Millfield Students Selected to Play Hockey for Wales

Millfield hockey players India Owen and Gwenno Manley have been selected for the U18 and U23 Welsh national hockey teams.

India in Lower Sixth will be joining the U18 squad and Gwenno in Upper Sixth will join the U23 squad for the 2021/2022 season, with aspirations of reaching the highest level of senior international hockey.

India who has played hockey since she was just four years old joined Millfield Pre Prep after her family were blown away by the facilities and coaching staff. She said, “The Millfield hockey staff are incredibly supportive and aid me massively both on and off the pitch. They are supportive people who have the perfect balance of working me hard yet still understanding when I become overloaded.”

Gwenno was a late starter in hockey but as soon as she started playing, her passion has grown exponentially. In her two years at Millfield, her game has developed to the highest level. She said, “The staff at Millfield have played a fundamental role in my development, specifically Mr Keates who brought out the best in me by encouraging my competitive spirit where other coaches did not. The hockey staff were always patient and understanding around my academic work as well which was essential during my final year. The 1 to 1 strength and conditioning sessions also improved my game by making me more robust and helping my overall performance.”

Millfield’s Hockey programme features players at every level of the national hockey player pathway, from grass roots level within the Academy Centre through to the Regional Performance Centre and on to National Age Group selection.

Players train on either of the school’s three water based FIH (Federation Internationale de Hockey) certified pitches and are coached by a team of specialist coaches and over 20 dedicated academic staff. The Millfield Hockey programme includes specialised technical one-to-one coaching and athletic development sessions with full-time strength and conditioning coaches and performance analysis monitoring.

Director of Hockey Reggie Keates says, “We are so pleased for India and Gwenno in their respective Welsh selections. The summer ahead promises to be an exciting one for them both. Their involvement in the highly competitive Y1 West League this term has been ideal preparation for the challenging Internationals that await them this summer”.

Read more about hockey at Millfield here.