Ahead of the Paris Olympics, a major change has been made in the Indian hockey team. Dutch goalkeeping specialist Denis van de Poel has once again joined the support staff team. He will help prepare the men’s team.
Dennis van de Poel has previously worked with the Indian hockey team. He first joined the support staff team of the Indian team in 2019.
The Indian team is currently participating in the ongoing National Coaches Camp at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Van de Poel will join the camp. He will be working with goalkeepers PR Sreejesh, Krishna Pathak and Suraj Karkera to prepare them for the upcoming tournament.
A 10-day special goalkeeping camp overseen by head coach Craig Fulton will conclude on March 26, a week before the team leaves for the tour of Australia. Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said, “This is a very important milestone for the Indian men’s hockey team. In their quest to reach the podium again at the Olympics, Hockey India is ensuring that they get all the necessary facilities.’
Van de Poel organized two special camps for the Indian team in July and September before the Asian Games last year. Tirkey added, ‘We are delighted to add Dennis to the team who has worked with this group of goalkeepers for the last four years and knows what changes need to be made to improve them.’
