Squads Announced as Fans Return For First Time in More Than Two Years

England’s men and women have named their squads for this weekend’s FIH Hockey Pro League games; the first international matches in front of a home crowd for two and a half years.

The teams have four exciting matches ahead of them this weekend at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park:
Sat 21 May - England v France (Men) 1pm, England v China (Women) 3:30pm
Sun 22 May - England v France (M) 12pm, England v China (W) 2:30pm

The men will be represented by a 20-strong squad over the two days, containing eight players who played for Team GB in last summer’s Olympics. There are three changes to the squad from the previous matches in Germany, with Liam Ansell and Stuart Rushmere returning, while Matt Ramshaw earns a first call-up.

22 women have been selected for their matches with China, with ten of them having won bronze in last summer’s Olympic games. There is a very welcome return for Shona McCallin as she plays for the first time this season, while Giselle Ansley, Sabbie Heesh and Martha Taylor are also back.

Tickets for both days are available at hockey.seetickets.com, with a ticket to watch two matches in one day starting at £7.50 for children and £17.50 for adults. Tickets will also be available on the day of the game at the venue.

The last home international matches in England in front of a crowd were back in November 2019 when Great Britain played in Olympic Qualifiers, marking an incredible 931 days without supporters on home soil.

Men’s Interim Head Coach Zak Jones said: “The squad are very much looking forward to this block of Pro League fixtures and are incredibly excited to be back on home turf for the first time in a while, and even more excited to have fans back in the stadium.

“Whilst we know that a strong and improving French side will pose a real threat, we will look to continue to build our core game, as well as further develop our winning mindset, whilst at the same time showcasing the attacking intent, talent and passion of the squad.”

Zak will continue to lead the programme as Interim Head Coach through all of England’s home Pro League fixtures, before new Head Coach Paul Revington formally takes up his role later in June.

Women’s Head Coach David Ralph is also very much looking forward to the weekend, commenting: “This is the start of an intense and exciting period for us, culminating in three tournaments over the summer with the World Cup, Commonwealth Games and EuroHockey Qualifiers.

“This stretch of home Pro League games provides us with a series of very competitive games and the opportunity to continue our growth as a team. We are very much looking forward to the games this weekend and welcoming China back to Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. It is great to be back playing some home games and there is no doubt that we are incredibly excited to be playing in front our home support, we have really missed the feeling and buzz we all get from playing in front of our fans.”

Men’s Squad
James Albery – Old Georgians
Liam Ansell – Wimbledon
Nick Bandurak – Holcombe
Will Calnan – Hampstead & Westminster
David Condon – Wimbledon
Brendan Creed – Royal Beerschot
James Gall – Surbiton
David Goodfield – Surbiton
Chris Griffiths - Old Georgians
James Mazarelo (GK) – Loughborough Students
Ollie Payne (GK) – Holcombe
Matthew Ramshaw - Hampstead & Westminster
Stuart Rushmere - Loughborough Students
Ian Sloan – Wimbledon
Peter Scott – Wimbledon
Rhys Smith – Wimbledon
Tom Sorsby – Surbiton
Sam Taylor – University of Exeter
Jack Turner – Wimbledon
Sam Ward – Old Georgians

Women’s Squad
Giselle Ansley – HGC
Grace Balsdon – Hampstead & Westminster
Darcy Bourne – Surbiton
Fiona Crackles – Wimbledon
Olivia Hamilton – Loughborough Students
Sophie Hamilton – Surbiton
Sabbie Heesh (GK) – Surbiton
Tess Howard – East Grinstead
Holly Hunt – Hampstead & Westminster
Alex Malzer – East Grinstead
Hannah Martin – THC Hurley
Shona McCallin
Lizzie Neal – Canterbury
Lily Owsley – HDM
Hollie Pearne-Webb (C) – Wimbledon
Flora Peel – HDM
Izzy Petter – Loughborough Students
Miriam Pritchard (GK) – University of Exeter
Ellie Rayer – East Grinstead
Martha Taylor - University of Exeter
Laura Unsworth – East Grinstead
Lily Walker – University of Birmingham

These matches are the first of four big weekends of international hockey on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Sat 21 May - England v France (Men) 1pm, England v China (Women) 3:30pm
Sun 22 May - England v France (M) 12pm, England v China (W) 2:30pm

Sat 28 May - England v South Africa (M) 12pm, England v Spain (W) 2:30pm
Sun 29 May - England v South Africa (M) 12pm, England v Spain (W) 2:30pm

Sat 4 Jun - England v Netherlands (W&M), 2pm & 4:30pm
Sun 5 Jun - England v Netherlands (W&M), 1pm & 3:30pm

Sat 18 Jun - England v Belgium (W&M), 2pm & 4:30pm
Sun 19 Jun - England v Belgium (W&M), 1pm & 3:30pm

Tickets are on general sale now - go to hockey.seetickets.com to secure your places in advance. Tickets in some categories are sold out for selected games so act quickly to get the best seats.