Crutchley succeeds Lee as England men's hockey coach

Concluding a post-Olympic shake-up of senior positions, Crutchley succeeds Jason Lee, who was recently appointed women's coach to replace Danny Kerry, England Hockey's new performance director. The 42-year old has been assistant coach for seven years and was part of the Great Britain back room team at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, where the men's team ranked fifth and fourth respectively. His immediate priority will be this summer's World League with the European Championships, World Cup, Commonwealth Games and Olympics in Rio following over the course of the next three years. “As someone who has a strong passion for coaching and for hockey in Great Britain, I am absolutely delighted to have been given the opportunity," said Crutchley. “With personnel changes, following the London Olympics, there will be significant challenges, particularly in the short term. "However, I am confident that the team can evolve to continue to challenge for medals at the highest level.” Crutchley made 80 international appearances as a player with a bronze medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur the highlight, while alongside Lee he has guided England up the world rankings from 11th to their current position of fourth. “I am really excited about Bobby’s appointment," said Kerry. "Fundamentally he believes in the athletes and the programme we have and that is the key building block for success. "Bobby demonstrated not just an in-depth understanding of the challenges that come with this leadership position but also a genuine insight into what needs to and can happen. "The insight that our coaches have to coaching and leading at this highest of levels, I believe, are a competitive edge that will stand us in good stead over the coming years. "I look forward to working with Bobby and feel the programme and team is in the most capable and ambitious of hands.”