The EuroHockey Institute Podcast

This month’s guest is Andreu Enrich, a coach, author and one of the foremost hockey philosophers in the world. Originally from Terrassa, he now works in Germany with Mannheimer HC and as an assistant coach with the German national team and as spent decades forming and evolving his view on the game both on the field, through his books. In this episode, Andreu challenges traditional structures in ho...

This month’s guest is Stefan Blöcher, former German international and EuroHockey Hall of Famer. From his early days as a driven young player to one of the great playing careers and then on to coaching roles which have taken him across the world, Stefan shares his philosophy on motivation, growth, and the unifying power of sport. He reflects on how hockey has connected him with people from every cu...

This month’s guest is Minke Booij; a Dutch and Den Bosch icon, an Olympic, World Cup and European champion, and a culture leader on and off the field. She reflects on the true essence of team sport. Minke shares how success isn’t built on individual moments, but on the lasting memories created together. She highlights the importance of building strong relationships, involving everyone, and fosteri...

This month, we sit down with Andy Halliday, former Team Manager for England and Great Britain’s men’s Olympic hockey teams. From an unexpected start inspired by a radio ad to a storied career in elite sport, Andy shares how his time in the police shaped his leadership style. He dives into the importance of building environments where athletes feel safe, understood, and ready to perform, emphasisin...

The well-travelled Federico Tanuscio joins the podcast to share stories from his unforgettable journey with the Argentine national team. From thrilling matches to the joy-filled spirit of Argentinian culture, Federico - who is currently Luxembourg director of hockey - reflects on how playing hockey with Los Leones wasn’t just about sport; it was about community, passion, and embracing life with a...

In this episode, we delve into the inspiring journey of Marlena Rybacha, the trailblazing captain of Poland’s national field hockey teams. Marlena shares how her determination led her to the Netherlands, Marlena’s perseverance earned her a spot on the team, marking the beginning of her influential presence in European hockey en route, eventually, to Indoor World Cup gold. Join us as Marlena discus...

In this months episode, former Irish hockey player Matthew Bell shares how hockey became his lifeline after a devastating brain cancer diagnosis in 2019. From early symptoms to a remarkable recovery, he reflects on resilience, the power of sport, and the support that helped him through. You can purchase his book here; https://excaliburpress.co.uk/product/second-chances-by-matthew-bell/

Emily Defroand, the former England and Great Britain players shares how her school experience shaped her both on and off the field en route to Euro and Commonwealth bronze medals. From developing her hockey skills to gaining an outlook on life inspired by her family, Emily reflects on the profound role sports play in her personal growth. Today in her working life with West Ham United Football Club...

Joost van Geel is November's feature interview on the EuroHockey Institute Podcast, speaking to Jack Rolfe about elite performance. Joost is an experienced leader in sports management and talent development, currently working with NOC*NSF and TeamNL. Before that, he has held a number of roles at the highest level of Dutch hockey, including national indoor coach and seven years - up until earlier t...

Tom Drowley is this month’s guest on the EuroHockey Institute Podcast. He is an elite physical preparation coach with over a decade of experience in international hockey with England and Great Britain and subsequently with Malaysia. He has worked with some of the top athletes in the sport, helping them achieve peak physical performance on the global stage. Drawing on his extensive background in st...

On this month’s EuroHockey Institute Podcast, our special guest is Helen Lejeune-van der Ben, a former Dutch player, a World Cup winner; an Olympic bronze medalist and a European champion. Following her international playing days, she has coached extensively in a wide variety of youth development roles in performance settings. This has included working with the Dutch underage girls teams to being...

Two-time FIH Goalkeeper of the Year David Harte is globally recognised as one of the world’s best between the posts for the past 15 years. A leader and a culture-creator with the Green Machine, he has traversed the Irish men’s two most recent Olympic appearances in 2016 and this year in Paris. In this month’s EuroHockey Institute Podcast, he spoke with Jack Rolfe, sharing insight from his journey,...

Getting ready to shine at the Olympics, we chat to Irish umpire, Alison Keogh, taking a look behind the scenes to see what it takes to be an international umpire and look back on some of her biggest milestones en route to the stage in Paris!

In June’s EuroHockey Institute Podcast, we are thrilled to talk to Paul Bower, a distinguished professional in sports science and physical performance. Paul has an extensive career spanning over a decade, highlighted by his role as Head of Physical Performance at Huddersfield Town Football Club, helping establish the DNA of the club amid big changes, including promotion to England’s Premier League...

In this month's EuroHockey Institute Podcast, our EuroHockey President Marcos Hofmann is in the hot seat, speaking to Jack Rolfe. 10 questions and fascinating insights into the business mind of Marcos as he sets out to deliver, with the Board, a legacy for hockey in Europe.

Stunning victories and raised a lot of silverware! He now heads up the coaching team of the Spanish men’s team. Listen here to discover more about his passion for instilling a love of the game in others and how his experience has enabled him to apply the lessons he has learnt during his career and his aspirations for this young ambitious Spanish team

To begin the 2024 series of EuroHockey Institute podcasts, Jack Rolfe speaks to Tom Kirby about his journey since his first taste of Hockey ID eight years ago to travelling around the continent, embracing a number of EuroHockey ID championships and all the laughs in between. They talk about what are key parts of an inclusive coaching session and how does an organisation create opportunities for Ho...

Olympic, World and European champion Thomas Briels talks to Jack Rolfe about the elements that made him the player he is, from learning to do the "ugly metres" that became intrinsic to his hockey DNA to coming around to what he saw as an unlikely captaincy role during the Belgian Red Lions' golden era. Tune in for this fascinating chat with one of the latest entrants into the EuroHoc...

To start the fifth series of the EuroHockey Podcast, Mike Hughes speaks to Stephen Findlater this month about the incredible rise of Old Georgians, creating the culture and environment to get from relative obscurity to the very top of the English hockey tree and how he looks to try and bring that magic to new club Indian Gymkhana. Recorded earlier this summer, he reflects on how this journey was i...

Later this month, Marijke Fleuren's tenure as EuroHockey President comes to a close following a remarkable 12-year spell in the role. As such, who better to be our EuroHockey Institute Podcast guest as we look back on an incredible leader and game-changer for our organisation and our sport. She speaks to host Jack Rolfe who says of this edition: "I reflect on this podcast with Marjike abo...

Marieke Dijkstra is this month’s EuroHockey Institute Podcast guest, speaking to Jack Rolfe about her diverse and fascinating career in coaching. Following an international indoor and outdoor career, captaining the Dutch side to a first World Cup title on the boards in 2007. She then repeated the trick in 2015 as coach. Around that, she has been something of a game-changer. She made her way into t...

For Pride month’s EuroHockey Institute Podcast, we have the incredible Nikki Symmons. A groundbreaker in numerous realms; a Yahoo & Involve Outstanding LGBTQ Role Model 2021 & 2022, a dual Irish international across hockey and cricket, an ambassador with Athlete Ally, an inclusion and diversity advisor and, of course, a EuroHockey Hall of Famer. Nikki speaks to Jack Rolfe about her career,...

This month, we turn the tables with regular EuroHockey Institute Podcast host Jack Rolfe receiving the questions from the EHF's Stephen Findlater. The Englishman talks about his coaching journey and expanding his horizons through the Coaches 4 Europe program. It is an adventure which has also seen him found the Coaching Lab and the innovative Match Play Cards which are now used in over 50 coun...

Series 4 Episode 6 - This month on the EuroHockey Institute Podcast, we have an extra special guest with FIH World Cup winner Christopher Rühr talking to Jack Rolfe. They discuss coaching creativity, motivation and how this marries with the high-level tactical awareness that is synonymous with German hockey. Have a listen to this fascinating chat with one of the sport's current superstars!

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we have a special EuroHockey Institute Podcast this month with Shirley McCay, Ireland’s most capped sportsperson who is now making a major impact on the next generation. Her story is symbolic of the “Green Army” and their rise from nowhere to the top table in the world, reaching the 2018 World Cup final. She speaks to Jack Rolfe about growing up far from the...