Great Britain women will be starting their FIH Pro League campaign with a tricky two-match encounter with Australia at the Olympic Park in Sydney over the weekend of 1 and 2 February. Last season, the Hockeyroos finished the competition in third position, while Great Britain were left in the bottom half of the table in eighth place.
Matches between the two sides saw Australia win 3-0 and 4-2. However, a new season, playing experience under the young team’s collective belt and the invaluable commodity of more time under the guidance of Head Coach Mark Hager has given captain Hollie Pearne-Webb fresh impetus and, as we hear in the video interview, the captain is raring to go.
What is the team hoping to achieve in the FIH Hockey Pro League this season?
Hollie Pearne-Webb: “We really enjoyed the Pro League last year and it really taught us a lot throughout the year. We sort of went on journey. This year we are looking to start as we mean to go on. We will go in hard. It is also just great preparation for the Olympic Games further down the year as well. So, yes, it will be good to see other teams and how they are getting on and how we match up at this stage with six months to go until the Olympics.”
How have your preparations for the competition gone so far?
Hollie Pearne-Webb: “The girls had a bit of time off after the FIH Olympic Qualifiers and then we were back in training. Then there was the Christmas break. The girls have come back in really good shape after Christmas. Training and the prep has been stepped up a bit to a higher level and that is great. I think we settled down and got some consistency in the Qualifiers and that has been lifted another level in training so that has been great.”
What do you need to do as a team to achieve your target for the season?
Hollie Pearne-Webb: “I think our target is to be as prepared as we can be for the Olympic Games and use every game as a real opportunity to get better. We obviously want to go and win and learn how to win. We want to make that [winning] a habit. The Pro League offers a really good opportunity for that to happen. It’s not just training, we want to go over to Australia and win and the same in New Zealand.
What do you feel you learnt from the first season that you will take into this season?
Hollie Pearne-Webb: “Last year we learnt a lot about ourselves as a team and playing people in different positions. And now we are sort of more ‘set’. I think this year our aim will be learning how to win and how to make that a habit. And there are all those tiny different little things we will do on the pitch - just honing those tiny little details.”
What do you expect from your opponents and how will you mitigate the challenges they pose?
Hollie Pearne-Webb: “Other teams will be doing similar things to us to prepare themselves as well as they can for the Olympic Games. Some teams will mix their teams up throughout the season, while others might try to solidify their squad. But we expect everyone to be raising the bar in every game. And we expect those games to be really, really challenging as we lead into those last few months ahead of the Olympic Games.”
What is your message to the fans?
Hollie Pearne-Webb: “I can’t wait for the home games. I loved playing at Lee Valley, I loved playing at The Stoop. It is just so exciting, and the fact that we have double headers as well, will just be great. Message to everyone is just come and watch. We really appreciate every single person who cheers us on. Each match is really exciting. It is always an event. We want to put hockey on the map and we want people to watch it and enjoy it just like we do.”
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