Hockey: Players having say in new Black Sticks coach

Hugo Inglis celebrates with team mate James Coughlan after scoring. Photo / Getty Images

Hockey New Zealand are working closely with their players as they search for a new coach for the men's Black Sticks.

Applications are flooding in for the role vacated by Colin Batch earlier this month.

Hockey New Zealand High Performance Director Terry Evans says it's important to hear from the players about the type of coach they want to play under.

Evans says it's not a Hockey New Zealand programme run out of an office and it's very much athlete driven and he'd like to continue discussions with them in the coming weeks.

Hockey New Zealand hope to have a new coach confirmed by early February.