I was asked by Katherine Sweet from UK Sport this week why I applied for my first role at FIH as a High Performance Coach and Coach Educator to be working with Ghana Women. My answer was simple..
I love hockey. I love the game and I love the opportunities playing the game have given me. I come from a part of London where hockey is not played in schools and I learned to play through Arsenal in the Community, who delivered sessions on the concrete playgrounds at my school and the other schools in the surrounding area.
I am constantly remembering how thankful I am for the opportunities Arsenal have provided me with by introducing me to hockey and developing me, so whenever possible I go back to their Community sessions and help them deliver.
When I heard about the project in West Africa, I immediately started drafting my proposal about why I should be the one to deliver. The lack of facilities, the lack of funding, the idea of creating a legacy of hockey players in a country that is very young in their hockey exposure and career.. all of this plus more captured the remembrance of an 11 year old me who faced similar challenges, and provoked me into wanting to add value and opportunities to them, the same way Arsenal did for me.
Having been involved with the Ghana Women squad for a few months now, I was thrilled to welcome them to Bisham Abbey this month for a week’s training camp before sending them off to Loughborough University for a second week of camp.
They decided they wanted to win Gold at the African Cup of Nations later this year, which would mean they qualify for the Rio Olympics. What an amazing target. Now it’s our job to help them achieve it.
At Bisham, we talked through the Team Values they wanted to live by and hold each other accountable to, our core and fundamental principles and concepts in our defending and attacking, and also what we are looking to do with set pieces. The girls (and the coaches) were a little surprised when we then handed over the ownership to the players. We facilitated discussions amongst them around the detail of what they needed to do, and then they were the ones to deliver the match briefings and debriefs based on that content.
We saw so much growth in them, and their match results were evidence of their confidence, skills, and structure developing to a level that could make things very exciting. Wins against every team they played against showed that they we able to play their game with success against a wide range of teams, from teams like Leicester in the Premier League, to Wales Development Team.
They have now experienced the life of an International player in England, getting to train and compete at Bisham Abbey and Loughborough, and have also had the chance to watch the likes of England, Germany, Holland, and Belgium play some International hockey at Lee Valley (England / GB’s Competition Home at the Olympic Park in Stratford, London) at the Euros. They have had access to English Institute of Sport medical support, and so much more while here. Now is the important part..
For about the next 6 weeks, the girls need to develop everything they have built up while here. They will be back in Ghana training without the glitz and glam of English training centres, but have taken home the most important things:
- The knowledge of what they need to do,
- The confidence they can do it, and
- The desire to be crowned African Champions and therefore earn their place at Rio Olympics.
Darren Cheesman 
