Craig Fulton.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
South African Craig Fulton has emerged as the surprise front-runner to be the next chief coach of the Indian men’s hockey team. An official announcement of the same is likely in the next couple of days.
Although not as famous as some of his contemporaries, the 48-year old has an impressive coaching record.
Fulton, currently assistant coach with the Belgium, has been with the team since May 2018 and was part of the staff at the victorious 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar and the 2021 Olympics.
Prior to that, he coached the Irish national team for four years, helping it qualify for the Rio Olympics — its first ever in over 100 years — and was named FIH Coach of the Year in 2015.
He was also assistant to current England coach Paul Revington while at Ireland and assisted the South African men’s and women’s teams also.
As a player, he earned 191 international caps and was part of the South African team at the 1996 and 2004 Olympics.
Fulton will take over from Graham Reid who quit following India’s disappointing campaign at the recent World Cup. He is likely to join the side after the Pro League games later this month.