01 Sep 2025
With multiple tournaments this summer as a Welsh international hockey player, this brings the perfect opportunity to recap everything: all of the successes, all of the difficult moments – the REAL version of elite hockey.
10 minute read
Jan 2025 Onwards
Build-Up
It is no secret that hockey is not particularly well funded, no matter which country you play in. As a Welsh player, this looks like a total of 6 training days (or 3 weekend camps), and 5 practice matches, from the beginning of the 2025 cycle, until Euros in late July.
As you can imagine, this means that some incredible ‘culture’ work is required, ensuring that everyone is committed to the process and our style of play, as well as the amount of effort to be put in away from international camps: running, strength work, and commitment to improving our technical abilities throughout the year.
We played practice games against Scotland (x4), and an England U21 side (x1). A highlight was a 0-0 draw against Scotland in early May, displaying our ability to stop the attacks of higher ranked teams with lots of experience. It also displayed our need for some goalscoring practice, which we subsequently worked very hard on, especially in the ‘danger zone’ of the circle (close to the goal).
June 2025
Nations Cup II
This was the inaugural Nations Cup II tournament. For those who don’t know, Nations Cup I is the key method of qualification for Pro League.
Nations Cup II is a new tournament (as of this year), and the winner of this is promoted to Nations Cup I.
In simple terms; Wales women are 2 tiers below the Pro League.
We went into the tournament ranked 6th out of 8. We also had 5 new caps on the team, as well as 10 players (more than half of the squad) on less than 10 caps. This made us an incredibly inexperienced side with respect to the other teams present. A lot of young players had to step up, alongside our more experienced players: the likes of Beth Bingham (C) and Sarah Jones (VC), both with more than 100 caps for Wales.
This was my first real ‘major’ tournament with Wales, having played a test series vs Malaysia, and Euro Qualifiers last year (3 games), and one Test game vs Uruguay in 2023.
As a team, there was minimal pressure on this tournament. Of course we would always want to perform to the best of our abilities for our country, but the goal of the year was entirely focussed on the second tournament: Euros.
This lack of pressure allowed us to play with freedom and flow, enjoying every pool game. To begin with, we drew with Italy (ranked 17th at the time, compared to our 25th), in a fast and exciting game ending 3-3. A personal highlight was scoring a well worked short corner routine. We then went on to beat Czechia 2-0. France was our final pool match, and it was a game where we knew we needed to keep a goal difference of -1 to reach the semi. We went 2-0 down, before coming back with a well timed short corner routine (Lily Roberts). The final minutes that followed was a heavy load of game management, knowing that 2-1 was enough, and not wanting to do anything ‘silly’ to give away our chance at a semi final.
Heading into the semi’s, we knew it’d be a tough game against Uruguay, who won their pool. Having played them before in a tri-nations tournament, we knew roughly what to expect; they would be skilful and direct. We went 1-0 up, but as is the way with sport, not everything goes to plan. We finished the game 2-1 down, after a heart-breaking last few minutes, where we were dominating, winning corners, and putting pressure on the Uruguay defence – we just couldn’t find the back of the net.
Playing Poland (who had the home advantage) in the 3rd/4th playoff was no mean feat: despite their lower rank of 27th in the world at the time, their structured style of play and indoor prowess can be difficult to break down. The game ended 1-0 to us, and after a week of hard work, we came away with a Bronze medal, exceeding our rankings by 3 places. Coming home with a medal (especially after such an emotional setback in the semi for me personally) is something to be very proud of, and displays an exciting future ahead for this squad.
Final Standings:
- France
- Uruguay
- Wales
- Poland
- Czechia
- Italy
- Malaysia
- South Africa
There are 9 teams in Pro League, 8 in Nations Cup I, and 8 in Nations Cup II. This means that, overall, Wales came in 20th place – higher than our actual world ranking of 24th.
See more info on FIH World Rankings below:
https://www.fih.hockey/outdoor-hockey-rankings
July-August 2025
EuroHockey Championships II
We knew the importance of this tournament a long time before we went. With EuroHockey having decided to increase the European A Division from 8 teams to 12, set for London 2027, this gave us the unique opportunity of a 1st or 2nd place gaining promotion (as opposed to the usual 1st place only).
A top two finish at Euros would require something that we couldn’t manage at Nations Cup: a semi final win.
We began the tournament with a 1-0 win against Switzerland; another team who were well structured and hard to break down. We were initially meant to play against Czechia on day 2 (as a double header), however, the weather had other ideas! After a beautifully warm week, the heavens opened and flooded the pitch, making it unplayable. Luckily, we were able to reschedule for an early game on day 3. We won this game 5-1, with some stunning field goals, scoring 3 in quick succession very soon after conceding. For the final pool game, we faced Lithuania on day 4, who we beat 2-0: they defended very well, but we were able to get the job done.
To our knowledge, with 3 wins in the pool stage, we were the first Welsh women’s team (at least in recent history) to win all of our pool games, coming away with 9 points, and topping the pool.
Winning the pool is a big deal in tournament hockey, since 2nd place in each pool plays 1st. Of course there is always the chance that 2nd beats 1st, but you don’t want to leave it to chance, especially when the semi final is the ‘most important game’ like it was for us (for promotion). So, having won our pool, we were set to play Austria.
Austria were silver medallists at the Indoor World Cup 2025. For those who have never played indoor, it is incredibly technical, tactical, and the teams are very strong at defending within their body space. We knew that Austria would not be an easy game that we could simply steamroll through. We would have to work incredibly hard on and off the ball to get the edge over this opponent.
We went 1-0 up in the first half, with a rebound goal from a short corner. We held on to this lead for some time, but early in quarter 4, we conceded – our focus slipping momentarily, the game now sitting at 1-1. Despite how the spectators were feeling (a fair few sweaty palms and heart rates through the roof), we kept our cool, knowing, finally, that we deserved to be there. Even receiving a green card in minute 58 didn’t dampen our mindset, still choosing to attack and play the way we loved: fluid, flowing, fun hockey, despite being a player down. During this period, we won an important corner with 90 seconds left on the clock. A well worked routine ended with a goal (I scored!!!), putting us 2-1 up right at the end of the game. The final few seconds were spent defending for our lives.
The relief at the sound of the final hooter was quickly taken over by the immense feeling of accomplishment – WE HAD DONE IT.
My favourite clip from the livestream of the tournament is the 30 seconds following the end of the game, where parents and supporters are shouting, clapping, hugging each other. The emotions on pitch were almost overwhelming, knowing that we had done what we had set out to do, in such thrilling fashion, with a group of truly wonderful people.
True to the story of all elite sport, as in life: there will always be highs and lows. The next day saw the final vs a strong Italian side. Games are defined by moments: we had many ‘could’ve been’ moments. Italy took 2 moments clinically. We equalised at 1-1, but couldn’t quite hold on to the end.
Nevertheless, it was a joy to be stood with a silver medal around our necks, having improved on our bronze from Nations Cup, knowing that, for the first time in 24 years, Wales will be attending an A Division Euros in London 2027.
We hope these podium positions to become a regular occurrence for this squad in the future, and look forward to next year, where we will have another Nations Cup II – aiming for a gold to complete our set.
Final Standings:
- Italy
- Wales
- Austria
- Switzerland
- Poland
- Czechia
- Lithuania
- Croatia
As well as performing well as a team, our very own Betsan Thomas was awarded player of the tournament by EuroHockey, after 5 absolutely stunning performances: her silky skills tore teams apart, and her work ethic was second to none. At 21 years old, she will be one to watch throughout the rest of her Wales (and GB) career. We are all so proud to see her efforts be recognised in this way, and I personally look forward to continuing to play alongside her over the next decade.
A good captain should lead by example. Our own captain, Bing (Beth Bingham), did this, and so much more: across the 2 tournaments, she scored 4x goals (as a centre back!), and was awarded 3x man of the match. We could not have asked for a better leader.
“2 more years! 2 more years!…”
To summarise our achievements of Euros this year, we have obtained: World Cup Qualifier (March 2026), European A Division status (Summer 2027), and a medal.
It is the biggest honour to have played for my country in two major tournaments this year, coming home with two medals: a silver and a bronze.
My final stats:
– 1x PC GOAL: Nations Cup II
– 3x PC GOAL: EuroHockey II
– 2x Man of the Match @ EuroHockey II
To have been a part of such an inspiring group of women has been some of the best experiences of my life so far. Not to get soppy, but I have learned so much from these girls, not just around hockey, but in the value of female friendships and role models. I love this team.
June-August 2025
Wales Men’s Recap
It would be wrong of me to write such a detailed post without a nod to our ‘other half’ – Hoci Cymru’s Senior Men’s team. My better half, Owen Sutton, played in both tournaments for the Senior Men this year, increasing his international cap tally to 20.
Nations Cup I
Our men were invited to Nations Cup I, which is one tier higher than the Welsh women (where a gold obtains Pro League qualification). In this tournament, Wales were ranked the lowest of the 8 teams: a steep mountain to climb.
This tournament was played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in nearly 40 degree heat, and humidity that makes it uncomfortable to simply sit still, let alone run around a hockey pitch! Despite the obvious challenge of playing hockey in these conditions, the men put in some fantastic performances, in some fast and thrilling games (e.g. 6-4 win vs Japan), with hat tricks from players like Jack Pritchard, and Jolyon Morgan.
One highlight of the tournament was a 2-2 draw against France (a top 10 international side, who have recently gone on to beat the Netherlands, ranked number 1), proving once again that Wales are capable of competing at the highest levels of hockey.
Wales finished 5th in this tournament, doing the country proud and exceeding their ranks by 3 places (very much like the Welsh Women!).
EuroHockey Championships II
After a disappointing result in the final of last year’s Euro Qualifiers, the men entered the EuroHockey II ‘B Division’ with one aim: Gold.
They stormed the group stages, winning 2/3 pool games, and drawing 2-2 to Scotland, with a LAST 10 SECOND goal from Gareth Griffiths – talk about keeping cool under pressure. Ultimately, that moment allowed Wales to top their pool, and cruise to a semi, and then through to a final, cementing their position back in A Division, in London 2027.
However, merely qualifying wouldn’t have satisfied this experienced and talented team, and their hunger for more success shone in the final against Ireland. Ireland are ranked 11th in the world, compared to Wales’ 18th at the beginning of the Summer. Despite this imbalance in rankings, a tight game led to a shootout to decide the winners – how much more drama could you have wanted?!
Wales came out on top, and finished with a gold medal, celebrating in style, and proudly singing the national anthem (best in the world, if you ask me). Jacob Draper was also awarded a well deserved player of the tournament by EuroHockey.
Overall
The Welsh men have increased their world ranking status to 16th, inching ever closer to that top 10.
They have maintained their Nations Cup I place for another year.
Like the women, they have also obtained a World Cup Qualifier (March 2026), an A Division Euros (Summer 2027), and a European B Division GOLD.
Thank You(s)
A heartfelt thank you to anyone who has read this far through my post.
Thank you to Storm Hockey for their continued support of my international hockey career, providing me with top-quality sticks, and other accessories.
Finally, a huge thank you also to Hoci Cymru & all the staff, for always finding a way to make tournaments like this possible for all of the athletes involved, no matter the difficulties faced.
– Amy
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