大象传媒

Lucilla Wright and Rachel Walker are the perfect people to talk to when it comes to hockey in Warwickshire, as well as the country. With over 260 caps for England and more than 25 years experience at Olton & West Warwickshire Hockey Club between them these ladies can tell you a thing or two about the sport.

I called them just after they had completed a training session in preparation for the European Championships which are being held in Manchester and begin on Saturday, 18 August.

鈥淭he preparations are going very well鈥�, said midfielder Lucilla Wright. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had to work really hard and it鈥檚 been quite intense, but we鈥檙e feeling confident and home advantage should play a big part鈥�.

As an added incentive, the top three teams from the tournament also qualify for the Beijing Olympics, but Walker reiterated the fact that this has been put to the back of the players鈥� minds: 鈥淲e have made it clear that our priority is to do well in the Championships and not to let our minds wander to thoughts of the Olympics鈥�.

Speaking to these two talented players about how they first got involved in hockey they both put it down to the influence of PE teachers.

鈥淢y PE teacher at secondary school was the Olympic captain for the women鈥檚 team at the Seoul Olympics, so she was very enthusiastic about getting me involved and helped me to progress鈥�, said Wright.

Walker also cites her PE teacher as a key influence: 鈥淪he really encouraged me to play, but I was very raw to begin with as my background was in athletics鈥�.

And what of the next generation? With the extraordinary sums of money in football and its popularity across playgrounds, how can we expect to see youngsters following in the footsteps of Wright and Walker?

鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to compare football to hockey because it鈥檚 in its own league in terms of popularity鈥�, claims Wright. 鈥淗owever, if the England hockey team can be successful then the popularity of the sport should grow鈥�.

鈥淭here also needs to be better school and club links, and hockey should be played at primary school too鈥� said Walker. The grass roots level is the best place to begin, agrees Wright: 鈥淢ore kids need to get involved at junior level and schools need more enthusiastic teachers鈥�.

Both players are quick to point out that England Hockey has been making great strides, but more needs to be done at school level.

A great sport with pace and skill, which is not only accessible but enjoyable, hockey should be a national treasure, a game that we invented and should be proud to play and promote.

I will certainly be keeping a close eye on how the women鈥檚 team do in the Championships, and especially cheering on our two local stars.