Surbiton star Giselle Ansley paid homage to her club following England’s exit from the Hockey World Cup at the hands of The Netherlands.
Following the 2-0 quarter-final defeat to the tournament favourites, Ansley will now have a few weeks off before she regroups with Great Britain to take part in the newly formed Hockey Pro League, which will start in January 2019.
Much has been made about the Pro League, and whether it will reduce the time international stars have with their clubs, but Ansley is confident it is positive for the future of hockey.
She said: “We’re all incredibly passionate about our club hockey, it’s what got us here.
“For me without club hockey I certainly wouldn’t be sat here having played in front of 10,500 people.
“So it’s super special to all of us and you know we really hope we can play a part in it this year.”
The current World Cup is the biggest hockey event to ever take place in England, and Ansley is optimistic about the future of the sport.
She said: “The future is bright for England, I think we showed some of the amazing hockey we can play.
“There’s still two years to the Olympics so a lot can happen in that time – a lot of positive building can happen and that’s what we’re looking forward to.”
Ansley, 26, has been with Surbiton since 2013, and played for England and Great Britain since that same year, amassing 102 international caps and 10 goals so far.
On the subject of her individual performance at the World Cup, Ansley is less articulate.
She said: “I hate talking about myself.
“I feel I played okay and I hope I did my job for the team. I knew my role and I hope I did that.”
Both she and her teammates did their role and much more, inspiring a nation.
She said: “That’s one of the things that us as a squad are really passionate about, getting others into our sport.
“It’s an amazing sport for many many reasons and if we can just get one person to pick up a stick then that’s fantastic.
“But if we have 10,500 there watching and just even a couple of those take it on or come back to it or whatever it is then we’re really happy with that.”
