The first independent website for Belgian tophockey

Colin Batch former Australian international and coach came to Belgium to guide the Dragons men back to the play off and national titles, but also to share his extensive experience of international tophockey with the Belgian national teams. With the season about to restart we asked him a couple of questions regarding both of his jobs...


What are your ambitions with the men from Dragons this season? And what needs to be done to make them come through?
We have a team this year that can make the playoffs and win the right to challenge in the next EHL season.
To do so, we need to increase our intensity and improve in the second part of the season. I expect it to be a very difficult & close competition.
We began the season with many changes from last year & we've worked hard to become a team that plays for each other. Our mental strength (overcoming setbacks in matches), our believe in each other and a strong desire to win will play a big part in making it through to the finals.

What will be the impact of the difficult weather circumstances during the preparation? It makes it very difficult as training & practice matches have been disrupted. However, on the positive side, it has allowed us to concentrate on the player’s core strength and fitness. We just finished a team building camp on the weekend, which was very positive. We were unable to play hockey but we were able to work on our tactics & we will be ready to play on Sunday.

What needs to be done (by federation, clubs, players) to get the Belgian national team to the level where they will be participating in every major international tournament?
The next qualifying tournament will also be very difficult, with four of the top teams in the world all from Europe. However, we have a very good development structure in place, which is regularly producing quality players. The success of the Belgium U18 team demonstrated this when they were crowned European Champions last year. One of the areas were we still need to improve is our ability to retain our quality international players who retire in their mid 20's, just when they are playing their best hockey. Introducing younger players into an experienced team make their transition much easier.

There also needs to be a strong link between the National program & the clubs program. There's no easy solution but to often the players are caught in the middle & we must avoid the situation where young players have 2 or 3 tournaments each year as physically they will not cope, or it can lead to a burnout situation, where they lose the drive to achieve at the elite level.


What do you think of the level in our Honor division? What are the differences compared to Australian club-hockey?
The level of club hockey played in Belgium is similar to Australia. Given the size of Australia though, each State runs a competition that is relevant to their own requirements. A majority of the Australian National team live in Western Australia and play in that competition & therefore is a very strong league, which would sit in between the Belgium & Holland leagues. The Belgium competition is a difficult one, which I understand is becoming stronger each year.

How are you adjusting to life in Belgium? Do you miss Australia?
Having played/coached with the Australia national for many years, I travelled extensively through Europe. Living in Belgium though is quite different from visiting with a touring team. People have been very helpful and as most people speak English, that has made my transition much easier. I am enjoying the opportunities that are presented to me with Dragons & with the Belgium Federation.
Do I miss Australia? Yes, definitely; mostly my two children. My daughter came over for Christmas & we enjoyed our first "white Christmas". Christmas in Australia is the holiday period, which most people spend at the beach. So it was very different. My son arrives this week & he'll leave temperatures between 30 - 40 degrees. However, again he is looking forward to the chance of being in the snow.

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