Hockey India on Tuesday appointed experienced Dutchman Herman Kruis, with over two decades of coaching experience, as Coach of Men and Junior Women’s Teams.

During his stint in India, he will oversee the preparations of Men and Women’s Teams ahead of the Junior World Cups to be played in Malaysia (men) and Santiago (Women) later this year.

In his vast coaching experience, Kruis has worked with Den Bosch ladies – a club based out of Netherlands – as their Head Coach and during his tenure the team won the European Cup eight times in a row. He was also the National Head Coach for Netherlands Indoor Women’s Hockey Team between 2006 to 2008 and he was also the National Head Coach for Netherlands Outdoor team between 2008 to 2010.

In his most recent stint, he was the National Head Coach of Belarus Indoor and Outdoor team from 2016 to August 2023. Kruis is a certified FIH Coach-Educator.

Commenting on the appointment ,Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said “We delighted to welcome distinguished senior Coach Herman Kruis to our national program for the junior teams. He will oversee the ongoing preparations of the Junior Men and Women’s teams and I believe his experience will further boost our prospects at the Junior Hockey World Cup” .

“He will be working closely with Tushar Khandker Coach Junior Women’s side and CR Kumar Coach Junior Men’s team,” he added.

Reacting to the appointment Kruis said, “I am looking forward to this new role with Hockey India. There are some very talented players in the Junior Men and Women’s teams. The next four months leading up to the Junior World Cups are exciting and at the same time an important phase in the teams’ preparations. I look forward to working with them to achieve the desirable results.”

“In order to work towards desirable results in the Junior World Cup , Hockey India Executive Board took a decision to strengthen our coaching staff by bringing on the expertise of Herman Kruis. His experience will certainly be a great value add for the two teams preparing for the prestigious event this year, “said HI Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh,