WHEN THE WORLD PREPARES FOR HOCKEY'S BIGGEST EVENT, NEW ZEALAND DO IT OUR WAY
The world's leading hockey nations are currently preparing for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup with full-time programmes, international test matches and daily access to teammates and coaches. The reality for New Zealand's Vantage Black Sticks looks very different.
Today, Hockey New Zealand has released a behind-the-scenes video showcasing the unseen side of World Cup preparation. It captures the early mornings, late nights and everyday sacrifices made by athletes across New Zealand and around the world as they chase the dream of representing their country.
Unlike many of their international rivals, the Vantage Black Sticks embrace a global and regional approach to high-performance.
With athletes spread across the world, there are no months-long centralised camps or daily team training sessions. Instead, players prepare in regional environments, often training alone, balancing hockey around work, study and family commitments.
Some athletes are based where there is scale, in Auckland or Christchurch, while others complete much of their preparation on New Zealand's quieter pitches. Two members of the men's squad live in Germany, training together between club commitments, while two members of the women's team mirror this practice in Perth.
For many athletes, a typical World Cup preparation starts before sunrise.
A 5:00am alarm leads to an early gym or hockey session before a full day at work, followed by another training session in the evening. Recovery, nutrition, rehabilitation and skill development are all carefully managed around everyday life, rather than the other way around.
New Zealand's preparation demands something different.
It requires athletes to take ownership of their own development, remain disciplined when nobody is watching and consistently find ways to improve despite training away from teammates for much of the year.
General Manager of High Performance Simon Brill says that commitment is one of the defining characteristics of the Black Sticks programme.
"New Zealand has always had to have a work ethic. What most people don't see is that we've built a programme around it, deliberately. That's the standard this group holds itself to. We're going into this World Cup knowing exactly what it took to get here, and that's our superpower."
For New Zealand, the path to the World Cup has been built on sacrifice, resilience and a commitment to doing the work long before the spotlight arrives.
Now, with preparations almost complete, the Vantage Black Sticks will bring that same mindset to Belgium and the Netherlands when the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup begins on 15 August, ready to test themselves against the very best in the world.