Do we expect senior players to keep playing for their country after an arduous Olympic cycle? Welcome time off centralised programmes is commonplace after a four-year stretch. It is one reason why England women competed in the opening two mini legs of this year’s Pro League with a near 18-strong squad’s worth of fresh, largely young debutants.
Or to put it another way, from one former men’s international: “The GB programme is set up for graduates.”
In the GB Hockey programme, we have seen players (straight out of university) come in and, in some cases, trial mid-Olympic cycle for a period of months without pay. It smacks of elitism in some eyes.
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