Belgium husband and wife team

JOHOR BAHRU( Thursday 4th June 2009): Belgium have a husband and wife team as manager and assistant manager -probably a first in the world of hockey
The Belgium team manager is Phil Rooseleer while his wife Leona is the assistant manager. The presence of the fatherly and motherly figures in the Belgium team to this year's Junior World Cup is a boost to the young players.
"All the players are like our children. We give them all the attention they need, especially when they are far from their family," said Rooseleer.
"But we don't have much problem with them (the players). We keep a close eye on them...after all they are young and need guidance, both on and off the field."
Yesterday morning, the husband and wife team was seen going about doing the chores at Belgium's two-hour training session under scorching heat, which was dedicated to penalty corner set pieces.
Rooseleer said the heat is really a big bother for his team and the other European teams. One way of checking the heat and humidity at the venue is to let the players cool in an "ice tub" after every training session.
Yesterday, the Belgium players, who trained at the Johor Bahru Hockey Stadium in Taman Daya were seen enjoying one of their "cooling sessions" after training with Rooseleer and Leona adding extra fun with some splashes of water here and there.
"The effect of the heat is still there but the players are getting used to it slowly. We should be able to handle this heaty problem by the time the tournament gets underway," said Rosseleer.
Belgium are drawn in Group A together with defending champions Argentina, Egypt, Pakistan and Russia. Their first match is against Egypt this Sunday which will be followed by a match against Argentina on Tuesday.
Their other matches are against Russia (June 11) and Pakistan on June 12.