Future Black Sticks U21 Teams Named for FIH Junior World Cups
Hockey New Zealand is excited to announce the Future Black Sticks U21 Women’s and Men’s teams selected to represent New Zealand at the upcoming FIH Junior World Cups.
The Women’s Junior World Cup will take place in Santiago, Chile from 1–13 December 2025, with the team departing New Zealand on 25 November to begin final preparations. Meanwhile, the Men’s Junior World Cup will be held in Chennai and Madurai, India from 28 November – 10 December 2025, with the men’s team departing on 24 November.
Head Coach of the Men’s side, Mike Delaney shared his excitement commenting, “this is a well-balanced group, blending exciting young talent with valuable international experience, and we believe they are well equipped for the challenges that lie ahead.
We’re also delighted to have Blair Tarrant joining the coaching group as Assistant Coach. Blair’s knowledge and experience at the highest level will bring huge value to this campaign and a fantastic learning opportunity for our players. Alongside Blair, we also welcome back Elliot Bartholomew, who re-joins the group as Manager and Coaching Support after playing a key role in our successful Junior World Cup Qualifying campaign.
With a challenging pool against Argentina, Japan, and China, we know we’ll need to be sharp, accurate, and well prepared from the very first whistle. Competing in the heat and intensity of India will be a real test, but it’s one we are ready to embrace as we look forward to a hugely anticipated tournament.”
While the men’s team prepares for the heat and hustle of India, the women’s side is gearing up for their own challenge in Chile. Women’s Head Coach Verity Sharland reflected on the journey so far commenting, “I’m incredibly proud of this group and every player who’s put their hand up throughout the selection journey. The team we’ve named is a dedicated, exciting mix who are ready to take on the challenge of USA, Korea, and Uruguay. We’ve got three players heading to their second Junior World Cup, which brings invaluable experience to the group.”
These tournaments represent the pinnacle of junior international hockey, offering an exciting opportunity for our emerging talent to test themselves against the world’s best and proudly wear the fern on the world stage
The journey to selection has followed a strong build-up, beginning with the Oceania Junior World Cup Qualifiers earlier this year. Since then, many of the selected players have continued to develop through domestic competitions including the Junior Hockey League and National Hockey Championship, contributing to a strong foundation ahead of the World Cups.
In October, both teams will embark on international tours to Japan and Malaysia respectively, providing valuable connection ahead of their final preparations.
FUTURE BLACK STICKS U21 WOMEN – JUNIOR WORLD CUP SQUAD
KATIE BOND, HANNAH DONALD, CHARLOTTE DUNN-HALL* KAEA ELLIOTT, GREER FINDLAY, HANNAH FINDLAY, EMMA FINDLAY, KATE FRASER* HOLLY HILTON-JONES, EMMA IRWIN, ELLA LEIGHTON, NIAMH MCKENZIE, CARA MORRISON, NINA MURPHY, JAYDA PAWHAU*, RIANA PHO, GEORGIE SHOTTER, MEZZY SURRIDGE, CHARLIE WILLS
*GOALKEEPERS TO BE NAMED FOLLOWING JAPAN TOUR
FUTURE BLACK STICKS U21 MEN – JUNIOR WORLD CUP SQUAD
AIDEN BAX, OWEN BROWN, DEAN CLARKSON, JONTY ELMES, SCOTT ILLERBRUN, JAVAHN JONES, JAKARTA KLEBERT, SAM LINTS, ROCCO LUDOLPH, FINLAY NEALE, GUS NELSON, HUGH NIXON, RYAN PARR, MILAN PATEL, BRADLEY ROTHWELL, MATTHEW RUETSCH, NICK STEPHENSON, JORDAN WHITTLESTON