England and Great Britain Hockey are delighted to confirm the appointment of Paul Revington as Head Coach of the England and Great Britain men’s teams.
Paul is a former FIH World Coach of the Year and joins from Malaysia Hockey, where he was Technical Director. Prior to that he was Head Coach of the Great Britain women’s Elite Development Programme, then Assistant Coach of the England and Great Britain senior women’s teams.
Before that Paul was Malaysia’s men’s head coach; leading Ireland’s senior men prior to that and taking his native South Africa to the Olympics in 2004 as head coach.
Paul said: “I feel privileged to be afforded the opportunity to lead the Great Britain and England Men’s Teams in their next chapter of international hockey.
“I started my involvement in hockey at the time when England and Great Britain won World Cup and Olympic medals respectively in 86 and 88, then I was able to witness first-hand the men’s resurgence from 2006, and I enjoyed a wonderful three years coaching in the women’s program at Bisham Abbey during the successful Tokyo cycle – so I’ve developed a good understanding and feel for how Great Britain and England Hockey lives and breathes.
“Our coaching and management team enters an environment filled with opportunities. A national club league showing exciting growth potential, a healthy pool of athletes thanks to a successful Great Britain EDP programme; a squad containing a competitive mix of youth and experience and a national team having taken positive strides forward in the Tokyo cycle. Added to this is an exciting time for all three Home Nations as they look to excel over the coming months and compete at international events including the Commonwealth Games and World Cup.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working with the Malaysian Hockey Confederation and would like to thank everyone there for their hard work, support and generosity. This is a fantastic opportunity for me and it is now the task of our coaching team to follow in the footsteps of several outstanding Head Coaches and lead another talented group of athletes on an action-packed journey of continual improvement, hard work and inspiring a nation through consistent elite performance.”
Performance Director Ed Barney said: “We are delighted that Paul will be returning to the UK to lead the England and Great Britain men’s international teams. He has a number of exceptional skills, qualities and super-strengths which align incredibly closely with the role brief and the criteria that we set out for this appointment.
“The men’s squad and breadth and depth of talent is exceptional and we know the team are well placed to take their next step on the world-level podium.”
The appointment panel included representatives from England and Great Britain Hockey, Catriona Semple and Kate Baker of UK Sport, former England Rugby head coach Stuart Lancaster and former international hockey players.
Ed continued: “The panel have every confidence in Paul and know that he will maximise all the skills and strengths of the squad (both individually and collectively) and of the full staff team in the coming months and years.”
