Hockey: Greg Nicol earns top job with Black Sticks men

Greg Nicol will take the reins of the Black Sticks men. Photo / photosport.nz

Former Olympian Greg Nicol has been announced as the new head coach of the Black Sticks men.

A former assistant coach of the side, including at the Beijing and Rio Olympics, Nicol was also an assistant coach for the Black Sticks women at the London Olympics.

Those three Olympic appearances added to his two trips to the pinnacle of the sport as a player, having amassed 200 caps and 244 goals for South Africa.

In 2017, Nicol took on the challenge of a newly created role as the Athlete Pathway Manager for Hockey New Zealand, attempting to lay the foundations for a national talent development system for hockey in New Zealand, before he left to pursue other opportunities in 2019.

Now he's back, and Hockey NZ high performance general manager Darren Smith explained why the organisation opted for Nicol.

"After an extensive recruitment process we feel that Greg's strengths can bring this team to the next level. He is a direct and attack-minded coach who has a clear and concise vision on how the team will play.

"Greg is a highly valued coach who was able to have a significant impact on the players through the Rio Olympic campaign. I am also personally looking forward to working with Greg again after being in Beijing together and working closely with him as the Athlete Pathway Manager."

For Nicol the opportunity to return to the Black Sticks men programme was too hard to resist.

"With a Commonwealth Games next year, and a World Cup the year after, it's an exciting time to take on this opportunity to lead our men through this next phase.

"I'm looking forward to getting stuck in and building on the strong foundations that have been laid by Darren and the wider coaching staff. Plus, I'm excited to see some familiar faces back in training."

Nicol will start the role at the beginning of February with selection camps taking place in preparation for the Commonwealth Games.