Men
As expected, England coach Bobby Crutchley has named his strongest possible squad for this tournament, with experienced trio Ashley Jackson, Simon Mantell, and Nick Catlin being selected alongside brilliant captain Barry Middleton, a player considered to be among the very best attackers in the game.
However, the team will be without defender and penalty corner specialist Richard Smith, who looks likely to miss all of the 2014 calendar due to knee surgery. Midfield ace Adam Dixon, who has been one of England’s star performers over the past 18 months, has also been selected despite recently suffering ligament damage whilst representing his club side Beeston in the Euro Hockey League.
England claimed a fifth place finish in the 2006 Hockey World Cup in Mönchengladbach (GER) and went one better at the 2010 event in New Delhi (IND) by finishing fourth. Their talented, fit and well drilled squad certainly has the potential to get among the medals in The Hague.
Best World Cup results:
The men took silver in 1986 (London) and they have taken part in 11 previous World Cups.
FIH World Ranking:
4th
Team
| 1 George Pinner | 2 James Bailey |
| 6 Henry Weir | 7 Ashley Jackson |
| 8 Simon Mantell | 9 Harry Martin |
| 11 Alistair Brogdon | 12 Michael Hoare |
| 14 Mark Gleghorne | 16 Adam Dixon |
| 18 Barry Middleton | 20 Dan Shingles |
| 21 Tim Whiteman | 22 David Condon |
| 23 Tom Carson | 24 Lian Lewers |
| 26 Nick Catlin | 27 Dan Fox |
Staff
Head Coach – Bobby Crutchley
Assistant Coach – Jon Bleby
Team Manager – David Ralph
Stand-In Manager – Andy Halliday
Team Doctor – Rob Hurry
Physiotherapist – Julia Sawkings
Women
England have earned the respect and admiration of every hockey playing nation thanks to a string of medals at world levels events in recent years. The team claimed Bronze at the 2010 World Cup in Rosario (ARG) before going on to form the majority of the Great Britain team that would take Olympic Bronze at the London 2012 Games.
2013 proved to be another special year for the team coached by former England & GB men’s boss Jason Lee, who guided the women to Silver and Bronze medals at the European Championships and World League Final respectively.
The squad remains largely unchanged from those events, although one notable omission is the vastly experienced midfielder Helen Richardson-Walsh, who has been suffering with ongoing back problems. Lee has also named two relative newcomers in attacker Ellie Watton and defender Zoe Shipperley, while talented young players like Sophie Bray and Lily Owsley are really starting to establish themselves on the international scene.
With three World Cups under her belt and a Bronze medal from the 2010 event, England captain Kate Richardson-Walsh will be hoping her side can improve on third this time around. Having beaten the top two sides in the world last year – the Netherlands and Argentina – England head into the tournament as genuine contenders.
Best World Cup results:
The women won bronze in 2010 (Rosario) and have taken part in eight previous World Cups.
FIH World Ranking:
3rd
Team
| 1 Maddie Hinch | 2 Kirsty Mackay |
| 4 Laura Unsworth | 6 Hannah Macleod |
| 7 Georgie Twigg | 9 Susannah Townsend |
| 10 Susie Gilbert | 11 Kate Richardson-Walsh |
| 13 Sam Quek | 15 Alex Danson |
| 19 Sọhie Bray | 20 Hollie Webb |
| 21 Ellie Watton | 22 Ashleigh Ball |
| 23 Sally Walton | 26 Lily Owsley |
| 27 Zoe Shipperley | 28 Nicola White |
Staff
Head Coach – Jason Lee
Assistant Coach – Craig Keegan
Team Manager – Karren Brown
Stand-In Manager – John Hurst
Team Doctor – Rob Hurry
Physiotherapist – Emma Batchelor