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- Mark Hagar. Coach of the Women's Black Sticks.
- Kayla Sharland, midfielder for the Black Sticks in action.
Mark was one of Australia’s greatest hockey players, with 179 goals under his belt from more than 230 test matches. He is also the proud owner of a bronze medal he won competing at the Atlanta Olympics in August 1996, playing for the Australian Men’s Team.
“I’ve been coaching since I reached senior playing level and have always enjoyed it,” says Mark. “Once I retired from international playing, I took my coaching to the next level and undertook further studies at the National Training Centre for Hockey in Western Australia.”
Mark’s first experience coaching a national team was as Assistant Coach for the Australian Women’s Team, a role he held from 2001-2004. From 2005-2008, he was Assistant Coach for the Australian Men’s Team and Head Coach of the Australian Junior Men. After a change in the coaching staff and a restructure, Mark found himself looking for another role, so he applied for Head Coach of the New Zealand Women’s Team. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Mark’s coaching style and philosophy focuses on getting to know your opponents inside and out, and having an attacking style of play. Most importantly, he believes in instilling a sense of enjoyment and passion in the players.
“Of course, to be successful, we must set ourselves goals,” says Mark. “But we also have to ensure we enjoy what we’re doing. If you don’t enjoy it, you lose the competitive edge.”
The Women’s Black Stick’s win at the Oceania Cup means they automatically qualify for the World Cup in Argentina in 2010.
“The girls were on a real high after that win. They’d put in a lot of hard work in the six months leading up to both tournaments and it was great to see them reap the rewards after all their efforts,” says Mark. “It gave us a lot of belief in ourselves and cemented our team approach.”
Kayla Sharland plays as a midfielder for the Black Sticks and believes the reason they’ve done so well is down to Mark’s coaching style and passion for the game.
“I think he is doing really well, he has had a great start to any campaign. Two wins from two major tournaments for us shows how much effort he has put into the team,” says Kayla.
Mark has introduced a more attacking style of game to the team, as well as encouraging the girls to get to know their opposition inside and out.
“Being a striker himself, Mark has a good feel for the attacking style of the game and this fits with our team perfectly as we have a lot of quick girls who can exploit the opposition,” says Kayla. “He has also made us more accountable by making sure we are aware of the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses and play to them.”
The team is looking forward to a well-earned Christmas and New Year break, but they will still be keeping their fitness up in the gym in preparation for a tournament in Perth in February 2010.
We look forward to following your progress in February, Mark, and wish you and the team all the best for the next tournament.
