In early January of this year, Liam Murphy and myself embarked on our journey to Doncaster, England as the pioneering pair to build a strong and symbolic relationship between Hockey Geelong and Doncaster Hockey Club.
The focus of our experience was to play some quality hockey, and to encourage and initiate a continuous connection to support international movement of players between our respective squads. We arrived in the peak of winter. The temperature sat at about -4 degrees Celsius. Upon our arrival, we were instantly welcomed by our host families, who took ongoing care of us throughout our time in the UK.
Liam and myself engaged in hockey related activities during the week, from coaching, training and spending time at the club rooms building connections. Doncaster is located in an area close to many other historical and beautiful towns and cities. We were lucky enough to visit many of these cities, including York, Whitby, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham. We even managed to get up to Scotland as well.
This opportunity provided an invaluable experience to both Liam and myself, playing quality hockey, as well as immersing ourselves in local culture – pints and Yorkshire puddings!
Playing hockey in a very different style and structure was extremely interesting, and I found it to be very beneficial for the development of my hockey knowledge and skills. Travelling the English country side to our games was also an experience in itself.
During our time, we played 3 games – 2 wins and a loss. Our team were extremely welcoming and inclusive, and a great bunch of blokes to be around. A major thank you to Pat, Martyn, Steve and Louis for hosting us, showing us around and making us feel like family.
Following our time in Doncaster, we journeyed our way around Europe, visiting Czechia, Austria, Portugal and Spain. I cannot emphasise how incredible this experience was, and to those considering this trip, please reach out to myself or Liam for further information.
Finally I would like, on behalf of Liam and myself to thank Hockey Geelong for organising and developing this relationship.
Regards
Gus McKinnon
