Hockey India names Frederic Soyez as Junior men’s chief coach

A day after confirming the end of P.R. Sreejesh’s tenure as coach of the Junior men’s team, Hockey India named Frenchman and former France and Spain coach Frederic Soyez as his successor.

The 48-year-old pipped compatriot and former colleague Aymeric Bergamo to the job by virtue of his greater experience including as High Performance Director for France Hockey. Soyez earned 196 caps for France scoring 195 goals and has previously coached both France and Spain across three Olympics — Spain in 2016 and 2020 and France at home in 2024. He was also the French manager during its silver at the 2013 Junior World Cup and bronze in 2021.

“We welcome Frederic Soyez to the Hockey India family. Frederic comes with outstanding international credentials while also successfully developing young talent and high-performance systems,” Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said in a statement.

“This structure aims to create a seamless and aligned coaching philosophy across all age-group programmes, ensuring that players transitioning from sub-junior to junior and eventually to senior levels develop under a consistent playing style, training methodology, and tactical framework,” the statement added.

Sreejesh, a former star goalkeeper, was removed from his role just after 17 months following the expiry of his contract after guiding India to a bronze medal-finish at last year’s FIH Junior World Cup in Chennai and Madurai.

In a strongly-worded social media post, Sreejesh vented out his frustration, saying his tenure was brought to an end despite winning five medals in as many tournaments during his stint, but Hockey India argued that the decision was taken considering long-term vision of building a sustainable high-performance ecosystem aligned with India’s ambitions for hosting the 2036 Olympic Games.

One of the most accomplished coaches in European hockey, Soyez brings over three decades of elite coaching experience, including 15 years as an international player for France and over 15 years as a head coach at the highest level.

Soyez, who enjoyed an illustrious playing career with France from 1995 to 2010, earning 196 international caps and scoring an impressive 195 goals for the team, coached the national men’s hockey teams of both France and Spain.

He has coaching experience at three Olympic Games, having guided Spain at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics before leading France at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

During his tenure with Spain, he guided the team to a silver medal at the 2019 European Championships, while also steering them to quarterfinal finishes at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics.

A proven developer of young talent, Soyez coached France to a historic silver medal at the FIH Junior Men’s World Cup in Delhi in 2013 and most recently guided the French U-18 men’s team to a silver medal at the 2025 European Championships.

He additionally served as the High-Performance Director of the French Hockey Federation from 2021 to 2024, overseeing the country’s broader high-performance and athlete development structure.

His coaching resume also includes participation in two FIH Men’s Hockey World Cups (2018, 2023) and six European Championships (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023), underlining his extensive experience at the elite international level.

At the domestic level, Soyez guided Lille MHC to French Indoor and Outdoor Championship titles in 2012, along with EuroHockey Trophy Indoor and Outdoor titles in the same year.

Widely regarded for his expertise in high-performance systems, athlete development, and penalty corner strategy, Soyez has consistently built teams with strong tactical structure and competitive consistency across all levels.

Hockey India’s long-term strategy also places significant emphasis on developing Indian coaches alongside international experts.

To ensure knowledge transfer and continuity, Indian coaches have been integrated across the senior, junior, and sub-junior national camps, with designated Indian coaches working closely alongside the respective head coaches at every level.

(WIth inputs from PTI)