Octopush Is A Hockey Thing, I Can’t Be The Only One Who Wants To Know More?

Over the last few years the sport of hockey has undergone a number of changes, with tweaks made and initiatives introduced that were all designed with the hopes of growing the reputation and profile of the game from the grass roots level upwards. To a large degree these moves have been welcomed and we are now beginning to see the signs that they are starting to bear fruit, but every now and then the sport throws something at you that you did not quite expect and hockey fans certainly got one of those moments this week when they were introduced to something called underwater hockey.

It was a new one on me, but yes it is a real thing and Great Britain have a team that will compete in the Underwater Hockey World Championships – in fact they already are as the side flew out to the Netherlands last month to being working their way through the qualifying rounds of the competition. As quaint as the tournament sounds, and it really is as simply as knowing how to use a btc casino for UK markets, it hit the headlines this month owing to the fact that a Kent music teacher had been selected in the squad and a story like this is gold dust for regional news outlets.

32-year-old Rona Wignall from Tunbridge Wells made the squad and she played her part in helping the side to a 4-2 victory over Spain in the Semi Finals, before they then defeated South Africa 4-1 in the Final and having successfully traversed the qualification route, the GB squad have now booked their place at the main tournament which is set to be held in 2027. In some ways the beauty of this is that the squad had to fundraise to cover their costs of competing, and Ms Wignall, a member of the West Wickham underwater hockey team, helped to raise £600 to go towards the total pot they needed for the qualifiers, so when she described them as being ‘like a family’ you can clearly see the commitment and camaraderie they share in their determination to make the most of this.

For those who have not heard of this variant of the sport, it is rather lovingly and laughably also known as ‘Octopush‘ and involves teams of players wearing fins and gloves who use a small hockey stick to push a 2kg puck into the opposition’s goal. Naturally, players have to hold their breath and swim underwater during play and rather bizarrely the sport is apparently a mainstay at Universities up and down the country, and there is even a British Octopush Association that counts 68 registered clubs around the UK, with more than 1800 players linked with them.

It may not be hockey as we know it, but it certainly seems like it has its supporters and Ms Wignall explained that although her first international tournament – the World Championships due to be held in Australia in 2020 – were ultimately postponed and rescheduled for 2023 following the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, with team GB finishing fourth that time around, they are certainly hoping for more at this time of asking.