Scotland’s senior men’s hockey team has qualified for the World League semi-final for the first time, and will play at the tournament in London on 15-25 June 2017.
It is a tremendous achievement for Scotland – this is the first time a Scotland team has ever qualified for World League semi-finals, and the Scots now have the opportunity to play for a place in the Hockey World Cup, which will be held in India in November 2017.
Also featuring in London will be the likes of England, the Netherlands, India, Pakistan, Korea, Canada, China, Malaysia, and Argentina.
The Scots finished third at World League 2 in Belfast in March after a sensational 4-0 victory over Wales in the third-place play-off. The tournament was a fantastic success for the team; they finished three places above their seeding and Alan Forsyth was voted player of the tournament.
In the World League competition the two highest ranked of the third placed finishers from each event progress through to the next phase of the competition – World League 3.
Scotland’s place in World League semi-final was confirmed when USA defeated Russia in the third-place playoff at World League 2 in Trinidad and Tobago, meaning Scotland were one of the top two ranking teams in a third spot. As a result Scotland is now ranked 23rd in the men’s FIH world rankings.
Scotland men’s Head Coach Derek Forsyth said, “I’m delighted that we have qualified for World League semi-finals. It was a tremendous effort by the team and staff in Belfast and they thoroughly deserve the opportunity to play in London. We’re looking forward to coming up against some of the best teams in the world.”
Image: Perspective Photography
