Elisa Gräve is excited about returning to international action as she and her team mates prepare for their encounter with Belgium in season three of the FIH Hockey Pro League.
“A new Olympic cycle has started and this is an opportunity for some of the younger players to show what they can do and It is a fantastic way for players to get regular experience of top-class international hockey”, said the German national player who has 79 international caps to her name.
Gräve missed out on the Tokyo Olympics due to a broken shoulder. The student, who is studying for a PhD, is now fully recovered and looking forward to being back international action.
Germany face Belgium women on the 16th and 17th of October at the Royal Uccle Sports Stadium in Brussels.
For Gräve, who has been involved in all three FIH Hockey Pro League seasons, the beauty of the FIH Hockey Pro League is the chance it provides for coaches to introduce new players to the senior international set up. The German team preparing to face Belgium has only one player – Pia Märtens – who participated in the recent Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. For every other player, this is a chance for them to show what they can do.
“We always have to be on our best when a competition starts. We are a good team but we have to make sure we show that from the start of the competition.”
When it comes to the FIH Hockey Pro League, Gråve believes that this is a good way of making sure the team is always ready to step onto the pitch at the top of their game.
“There is a lot of difference when it comes to preparing for the Pro League matches rather than the intense two week nature of an Olympic Games or a World Cup,” says Gråve. “Normally, we have been playing in the domestic league and then, we quickly change to a national team mindset. So the preparation for Pro League is a lot shorter than for the other big events.”
“We are very used to the fact that one weekend we could playing each other in the German league but then we come together to play for the national team. That has become very normal to us.
“I think what we need to do in our opening games is communicate a lot, stick to the basics and allow the new mix of players to get used to each other. We are also hoping to score a lot of goals. That is something that we are working on.”
When it comes to Germany’s first opponents, Gräve is under no illusions of the challenge the Red Panthers will provide.
“Belgium are a very athletic team and they have a lot of experience, so they will certainly provide a good challenge and ask a lot of questions of us.”
Watch the full interview on Watch.Hockey.
#FIHProLeague
