I was delighted when Jack asked me to write a post about our family’s experience with Hockey Mentors writes Lindsey M.
It gave me the perfect opportunity to reflect on the incredible experiences all three of our children have had, and continue to have, through the Hockey Mentors programme.
Our eldest son, Freddie, joined in 2023, not long after Hockey Mentors was established. We heard about this exciting new programme for children from state schools and/or ethnic minority backgrounds, led by a highly regarded coach with an impressive depth of experience. For us, it sounded like a fantastic opportunity.
Freddie had developed a real love for hockey after first picking up a stick at the age of seven. But, coming from a fairly small club in the South East of England, his exposure to hockey beyond his club environment was limited. His state school offered no hockey, yet he wanted more – more coaching, more competition and, ultimately, the chance to see just how far he could take his hockey without him
having to change schools or move into a different educational environment to access those opportunities. And this, for me, is one of the things that makes Hockey Mentors so special. There are so many talented young hockey players in state schools and from ethnic minority backgrounds who simply don’t have the same access to high-level coaching, facilities, competitions or networks as their peers. Sometimes the challenge isn’t a lack of talent or ambition – it’s simply a lack of opportunity.
His first experience was the Mizuno Cup, where he was thrown straight into the deep end alongside a group of children he had never met. For a 13-year-old, that can be pretty daunting! But it quickly became apparent that putting together a group of like-minded players, all with similar ambitions and a genuine love of hockey, was a pretty perfect recipe for high-quality hockey and, just as importantly,
plenty of fun.
And that was just the beginning.
Next came the High Performance Programme (HPP) – a series of brilliantly organised two-day camps throughout the season, each with a clear focus and purpose. The standard of coaching was exceptional, with coaches ranging from National League level through to former England, Scotland and GB players. The quality and intensity of the sessions challenged Freddie to raise his game, while the environment encouraged him to enjoy the process.
Beyond HPP came the Junior International (JI) programme, identifying players with the potential to progress to national level. Alongside this was a competitions programme, with indoor and outdoor fixtures against prestigious clubs and schools. Suddenly, Freddie was being exposed to a level and calibre of hockey that, only a few years earlier, he could never have imagined. But perhaps what has
impressed us most about Hockey Mentors is the support that extends far beyond being on the pitch.
Throughout Freddie’s journey, there has been support, guidance and feedback off pitch, as well as the opportunity to build friendships and connections with young players from across the country. He now has a huge network of friends through Hockey Mentors – friendships that have been strengthened through shared experiences, challenges and, of course, plenty of hockey!
The tours to Ulster, Holland and Barcelona have been particular highlights. For the children, these trips are about so much more than playing hockey. They are opportunities to experience different environments, spend time together and test themselves against some of the best U14, U16 and U18 teams in Europe. How a group of children who, let’s be honest, don’t train together very often can come
together and play the level of hockey that they do continues to astound me.
Freddie’s Hockey Mentors journey reached another special milestone this season when he was selected for the Scotland U16 boys’ team. We have absolutely no doubt that Hockey Mentors has played a huge part in helping him get there. It has given him confidence. It has given him belief. It has taught him to aim high, back himself and, perhaps most importantly, believe that he belongs in those environments. As parents, seeing your child discover what they are capable of is incredibly rewarding. Hockey Mentors has helped Freddie not only reach his potential but push beyond what he perhaps thought was possible. Throughout this time, Freddie has continued his education in the state school system, where hockey opportunities and exposure can be very limited compared with those available to children at some independent schools. Would he have got to this level in a state school setting without the HM support? We’ll never know the answer to that but we do know that it’s undoubtedly helped him along the way.
As Freddie’s HM journey sadly comes to an end because of his age, we are lucky enough to have 2 younger children who are involved and getting the same great experiences. One has been a part of HM for the last 18 months and has already been to Holland (twice!) and the youngest one is now, in her words, FINALLY allowed to be on the pitch rather than standing watching on the sidelines! She started 6 months ago and has already been a part of the Indoor Hockey grandslam, her first HPP camp and in addition to this, will be going on her first Holland tour in November of this year. We are excited to see where their HM journey takes them…..
Hockey Mentors is an innovative, thoughtful, supportive and incredibly well organised programme that genuinely brings out the best in young people. We feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of it and are excited to see how it continues to grow and develop.
