Gregory named as new SA hockey coach

Gregory, who has been the national women’s team assistant coach since 2005, will be in charge of the national side until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

He has coached the national junior men’s teams at under-17 and under-18 level, as well as the SA under-21 for the 2009 Women’s Junior World Cup.

“SA Hockey are pleased to appoint Fabian Gregory as the new SA men’s head coach,” the association’s chief executive Marissa Langeni said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Fabian comes with a wealth of coaching experience that spans over 19 years and has impeccable experience at major world hockey events including Test series, World Cups, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.”

Gregory headed up the SA Hockey Coach Education portfolio for the last eight years and played an integral role in developing the SA Hockey’s coach accreditation framework.

The framework was endorsed by the Netherlands’ national hockey board as well as the world hockey controlling body, the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

He hits the ground running when his side accompanies the national women’s team to Argentina next Wednesday for a five-Test series against the highly-rated South Americans.

The team returns in March and heads straight into a three-Test series against reigning Olympic Games champions Germany in Cape Town. The Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia follows shortly afterwards.

After a brief rest period, the team will take part in the Hockey World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands, from May 31 to June 15.

A month later, the national side shifts its focus onto the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland in July.

– Sapa