He said: “I am proud to announce our World Cup squad. The camps we had in Ireland and overseas were very good and allowed me to see the potential of all the players in our training panel. The 20 players selected give me the most options in defense, midfield and attack. We are very much looking forward to the upcoming tournament in Valencia, which will be our first test as a team as we look towards the World Cup.”The event also marked the unveiling of Turkish Airlines as the new primary sponsor of the senior men’s team. Jerome Pels, Chief Executive, Hockey Ireland, said: “We are pleased to reveal Turkish Airlines as the new primary sponsor of the Green Machine. Hockey is a global sport and we are delighted to partner with such an international brand like Turkish Airlines. They have a long history of sponsorship in sport and we are very excited about this partnership.”
Hasan Mutlu, General Manager Ireland, Turkish Airlines, said: “We are delighted to be announcing Turkish Airlines as the sponsorship partner for Ireland Ireland’s men’s hockey team.
“This is a momentous day for both organisations as we cement our relationship we can clearly see the immense potential for this team on the international stage. We are delighted to support them in their every success as the men’s hockey World Cup in India comes closer into view.”
Ireland, currently ranked 10th in the world, sit in Pool B with world number one Australia, number seven England, and number 17 China. The world number one always prove to be a potent threat and they picked up the Champions Trophy title during the summer, as well as a victory the last time Ireland faced them, but both sides have changed since then with former coach Fulton opting for a young squad at the Azlan Shah Cup while the Kookaburra’s will be without the experience of Mark Knowles, following his retirement from international hockey.
