England Hockey is delighted
to announce that, following a comprehensive external recruitment process, Bobby
Crutchley has been appointed to the role of head coach of the England men’s
team. Crutchley, 42, has been an assistant coach to the senior men’s programme
since 2005 and was part of the Great Britain coaching staff at the 2008 and
2012 Olympic Games. He succeeds Jason Lee who was recently appointed as head
coach of the senior women’s squad.
As Head Coach of the men’s
programme, Crutchley will be responsible for the selection, preparation,
coaching and performance of the England and GB teams and senior national squad,
and the teams’ results in international competitions. The position will see the
former Bath Buccaneers and University of Bath coach lead the programme for the
2013-2016 Olympic cycle taking in the 2013 and 2015 European Championships, the
World Cup and Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. His
first major tournament in charge will be the FIH Hockey World League semi final
in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, from 29 June – 7 July.
Danny Kerry, England Hockey
Performance Director, said: “I am really excited about Bobby’s appointment.
Fundamentally he believes in the athletes and the programme we have and that is
the key building block for success. Bobby demonstrated not just an in-depth
understanding of the challenges that come with this leadership position but
also a genuine insight into what needs to and can happen. The insight that our
coaches have to coaching and leading at this highest of levels, I believe, are
a competitive edge that will stand us in good stead over the coming years. I
look forward to working with Bobby and feel the programme and team is in the
most capable and ambitious of hands.”
Speaking after being
appointed, Crutchley said: “As someone who has a strong passion for coaching
and for hockey in Great Britain, I am absolutely delighted to have been given
the opportunity.
“With personnel changes,
following the London Olympics, there will be significant challenges,
particularly in the short term. However, I am confident that the team can
evolve to continue to challenge for medals at the highest level.”
Sally Munday, England Hockey
Chief Executive, said: “I am absolutely delighted to see Bobby progress into
the Head Coach role. He has been an excellent assistant coach and through the
recruitment process has demonstrated that he has the knowledge and skills to step
up to leading the men’s programme. Bobby’s ambition reflects our values
and his passion for English and British success shines through.”
During his time as assistant
to Jason Lee, Crutchley helped coach England through their rise up the world
rankings from 11th to their current standing of fourth. He was in the dugout
when England won the European Championship title for the first time in 2009 and
the silver medal at the Champions Trophy the following year, England’s best
ever result on the world stage. England finished just outside the medals at the
2010 World Cup, coming fourth, before another European medal followed – bronze
- in 2011. He coached the Great Britain men’s team at the 2008 Olympic Games in
Beijing in which GB finished fifth and at London 2012 where the host nation
narrowly missed out on a medal to Australia.
Crutchley has been involved
in coaching the national teams since 1997, first as a consultant, then as
Assistant Coach to the senior women’s squad from 2003 until 2004 before joining
Jason Lee’s men’s coaching team in 2005. In 2002 and 2007 he served as Head
Coach to the U21 England men, taking on the same role with the Great Britain
U21 men at the 2007 and 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival.
Off the pitch, he
successfully completed UK Sport’s Elite Coach Programme in 2010 and more
recently, following the London 2012 Olympic Games, completed his Masters degree
in Sports Coaching at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN).
As a player, Crutchley
represented his country 80 times and was a member of the first England men’s
team to compete in hockey at the Commonwealth Games, where he picked up a
bronze medal in Kuala Lumpur in 1998. He played for England at the 1994 World
Cup and 1999 Champions Trophy, and for Great Britain at the 1994 edition of the
Champions Trophy. In 1996, he was named UK Hockey Writers’ UK Player of the
Year. He retired from playing international hockey in 1999.
A high scoring forward,
Crutchley, from the Wirral, began his playing career at Neston before moving
south to play for Hounslow in the national league. A spell in Australia
followed with Canberra before he returned to the UK to play for Cannock,
sandwiching a short stint in Milan at Cernusco. A well known goal threat,
Crutchley topped the goal scoring charts in England, Australia and Italy during
his playing career.
He began his coaching career
in Sheffield, where he coached from 1991-1993 after completing his course in
business studies at Sheffield City Polytechnic. He continued to coach
throughout his playing career and following his retirement from international
hockey, took the opportunity to lead Bath Buccaneers and Bath University’s
hockey clubs.
With Bobby Crutchley and
Jason Lee confirmed as the head coaches of the senior men’s and women’s
programmes, a further announcement concerning the appointments of their
assistant coaches will be made in early March.
