Field Hockey
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- chaley34@liberty.edu
The Liberty field hockey program and head coach Nikki Parsley-Blocker announced the addition of Craig Haley as their new assistant coach in June 2026.
"I'm thrilled to welcome Craig to our staff as we step into the next era of our program. We've built a tradition of bringing in and developing some of the top assistant coaches in the country, and Craig is exactly the right person to help us take the next step forward," Parsley-Blocker said.
Haley joins Liberty after spending three seasons (2023-25) as an assistant coach for the Stanford field hockey program.
An experienced coach across multiple levels in South Africa, Haley worked with Fish Hoek Hockey Club from 2019-22, working with the men's first team and the boys U19 team, while adding responsibilities in 2022 with the ladies' first team at Pinelands Hockey Club. He was the Director of Field Hockey at Fish Hoek, coordinating programs for 23 teams while building a hockey foundation at the primary school and high school. Haley also spent a year with the women's 50+ South African team, including a trip to the FIH Masters World Cup in Spain.
"I am thrilled to be joining the coaching staff at Liberty," Haley said. "The program has a history of punching above its weight, and under coach Nikki (Parsley-Blocker) it has solidified itself as a force in college field hockey. It is my intent to build on the foundations and help the program go even further than before."
As a player, Haley was a mainstay for the South African national team (2014-17), recording 10 goals over 30 appearances. With the national indoor team, he notched five goals in 12 matches. His playing career spanned five countries, with stops in Germany, Australia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom in addition to South Africa.
Haley holds level II coaching qualifications from the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the South African Hockey Association and is a level III coaching candidate from the FIH. He holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Cape Town.
"Coming off a BIG EAST regular season and tournament championship, adding one of the best freshmen classes in the country and returning nine of our eleven starters, our ceiling is high," Parsley-Blocker stated. "Craig's expertise will help us keep evolving and competing for everything this group is capable of. With the experience we return and strengths he brings, we'll be ready to compete at the highest level this fall."
Haley earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2007 and a master’s degree from the University of Cape Town in 2016.
