Argentina women's national field hockey team

Argentina national women's field hockey team represents Argentina in women's field hockey. They are also known by the nickname Las Leonas, meaning "The Lionesses". They are the reigning World Cup holders, and they are currently ranked at the top of the FIH World Ranking.^[1]

History

Hockey was introduced in Argentina by English immigrants in the beginning of the 20th century, and the first women's teams were officially formed in 1909.^[2] In 1997, Sergio Vigil, a former player for the men's national team, was appointed coach. Under his leadership, Las Leonas achieved their first World Hockey Cup title, their first Olympic medals, their first Champions Trophy medals, and many other achievements. The team went from having a rather limited audience to becoming a national sensation, with some of the players even appearing as models in advertising campaigns.

Nickname

Throughout its history, the team has developed a reputation for being tenacious even when a match appears to be lost. For this reason, a lioness was chosen as their symbol when the team qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics. During the second round of games, Argentina played against the powerful Dutch team, and they chose this occasion to place the image of a lioness on their shirts for the first time.

The image was designed by then-player Inés Arrondo together with Vigil's sister-in-law.^[3] Argentina won that match, went on to win the silver medal, and Las Leonas were born. Subsequently, the junior (under 21) team is called Las Leoncitas ("the baby lionesses" or "the lioness cubs").

The lioness logo was redesigned in 2006 by the team kit supplier, Adidas, along with Confederación Argentina de Hockey and even some of the most representative players. This is slightly different from the original, showing the lioness' tail pretending to be a hockey stick while holding a ball.^[4]

The nickname also falls in line with an unwritten Argentine tradition of naming national teams after big cats: the men's rugby union team is called Los Pumas ("The Pumas"), and the women's volleyball team is known as Las Panteras ("The Panthers").

Players

Current squad

At the beginning of the 2011 Champions Trophy.^[5][6]

Past players

Not in use Jersey Numbers

Although not officially retired, these numbers have not been assigned to other players since then.

• 3 – Magdalena Aicega, Defender, 1994–2008
• 9 – Vanina Oneto, Forward, 1991–2004

Tournament records

Junior team

Gallery

See also

• Argentina men's national field hockey team
• 2010 Women's Hockey World Cup

Notes

• The team alternates between light blue and black skirt/socks when using their main kit, even during the same tournament, apparently arbitrarily. For example, during the 2010 World Cup, see photos from Day 1 (black), Day 3 (light blue) and Day 6 (black).

References

1. ^ FIH World Ranking – Updated 4 July 2011.
2. ^ (Spanish) History of the Argentine Hockey Confederation
3. ^ (Spanish) Interview with Inés Arrondo by DeporTEA Press, 10 August 2010.
4. ^ (Spanish) [1], 29 September 2006.
5. ^ Rabo FIH Champions Trophy 2011
6. ^ (Spanish) Player information from the Argentine Hockey Confederation
7. ^ ^{a b c d e} International Hockey Federation – Results Archive – Searchable database of historical results of international competitions.
8. ^ Pan American Cup – Final Standings 2001–2009, from the Pan American Hockey Federation.
9. ^ Singapore 2010 Gold Medal Match Result
10. ^ Pan American Junior Championships – Final Standings 1988–2008, from the Pan American Hockey Federation.

External links

• (Spanish) Confederación Argentina de Hockey Official site of the Argentine Hockey Confederation