FIH Hockey Pro League: Mid-season Interview with Harendra Singh

With the second half of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 fast approaching, we are catching up with players and coaches of all 9 men’s and women’s teams to take the temperature of their season through the first half and explore their targets for the remaining matches. In today’s interview, we speak with Harendra Singh, head coach of the Indian women’s hockey team, currently situated in sixth place on the points table.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming second half of the FIH Hockey Pro League season?

The upcoming matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League in Europe will see the Indian Women’s Hockey Team play some tough opponents, and the team is definitely ready for it. When we go into the FIH Hockey Pro League in Europe, it will be after our tour of Australia, which is a great form of preparation, because match-practice and game time are both very valuable and will always benefit any team.

Having finished the home leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League on a high, how is the team morale going into the next phase of the tournament?

The team did well in the home leg, especially the shootout win against the Netherlands was a massive confidence booster for the team. And as we go into the European leg, the experience and knowledge from the previous phase will definitely benefit the team. We will be playing across three different venues in London, Antwerp and Berlin during this time, and the team is working hard.

Australia, Argentina, Belgium and China are going to be India’s opponents. And this is right after India’s tour of Australia as well. Your thoughts on the opponents and how India is setting up?

Coming from the Australian tour and straight into the FIH Pro League is surely going to be beneficial, but the games in Europe will also be very different in every sense of it. Australia, Argentina, Belgium and China are all good teams and we aren’t taking anything for granted, no matter what the situation is. Our preparations for the FIH Hockey Pro League are moving along at a good pace and we will continue to work towards our goals.