Wales hockey squads named for challenging summer
Olympian Gareth Furlong is closing in on his150th cap and 100th international goal
- Published
Wales men will have co-captains for the 2025-26 international hockey season, while Beth Bingham will continue to lead the women's side.
Great Britain international Rupert Shipperley and Ben Francis will skipper the men's team as they build towards July's EuroHockey Championships II in Portugal.
As well as Shipperley, 2024 Olympians Jacob Draper and Gareth Furlong are also in the 24-player men's squad who start the season with June's FIH Hockey Nations Cup in Malaysia.
Among the 24 women selected, Holly Done, Lottie Atkinson, Jamie Bulbring, and Beth Peers earn first senior call-ups.
They also face a competitive summer schedule featuring the FIH Nations Cup and European Championships, kicking off with a series of Easter weekend friendlies against Scotland.
"This year's senior squad selection contains an exciting mix of experience and potential who will look to build on their positive style of play in 2024 which saw them reach the final of the European qualifiers," said women's head coach Kevin Johnson .
"There is much to look forward to as the group will meet together for the first time in this campaign over the upcoming Easter weekend in Scotland to get underway with some training matches before the focus shifts to the FIH Nations Cup II and European Championships over the summer.
"A third of this squad are also eligible for the Junior Women's World Cup which will be held in Chile in December 2025."
Men's head coach Danny Newcombe already has his eyes set on qualifying for the 2027 EuroHockey Championships in London.
"It was a near impossible task to narrow down our squad to 24 names," said Newcombe.
"This demonstrates the depth we are building in the player group.
"We have a significant number of players with the level of skill and ambition required to compete at an international level for Wales. With our three Olympians returning to the group, 2025-26 is going to be a really exciting season."
Wales men
Rhys Bradshaw, Alf Dinnie, Jacob Draper. Jonny Fleck, Ben Francis, Gareth Furlong, Rhodri Furlong, Gareth Griffiths, Dale Hutchinson, Hywel Jones, Daniel Kyriakides, Jolyon Morgan, Nic Morgan, Fred Newbold, Will Penrose, Rhys Payne, Jack Pritchard, Jamie Rawlings, Toby Reynolds-Cotterill, Will Riley, Rupert Shipperley (co-capt), Owen Sutton, Jack Tranter, Ben Wall.
Wales Women
Anja Atkin, Lottie Atkinson, Beth Bingham (capt), Jamie Bulbring, Amy Cradden, Lucie Daman, Rebecca Daniel, Freya Diamond, Holly Done, Emily Drysdale, Tilly Edwards, Ffion Horrell, Izzie Howell, Millie Holme, Ella Jackson, Sarah Jones, Katie Partridge, Beth Peers, Lauren Roberts, Lily Roberts, Maisie Riley, Betsan Thomas, Caitlin Witham, Rachel Goodwin.