Question: How excited are you for the #FIHProLeague?
Phil Roper: Yes, really excited. It’s such an amazing chance to play the top teams in the world on a more regular basis, going home and away, having trips around the world and playing so many competitive games for your country. I think it’s really exciting.
Q: What makes #FIHProLeague different from other events?
PR: I’s completely different. Normally we are used to playing five or six games in eight or nine days. To get the chance to be fresh and have some really competitive games, with hopefully some really big crowds, is a really exciting time.
Q: How does it feel to play at home?
PR: Again, amazing. To have all of the top teams coming to us [is great], and I know we have sold a lot of tickets already. To go to Lee Valley and hopefully get some great home support is really exciting. Every player wants to play in front of big crowds. I think that is a massive ‘up’ for the game and hopefully that can continue for a long time.
Q: How will your preparation be different for #FIHProLeague?
PR: Obviously we [England] change to GB [Great Britain], so we’ve got a few really talented players coming in from Scotland and we are really excited about teaming up with them. With likes of Alan Forsyth and Chris Grassick [being involved], I’m really excited for that. As I say, prepare well, get cracking and hopefully we’ll start off with a win.
Q: Is #FIHProLeague a topic of discussion with your friends and family?
PR: Yes, of course. It’s not often that you get to pop over to New Zealand and Australia for one or two games, so that’s a pretty exciting time, as well as the fact that they they can come and support on more of a regular basis. We’ve managed to get the Twickenham Stoop [Rugby Stadium in London] for our New Zealand home games, which is apparently almost sold out. 15,000 people coming to support Hockey is going to be pretty amazing.
Q: What do you like the most about the Women’s game?
PR: It is very similar to men. The high intensity, the skill on show, some of the world-class players that Great Britain have – it is a really exciting time to watch women’s Hockey as well as men’s. The fact that our sport is one of the unique ones, where you can come down and watch women and then men and then men and women, is really exciting.
Q: Message for fans?
PR: Get down, buy tickets, shout loud and support us. It will be great.
Q: Who will win?
PR: GB? :)
#FIHProLeague
