England squads ready for season opener

England Hockey has announced the men’s and women’s squads set to travel to Dublin to open their FIH Hockey Pro League campaign for the 25/26 season.

With their first match on 9 December against Belgium, the women’s squad features Flora Peel and Lily Walker who will continue to share the captain’s armband. 

Amy Thompson will be aiming to make her England debut after breaking her kneecap at the start of last season while Lily Owsley returns for her seventh season of Pro League.

Alongside Belgium, the women will also take on home-side Ireland who will be looking to make an impact in their first season competing in the FIH Hockey Pro League.

Zach Wallace has been named captain of the men’s team who get their FIH Hockey Pro League campaign underway on 10 December against Germany.

Both Ollie Payne and Nick Bandurak make their returns in an England shirt with Payne recovering from ankle surgery while Bandurak missed last season through injury.

The men’s team will be facing tough competition in the form of Belgium and Germany who finished second and fourth respectively in last year’s FIH Hockey Pro League.

Women’s co-captain, Peel, said: “We are really looking forward to getting out to Ireland and testing ourselves against two strong nations after a positive block of training. We know we need to keep pushing forward now and build to the World Cup qualifier ahead of an exciting summer.

“It’s a challenge we are feeling very prepared for and ready to go.”

Women’s co-captain, Walker, said: “We have had our sights set on Pro League in Dublin for a while now and everyone is eager and excited to get the season started.

“We want to start the 2025/26 Pro League with some strong performances and some points on the board, and this is a great opportunity to do so.”

Men’s captain, Wallace, said: “We can’t wait to kick off our pro league season in Dublin next week. Belgium and Germany are both top sides, but we have exciting squad with a point to prove after the summer and we will be ready for both challenges.

“On a personal note, it’s a huge honour to be captaining the side and I will give everything to do the role in the best way I can.”

Women's Team: 

Grace Balsdon 31

Darcy Bourne 2

Katie Curtis 18

Georgie Gardens 17

Paige Gillott 34

Olivia Hamilton 19

Sophie Hamilton 23

Sabbie Heesh 25

Tess Howard 14

Holly Hunt 11

Pippa Lock 8

Alex Malzer 5

Becky Manton 3

Lizzie Neal 22

Lily Owsley 26

Flora Peel (C ) 28

Miriam Pritchard 40

Ellie Rayer 13

Martha Taylor 30

Amy Thompson 10

Anna Toman 6

Lily Walker (C ) 4

Men's Team: 

James Mazarelo 16

Ollie Payne 20

Nick Park 2

Ben Fox 47

Sam Taylor 46

Sam Hooper 33

Liam Sanford 27

Conor Williamson 30

James Albery 14

James Gall 26

Jack Waller 3

David Goodfield 19

James Oates 24

Will Calnan 31

Tom Sorsby 5

Zach Wallace ( c) 7

Nick Bandurak 23

Jacob Payton 8

Henry Croft 9

Matt Ramshaw 77