Africa in the latter part of 2022. The team is captained by goalkeeper David Strauss, the only member of the current Namibia squad to have played at the 2011 Indoor World Cup. Netherlands Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 6 Indoor World Cup history: 2003 – 5th, 2011 – 5th, 2015 – 1st About the Team: The Netherlands stunned all onlookers when they claimed the Indoor Hockey World Cup title at the 2015 competition in Leipzig (GER), beating Austria – champions themselves three years later in Berlin – with a 3-2 score-line. Having not competed in the 2018 event, they return to the Indoor World Cup stage with their eyes very much on the prize. The Netherlands won bronze at the 2022 EuroHockey Indoor Championship competition in Hamburg, Germany, powering to a 10-3 triumph over Switzerland in the 3-4 play-off game. However, it was their stunning 7-4 victory over eventual title winners and reigning world champions Austria that really turned heads, giving indication that they could be a real threat in Pretoria. Jochem Bakker, top scorer for the Oranje in Hamburg with 12 goals, is a prolific marksman for the team coached by Robert Tigges, a man who also knew the route to goal. Tigges scored 16 times to finish top scorer at the 2011 Indoor World Cup in Poznan (POL) before

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