England hockey team keen to go to World Cup in India

Ashley Jackson helped England win the European Championship last year

England's hockey players are determined to go to the World Cup in India despite ongoing concerns over security.

Team officials are seeking assurances that players' safety will not be compromised during the tournament.

But star midfielder Ashley Jackson said the squad is eager to take part in the event, which starts on 28 February.

"I'm pretty sure that none of us want to miss out on a World Cup, with all the hype and the crowds, so we shall see what happens," said Jackson.

The European champions are among 12 teams competing in Delhi, the host for the Commonwealth Games later this year.

Last week, England performance director David Faulkner told BBC Sport he would not hesitate to pull the squad out should intelligence reports suggest an imminent risk to his team.

England's badminton team withdrew from the world championships in India last year because of terrorist threats.

Jackson added: "Yes, of course (security) is discussed.

"We speak about it regularly as a squad, with the management and all the people that are in the know. We try to get a general vibe to find out what each individual is thinking.

"But there's not too much we can control. The only thing we can control is whether we go or not."

England, who finished fifth in the 2006 World Cup in Monchengladbach, are ranked sixth in the world but have targeted at least a semi-final berth.