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Craig Keegan 1968-2023 | News from the hockey world Sport-rated
Hockey World News reports with deep sorrow that Craig Keegan has passed away after a brief illness. Craig has served in a variety of coaching capacities for England and Great Britain for over ten years, including as an assistant coach for the gold medal-winning women’s team in 2016. Craig had a significant impact on the sport in the UK. Kingdom, with links to numerous clubs and academies including Bedford, Beeston, Belper, Trent College and most recently Derby University.
Rod Gilmour’s hockey role pay tribute to Great Britain’s gold medal-winning assistant coach.
The hockey world has paid tribute to Craig Keegan, the former assistant coach of the GB women’s Olympic gold medal team, who died on Wednesday. hello what 54
Keegan, from Tasmania, first came to the UK in her late twenties and had lived in Derbyshire since 2000. She joined the Great Britain and England women’s program in 2013 and was a pivotal force in their attacking goal threats as England won European gold in 2015. and GB beat the Netherlands to claim Olympic gold for the first time in 2016.
Keegan had battled acute lymphoblastic lymphoma for 18 months. He married his partner, Sally, in early February and leaves behind a daughter, Olivia, from a previous marriage.
“You were loved by so many people, husband, father, coach, friend, inspiration, Craig, you were simply a legend and you will live on through all the people whose lives you have touched in so many ways,” Sally wrote. On Instagram.
Born in South Burnie, north-west Tasmania, where hockey was “playing harder and harder”, Keegan never won a game for the Kookaburras, but was cited as one of the best spikers in his early 20s after playing for Bedford and Beeston in the UK. .
“Another time I would have played for Australia,” said Todd Williams, a friend and former teammate. “He was a very good player for Tasmania, one of the best, but he was never pushed to anything higher.
“He came to the UK and that’s why I’m in awe of him as he came back in the late 1990s and was the AHL’s top scorer two seasons in a row.
“He was a great 1v1, but not a great scorer. When he returned from England, he caught everything thrown at him, he was able to turn corners, pass and come back with the whole package.
“There was an incredible elevation in his game to be one of the best in the country, while there was also a transformation in his character.”
England Hockey initially appointed Keegan in 2008 as head coach of the National Performance Center in Loughborough. Having coached both the men’s and women’s national teams as an assistant and head coach, Keegan then led the women’s under-21 team to bronze at the 2012 European Championships.
He was appointed GB and England women’s assistant coach to the senior team in 2013. He was also suggested to become head coach after England’s poor 2014 World Cup before working alongside Danny Kerry during a brilliant spell of two years.
The Australian left established GB with fellow assistant coach Karen Brown in 2017. In recent years he coached the Belper women while also being assistant director of sport at the University of Derby.
“The best at what he did, the best of humans and one we will miss dearly,” Alex Danson-Bennett wrote on social media.
“Craig, or Keegs, was also a fantastic coach and our goal guru,” Danson-Bennett had also revealed. in a Hockey Paper column in 2017. “He showed us how to be really tenacious as a striker, it’s a behavior as well as a skill, and I think he showed us how to be more exciting to watch and more exciting for the players.
“Let’s face it, everyone loves to score a goal, so he took care of the fun side of the game. He even managed to change our language, from shooting goals to goal, and that helped to change our way of thinking, giving us a more offensive mentality. Training with him was always fun.
On the pitch, he was a rock-hard striker, just as he was in his final weeks despite his terminal relapse in January.
“I saw myself as someone who was a player and a coach. winning was the result; I led by example and through the quality of the game”, Keegan once said the role of hockey In an interview. “However, in my desire to succeed, I have crossed the line at times and spent a bit of time in the dumpster of sin in my career. But I played at the limit of intensity!”.
Williams added: “He was committed, he was tough as nails and he would bug you in the wrong way, but he was still doing the complete opposite.
“He was a loyal friend. He would push and push you and it was always for your benefit.”
Iain Randall, a close friend and head hockey of Trent, said: “Craig’s passion and enthusiasm for the game will have a lasting impact on those lucky enough to have shared a field with him.”
England Hockey said in a statement: “Craig worked in various coaching roles for England and Great Britain for over 10 years. His contribution to the sport at a national level was extensive, with many club and school connections including Bedford, Beeston, Belper, Trent College and most recently Derby University. Our deepest condolences to Craig’s family.”
