It may have been their first ever appearance at the Asian Continental Cup, but the Singapore Women’s Masters over 40s hockey team emerged the champions, beating the host nation Hong Kong 1-0 to win gold last month.
It was a dream come true for the Singapore team who reached the finals after beating South Korea 2-1 in a shoot-out.
The players are now preparing for the World Cup which will be hosted in Cape Town and Auckland next year.
Captain Ping (Yan-Pheng) Tan, Global Head of EFX Liquidity at Bank of America, said: “This history-making victory moment would not have been possible without our brilliant world-class coach Wayne Blazejczyk and the focus, dedication and sheer determination from everyone in the team who had to juggle career and family commitments to train for the last few months and take time off work and families to compete.
“We knew in our hearts that getting a team together to make our debut appearance in this international tournament was a win, but taking gold is groundbreaking as we look to create more visibility and sponsorship opportunities to support more women and girls to compete in this beautiful team sport – field hockey- where we get to make lasting friendships and deliver results in our lives beyond hockey! Majulah Singapura!”
The team’s 18 players are a diverse range of mid-career professionals who balance high profile, high pressure jobs with competitive international sport. The squad was only formed a few months ago.
Their goal is to encourage more women in to competitive sports, particularly at Masters level, using the build up to the World Cup to elevate the profile of women’s hockey, encouraging greater participation and opportunities in team sports for all women and girls in Singapore.
Research carried out by Sport for Success (The Socio-Economic Benefits of Women Playing Sport 2017) reveals that:
- Women who play sport have higher levels of educational qualifications and confidence.
- Women aged 16 to 24 who engage in sport at least once a week are significantly more likely to be in a management role than those who do not play any sport.
- Women who play regular sport are more motivated to achieve long term goals.
- Employers benefit from the increased effectiveness of female staff who are active.
The team raised significant support ahead of its Asian Continental Cup campaign. The sponsors include SGX FX; global derivatives marketplace CME Group; consumer family healthcare company Colief; global insurance specialists Newline Group; financial trading platform 24 Exchange; and the independent global maritime consultancy Solis Marine.
