The 42-year-old (pictured top), who will lead the British team at the Rio 2016 Olympics where they will be looking to improve on their fourth-place finish at London 2012, succeeds Jason Lee after he was recently appointed as head coach of the women's team.

"There will be new coaches coming in as well as a number of new players," Crutchley, who has been an assistant coach to the senior men's programme since 2005 and was part of the British coaching staff at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, told BBC Radio Berkshire.

"Following a home Games the turnover of players will be significant, so the team will change on and off the pitch."

Crutchley, a former international forward, who won 80 England caps and a bronze medal at the Kuala Lumpur 1998 Commonwealth Games, will also take the team to the 2013 and 2015 European Championships, the World Cup and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.


His first major tournament in charge will be the FIH Hockey World League semi-final in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on June 29 to July 7.

Although the British men did not win a medal at London 2012, UK Sport increased its funding for hockey - owing partly to the bronze medal won by the women's team at the Games, indicating a positive future for Crutchley's squad.

"As someone who has a strong passion for coaching and for hockey in Great Britain, I am absolutely delighted to have been given the opportunity," he said.

"With personnel changes, following the London Olympics, there will be significant challenges, particularly in the short term.

"However, I am confident that the team can evolve to continue to challenge for medals at the highest level."

During his time as assistant to Lee, Crutchley helped coach England through their rise up the world rankings from 11th to their current standing of fourth and contributed to some of the team's best ever results on the world stage, including when they won the European Championship title for the first time in 2009 and the silver medal at the Champions Trophy the following year.


England finished just outside the medals at the 2010 World Cup, coming fourth, before another European medal followed – bronze – in 2011.

"I am absolutely delighted to see Bobby progress into the head coach role," Sally Munday, England Hockey's chief executive, said.

"He has been an excellent assistant coach and through the recruitment process has demonstrated that he has the knowledge and skills to step up to leading the men's programme.

"Bobby's ambition reflects our values and his passion for English and British success shines through."

With Crutchley and Lee confirmed as the head coaches of the senior men's and women's programmes, a further announcement concerning the appointments of their assistant coaches will be made in early March.

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