Hoci Cymru Road to the World Cup 2: Soaking up the Spanish sun

Hoci Cymru’s senior men are on the Road to the World Cup.

As we count down the days to the FIH Hockey World Cup this summer, we’ll be joining the journey and taking a peek into the side’s preparatory camps ahead of their opener against India on Saturday 15th August.

Preparations are continuing to progress well for the senior men’s side, who followed up recent practise matches against England and Australia with an overseas training camp in Spain.

Soaking up the warm weather and sun, the players completed and intensive training camp in Terrassa, a Catalan city located just northwest of Barcelona and well known for its role in introducing field hockey to the region.

At the Barcelona Olympics of 1992, Terrassa was the city where the field hockey competition was played; and, incredibly, between 1928 and 2004, Terrassa sent 124 athletes to the Olympic Games, the majority of whom were hockey players.

With a rich history in the sport, Terrassa was a fitting setting for our senior men’s Spanish stay.

As well as the team’s normal training programme, the camp included two international fixtures against, and a joint training session with, the Spanish Men’s team, providing a challenging and high-quality environment for the squad.

“This camp highlighted the importance of exposing our players to teams currently operating in the world’s top six,” stated Head Coach Danny Newcombe.

“Experiencing the intensity, speed and quality of opposition who have just come through the FIH Pro League has been incredibly valuable for the squad. Opportunities like this are a vital part of our preparation as we build towards the World Cup.”

With the side now back from Spain, preparations will continue with under four weeks to go until the start of their World Cup campaign.

Things will heat up in Cardiff, as the senior men join the senior women for the Summer Series at the National Hockey Centre.

Following an opening friendly against Chile on Saturday 25th July, the team face a three-match test series against the same opposition with games being played on Sunday 26th, Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th.

We urge fans to come and show their support, giving the senior men a famous Welsh send-off before they represent their country on the world stage! Tickets are on sale now!