Maddie Hinch shares club hockey delights as coaching takes hold

Eight years on from leaving Holcombe following a triumphant Rio Olympics, Maddie Hinch returned to Holcombe Park for an MH1 coaching camp, her team also including former Holc Laura Myers and current goalkeeper and England under-21 international Tilly Woodhead.

Hinch, who now works with USA Hockey, joined Holcombe in 2013, spending three years with the club, winning promotion to the Premier Division in 2013/14.

Hinch said: “It feels like a long time ago that I was here but obviously when I first walked through the doors of this club, it was an ambitious club, particularly on the women’s side trying to get promoted and playing in the Conference which was certainly entertaining at times!

“It’s just a lot of really fond memories and really, this was the last club I played for in the UK before my ventures in the Netherlands.

“There’s a lot of people representing the club here [with Maddie, Laura Myers & Tilly Woodhead] and it’s really nice to have Tilly coming through, you can see how much potential that girl has and it’s really nice to get her stuck into the showcases particularly because they are not easy, I don’t miss doing them [as a goalkeeper], I’ll tell you!

“I remember that day [returning to Holcombe after winning Rio 2016 gold], that whole period of my life still feels like a bit of a whirlwind, I’m not entirely sure what was going on.

“It was so nice, amongst the chaos, that we [Maddie, Shona McCallin and Nicola White] were able to get the time to come back to the club, show everyone the medals and inspire the next generation.

“That’s massive, for all the players that are involved now, too, as well as in the past to try to inspire people to go on to achieve their dreams just as we have – it’s huge. Being able to bring medals back to the clubs that helped put us in those positions is really important so I’m glad that we were able to do it and have that special day together.”

Hinch said that being able to share stories and be present at clubs in front of the next gen is an important cog.

She said: “For me, I think it’s just that visibility piece if we want to grow the game, to keep doing moments like these where we’re sharing the stories and getting to know the athletes – their why, their journeys, showcasing our sport and why we love it so much.

“It’s so important, the space for us is becoming smaller and smaller so it’s really important to showcase it where we can and for people to take those opportunities when we do get them to talk about the sport, to watch it when we can and invest it, give it the time it deserves really.”

Having spent nine seasons in the top-flight, Holcombe’s women were relegated in 2022/23 but bounced back immediately to win promotion from Division One South – Nick Bandurak’s side take on Wimbledon in their first game back in the top-flight next month. 

Hinch was delighted to see her former team return immediately, saying: “Absolutely, it’s great to see the women back in the Premier Division, it’s where they belong.

“I can appreciate that it’s not easy and there’s always a lot of change through the teams over the years so to sustain that quality is tough but if there’s any club that can do it, it’s Holcombe so I’m really excited to see the team back where they belong.”

Less than a year after retiring from hockey, Hinch has spent time coaching with the University of Connecticut and since Team USA, who finished fifth in Pool B in Paris, just two points behind Great Britain, who took the last quarter-final spot in the pool.

With a home Olympic Games to come in four years’ time, Hinch is excited about the future for the US team: “It was an amazing experience, the US position was a very unexpected position, I didn’t see it coming if I’m honest but I feel very grateful and proud to have had that opportunity to be part of the Olympic experience in a different way.

“To be pitch-side within a year of retiring is just crazy, I’m really grateful to the US team for putting so much trust in me.

“They’re an exciting group and obviously with Los Angeles next [in 2028], it’s a really exciting programme to be a part of. Paris from the pitch side was certainly more challenging than being an athlete – it turns out you have zero time off, no time for naps!

“It’s 24/7 work so I’m pretty knackered but happy to have had that experience for sure.

“Initially, I had six months at UConn, that was where I was initially placed – again, a role that I didn’t really see coming through to me but thought ‘why not?’”