Adam Dixon is the England and Great Britain men’s team captain. He currently has 174 caps for England and is approaching 100 caps representing Great Britain. A long international career, that started back in 2009, has seen Dixon win gold at the EuroHockey Championships in 2009 and bronze medals at the past two Commonwealth Games. The 33-year-old is now a senior figure in the team and will be busily directing activity from deep at the heart of the Great Britain defence.
What does it mean to you and your team to be able to play international hockey again?
Adam Dixon: “The upcoming FIH Hockey Pro League fixtures are really important for us. They have been highlighted in the calendar for quite some time now as ones that we want to be hitting the ground running in. It is also really nice to check how well training has been going and how we are progressing as a team. There is a big year coming up with the Olympics next summer. We have been training really hard and I feel that the squad has been improving but without those games it is hard to know where we are improving. These FIH Hockey Pro league fixtures will provide that knowledge.”
Are you concerned about players being 'off the pace' or has the team training and the restart of the domestic league erased any rustiness?
Adam Dixon: “No, I am not concerned about our players being off the pace, not at all. First of all, coming out of lockdown, it was obvious the guys, back at home, had been training really hard, looking after themselves and taking a mental break while keeping physically sharp. When we came back to Bisham Abbey [Great Britain’s training base], the level of intensity was really high. The inter-squad games we have played have been really close to international standards and competition for spots is really, really high. That [the pandemic] is not going to be an excuse we will be using going into these games.”
What are you expecting from the Netherlands in terms of playing style and strategy and what are you looking for from your teammates to put pressure on them?
Adam Dixon: “I think the Dutch are going to be really up for these games and they are going to want to be playing on the front foot: aggressive, counter-attacking, fluid – the style of play they are famous for. The challenge for us will be to match them toe-for-toe and to come into the matches with the attitude that these games are winnable. We have proven over the years that we can be a real thorn in the side of the Dutch team. We are aware fully of some of their individual threats and the strengths they possess but as a GB team we are more than capable of dealing with that and we have proven it time and time again. Our strength is as a collective, as a team and we are looking to put a marker down in these two games.
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