England hockey chief urges vigilance ahead of Commonwealth Games in Delhi

In the wake of the Mumbai bombings in November 2008 and a terror threat directly targeting the Hockey World Cup, the Indian Premier League and Commonwealth Games made earlier this year, fears of possible attacks are high.

But having attended a problem-free World Cup, England Hockey are well positioned to advise other sports on how best to approach the Games, and Munday emphasised the importance of good communication levels between administration, athletes and staff.

"We were fortunate because the World Cup was being used in some ways as a test event for the Commonwealth Games and we were more than satisfied with the support we got from the Foreign Commonwealth Office and the Met Police," Munday said.

"The advice I would give to all other governing bodies is put in the preparation. Make sure you're comfortable you've left no stone unturned in the procedures in place for your team and how you're going to respond if something happens.

"The athletes have to have faith in our processes and procedures and my feeling was the relationship and information flow we had between the team was good which I think helped the guys.

"I would advise other sports to have that type of open dialogue with athletes and staff because they have the right to know everything we know so being very clear about how that communication process is going to work is critically important."

Echoing Munday's sentiments, England and Great Britain defender Richard Mantell said the open communication between all parties at the World Cup had made for a more relaxed environment and instead of leaving players worrying had allowed them to focus on their hockey.

"It was important for us," he said. "Before we went I'm not sure we realised actually how important it would be for us to get that information and know whats going on.

"Security always has such an impact on us as athletes it was really important that we had that understanding of what was going on so we could focus on the job at hand. It was important to understand the bigger picture - not to frighten us - but to understand everything that was going on."

Having returned from the World Cup early after suffering a dislocated and broken ankle during England's 5-2 victory over Pakistan, Mantell insists he is well on the road to recovery.

Early indications suggested he could have been ruled out for up to 12 months but the penalty-corner specialist is hoping to be back training by mid-August. "Time frame is always difficult but we think six months," he continued.

"But obviously the priority is making sure I come back stronger. It's not an injury you typically see on a hockey pitch but I was very lucky with our team doctor being on hand and he was very positive about being able to sort it out.

"I ruptured my ACL in 2005 so I know what's involved in getting back to international fitness."