International activity is set to resume when John Clarke takes an Irish squad to Barcelona on January 30th and that weekend they will take on a leading club side, probably Real Polo or Egara Terrassa, followed by a match against the Spanish under-21s and then a full international.
"The players are keen to get moving," says Clarke, as he begins preparations for the European championship qualifying tournament at Belfield in July. The first training stint takes place in Dublin on January 5th and 6th.
In a 29-man panel, new figures include Glenanne goalkeeper Ian Clarke, Scottish-based defender Johnny McMeekin, YMCA midfielder Will Powderly and the young Cork C of I forward, John Jermyn.
The rules trial (carried out in Australia) requiring three players always to be outside their defending 25 will be continued, the FIH Executive Board has decided.
Four types of tournaments have been recommended to experiment further with the rule in the next two years; the men's invitational tournament in Hamburg 2002; the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2003; and both a junior tournament and women's invitation event, which are to be confirmed.
