BOBBY CRUTCHLEY APPOINTED PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR FOR ENGLAND & GB HOCKEY

England & Great Britain Hockey is delighted to announce the appointment of Bobby Crutchley as Performance Director

In the last six years, Crutchley has excelled in performance leadership and coach development roles at British Gymnastics, where he played a key role in supporting multi-medal achievements at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games. His experience across multiple Olympic cycles and a deep understanding of the UK sporting system puts him in an excellent position to lead England & GB Hockey’s performance programme. With a distinguished hockey career spanning decades as an international athlete, National Coach, and Head National Coach, Crutchley brings unparalleled expertise and a proven track record of success to this pivotal role. His extensive hockey background includes 80 international caps for England & Great Britain and involvement in over 500 international matches as a coach.

Crutchley has been an established member of the hockey community since the early 1980s, having started his playing career at Neston Hockey Club, on the Wirral. He remains deeply connected to hockey, actively contributing to the development of coaches, and his appointment brings together a rich knowledge and experience from within and outside of hockey.

On his appointment, Crutchley commented: "I’m absolutely thrilled to be returning to England & GB Hockey, an organisation that has played such a significant part of my life. I’m incredibly grateful to British Gymnastics for the invaluable experiences and lessons I’ve gained over the past six years. The journey has been nothing short of transformative, and I’ve had the privilege of working with so many wonderful people, for which I will always be thankful. Hockey is my passion, and I am excited to contribute my experience and knowledge to help drive success at the highest level. I look forward to working with our talented athletes, coaches, staff and hockey clubs to build on the strong foundation and achieve even greater accomplishments for England and Great Britain.”

Nick Pink, CEO of England & GB Hockey, said: "We are delighted to welcome Bobby to England & GB Hockey. Bobby’s deep technical knowledge of hockey, combined with his world-class experience in high-performance sports, most recently at British Gymnastics, makes him the ideal leader to take our performance programme forward. His dedication to the sport and proven ability to deliver results will be invaluable as we continue to grow and inspire future generations."

Crutchley will start the role of Performance Director in March 2025.