Latest news with #EnglandHockey
Belfast Telegraph
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
‘It's the right time to step away': GB Olympic hockey hero confirms international retirement
The Ulsterman, who represented Great Britain at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020, steps away from the game having won 141 caps, as well as winning 19 for Ireland. As well as being a two-time Olympian, Sloan also won bronze with GB at the EuroHockey Championships in 2017 and both the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games. A co-captain of the national side since 2017 with Phil Roper and George Pinner, the curtain has now come down on a glittering career for Sloan but he admits that it is the right time for him to hang up the stick and move into a new role. "I have loved being part of the senior squad but it's the right time to step away. I was in the squad for ten years, which is quite a long stint, and in my last few years, I suffered a lot of injuries and, as the gears progressed, I started to get more and more into coaching,' he explained. 'I definitely want to thank my family. My parents got me into the sport and followed me across to England and I have been a huge help in my career and all of my family constantly travelling over from Northern Ireland to support me has made a huge difference. "Also, my first club was Cookstown Hockey Club and it was an amazing place to grow up and learn how to play the game and a lot of club members have continued to support me over the years, which I'm very grateful." Sloan will now move into a role as coach developer for England Hockey, aiming to bring the experience that helped him play in all 11 Olympic matches GB played in across his two Games and in four Pro League campaigns to the next generation.
Telegraph
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Skorts-v-shorts row shows clear disregard for players' voice
I assumed the victory would have meant other sports would follow suit, but the camogie saga shows how far we still have to go. The issue is not that the camogie policy is skirted items – because that has a legitimate historical reason. It is a remnant of Victorian times, when women needed to prove femininity in the safety of skirts to be allowed to play sport. No – the issue is that choice was asked for by the players and then ignored by the Camogie Association. Comfort is a performance margin. But what seems to matter to the rule-makers is only 'tradition'. Tradition can be important, but if it is damaging or discriminatory, is it worth the nostalgia? The evolution of women's sports kit has moved from long dresses to skorts and I see no one reminiscing about the days of floor-length tennis dresses. To disregard player comfort is to completely miss the point of sport. The concluding statement of my research points to the need for sports-kit policies to evolve so that they 'enable' participation, performance, enjoyment and belonging. Incidentally, this became the first principle of the Inclusive Sportswear Charter, which I built after the hockey campaign because it was evident the industry needed a north star. The Inclusive Sportswear Charter is the first sports-kit-policy standard based on choice and inclusion. It is signed by England Hockey, the England and Wales Cricket Board, and England Netball. And last week, I publicly offered the Camogie Association to sign it, too, going live on Irish radio to propose this as their 'get-out-of-jail-free' card. A special congress will vote on the issue on Thursday and I hope, this time round, players' voices are heard. I hope soon that a pair of shorts can just be a pair of shorts.
