Wales hockey gamers paying 1000 kilos a 12 months to play for nationwide crew: Head coach Daniel Newcombe

Wales Hockey crew have been crowd-funded because the sport shouldn’t be fashionable within the nation. Head coach Newcombe has mentioned that the gamers have been paying out of their very own pockets to play the sport.

Rourkela,UPDATED: Jan 12, 2023 23:27 IST

Wales Hockey crew. (Twitter/HockeyWales)

By India Today Web Desk: Wales have been compelled to crowdfund themselves for the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup because of the lack of public publicity and recognition of the game within the nation. Wales head coach Daniel Newcombe has revealed stunning particulars concerning the crew’s journey to India to play the worldwide match and mentioned that the gamers have been paying 1000 kilos out of their very own pocket to play within the nationwide crew.

Wales, who’re making their FIH Men’s World Cup debut right here, will likely be pleasantly stunned – or, maybe, awestruck – once they see the stadiums in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela packed to the rafters.

Their journey to India maybe hasn’t been business-class both because the crew needed to resort to crowdfunding to boost 25,000 kilos to cowl flights, lodging and meals within the two host cities.

“Crowd-funding is part of the means to reduce the cost to the players. Players also contribute; every player pays 1,000 pounds per year to play for Wales,” head coach Daniel Newcombe advised information company PTI forward of his aspect’s opening match in opposition to England.

India and Spain are the opposite groups they must deal with in Group D.

“Hockey is a small sport and our national stadium can take about 200 people, which is very different from the one here (21,000-capacity Birsa Munda Stadium).

“Our funding from the federal government is restricted and so gamers additionally contribute. But as a consequence of our current successes by qualifying for greater tournaments, we have now obtained extra journeys and our authorities has been actually useful. We have gotten a shirt sponsor now and this has lowered the price (on the gamers),” added Newcombe.

Wales had made it to the showpiece through the European qualifying event in Cardiff, their country’s capital.

Newcombe takes pride in saying that his side has made it to the showpiece event three years after hitting rock-bottom in world hockey.

“We want public publicity, sponsor to develop. But, we have now moved from thirty sixth spot to fifteenth (in FIH rankings) within the third 12 months of European hockey and now to the World Cup. We usually are not completed but.”

Edited By:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published On:

Jan 12, 2023