Jackson & Lewis to Lead Team at 2026 FIH Para Hockey World Cup

USA Field Hockey is thrilled to announce that Lindsay Jackson and Heidi Lewis have been appointed as the volunteer co-head coaches to lead the team at the inaugural 2026 FIH Para Hockey World Cup.

Jackson and Lewis, both USA Field Hockey Level 3 Certified Coaches and Coach Educators, bring extensive coaching experience. The pair specialize in team building, which will be essential over the next few months as USA Field Hockey looks to build a Para Hockey team to travel to Europe in August.

Jackson served as head coach of the College of the Holy Cross for ten years, from 2015 to 2025. In just her second season, she led the Crusaders to their first Patriot League Tournament appearance since 2006. She has proven success building programs from the ground up, having previously served as the inaugural head coach at Limestone College for six seasons (2009-2014), where she guided the Saints to their first winning season in 2011. In 2014, the squad claimed their first Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship, and Jackson was named ECAC League Coach of the Year and Division II Coach of the Year by Synapse Sports.

Jackson’s resume also includes being assistant lacrosse coach at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian College (2007-2008) and serving as assistant field hockey coach at Southern High School in Harwood, Md. (2006). She has been a coach for USA Field Hockey’s Nexus Program since 2012.

Jackson recently started the Sprouts Field Hockey Club in Dorchester, Mass. to grow the sport in her community. In addition to her USA Field Hockey Coaching Certification, she is an NCAA Women’s Coaching Academy graduate, levels 1.0 and 2.0.

Lewis has coached all ages and abilities, including athletes with disabilities. She is the owner and director of Beyond Sticks, a field hockey club in Maryland that focuses on personal growth and empowerment of athletes. She was appointed to this role in 2023 after running the organization as director of performance and operations for three years. As director, she oversaw the day-to-day operations but as the organization expanded she oversaw the addition of the Adapted Hockey program for individuals with developmental delays or intellectual disabilities.

Previously, Lewis was the head coach of the Catholic University of America for four seasons (2016-2020), where she received Landmark Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2017 and 2018. She served as assistant coach from 2012 to 2015, during which time the Cardinals secured two Landmark Conference Championships, two conference Coaching Staff of the Year awards, and three NCAA Tournament berths.

Lewis is a member of the U.S. O-35 Women’s Masters Team and is head coach of the U.S. O-50 Women’s Masters Team.

The 2026 FIH Para Hockey World Cup will be a 6-a-side tournament played at HC Myra in Amstelveen, Netherlands, and Louvain-La-Neuve HC, in Belgium, from August 21 to 25, 2026. The finals will be held in the same arenas as those hosting the FIH Hockey World Cup, namely the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands and the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium. The teams are co-ed, made up of ten adult athletes and five staff of coaches and managers.

USA Field Hockey is kicking off a fundraiser to help defray the cost for the 2026 FIH Para Hockey World Cup athletes and staff. Click here to donate.

To learn more about trying out for the 2026 FIH Para Hockey World Cup team, click here.