Question: What does #FIHProLeague mean to you?
Lily Owsley: Exciting! Really excited to get started as it is something so different and something we practice a lot in training, trying to win one-off sessions or one-off games. Hopefully we can implement that, at the moment it is just excitement and apprehension. We have no idea what to expect but yeah looking forward to it.
Q: How are the preparations different for the #FIHProLeague?
LO: Yes, it is definitely more time on the road but we are trying to make the time away and on the road as homely as possible, so we will stick to our normal routines. Hopefully in a nicer climate we would have the same kind of routine that we have back at Bisham but to be honest, a lot of time away but also a lot of time back at home. So instead of long periods away at times we have kind of there back-there back and yeah we will still get the time to relax, switch off and spend time with our friends and family, the things that are important, perform but yeah it will be nice to see the world and what better way to see the world than going around competing with best nations of the world.
Q: How do you expect the atmosphere to be for the home games?
Hollie Pearne-Webb: Yeah, absolutely incredible. I remember back in 2015 when we had the Europeans at Lee Valley, I remember then realising the advantage we have from the home crowd and since, Hockey especially in Great Britain has just exploded and the amount of people who now see it and are involved in it and know what it is about and support us, it’s just been huge. I am personally looking forward to loads and loads of home games and I think that will be a massive advantage for us. Having home crowds, playing at Lee Valley, playing at The Stoop as well, we play New Zealand there. Really really looking forward to it and hopefully it allows more people throughout the country an opportunity to come and see us play.
Q: Do you think #FIHProLeague can raise the team profile?
HW: I really hope so. We are travelling all around the world, we’ve got more home games, I’m hoping that Hockey will be even more visible and that’s what we need. Not only in our country but throughout the world and that’s what we as players, throughout all the nations, are really hoping for that to happen from the #FIHProLeague. It’s really exciting and feels more professional by going home and away and yeah the approach we take would be different. Very much hope that Hockey can expand throughout the world and that the sport we love just gets shown more and that more people learn to love it like we do.
#FIHProLeague
