Seventeen-year-old Amy was selected to play for the 64-strong squad at the National School Games in Loughborough.
Amy attended four national camps as part of the Advanced Award in Sporting Excellence (AASE) programme and received training and performance support from England coaches, including nutrition, psychology and lifestyle advice as well as high quality technical and tactical coaching sessions with one-to-one support.
The young player impressed the England team manager and national coaches during her time at the programme in order to claim one of the highly sought-after spots in the national team.
Only the top 3% of under 18s make it to this stage of England Hockey’s Player Pathway which involves over 15,000 young hockey players across the country.
She is the only female player in the South West to secure her place with this elite squad.
Amy said: “I couldn’t believe it when I opened the email. The camps had been amazing so I was nervous and excited at the same – I didn’t know what to expect but couldn’t wait to meet everyone again and play all together.”
More than 1,400 athletes competed across 11 sports at the National School Games, five of which included disability disciplines.
The tournament saw Amy taking part in four fast-paced matches over the course of the four-day event against the Scotland, Ulster, England Red and England Blue teams.
There was also the chance for players to see other elite young sportspeople in action throughout the tournament.
Amy said: “The intensity of the games was a real highlight and the atmosphere was incredible – there was music and a great crowd so it really felt like you were playing in a top level match just like at the Olympic Games. The team narrowly missed a podium place but it was an amazing experience.”
Amy trains with Falmouth Hockey Club for two days every week as she drives towards her ultimate ambition of representing Team GB at the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.
To facilitate this rigorous schedule, she travels around 100 miles and spends up to 12 hours on the pitch every week. A real team player, she also participates in school fixtures and regularly supports the teaching staff with the Prep School hockey club alongside her hockey commitments. Amy is sponsored by Crown Hockey.
