International Youth Hockey Experience
Robert van der Horst (Amsterdam 2010)
Jamie Dwyer (Amsterdam 2010)
Team (Amsterdam 2010)
Action (Amsterdam 2010)
Accommodation (Amsterdam 2010)
The WHU has provided a European Hockey Experience for young people from across Wales for the last five years, initially to Paris and latterly to hockey-mad Amsterdam, Holland.
2010
World Player of the Year dazzles Welsh players in Amsterdam!
This year's trip to Amsterdam was yet another success, enjoying some fantastic weather along with top quality hockey in the Dutch capital over the Easter period. Thirteen players signed up for this fantastic experience, allowing the group to become close-knit in a very short space of time. Our first highlight was upon arrival to our accommodation, which turned out to be a refurbished castle!
Day 1 of the trip saw the players take part in a one-on-one workshop at the Waegner Stadium (home of the Dutch national team) with Dutch superstars Olmer and Dider Meijer, and Robert van der Horst, fresh from victory in the Euro Hockey League with his club, Rotterdam. The youngsters learnt how to take on their opponents as attackers, midfielders and defenders, whilst the goalkeepers had their own goalkeeping clinic run by former Dutch international and Spain GK coach Martin Drijver. The group was then taken on a canal cruise tour of Amsterdam, which gave everyone a chance to do some sight-seeing, before heading to our first match of the week against Myra, which the team won 3-2 in an exciting game.
Day 2 started with the main attraction; a goal scoring masterclass with Australia's World Hockey Player of the Year, Jamie Dwyer! Not only were the players shown why he was voted the world's best player with his hockey skills, but he also took time to answer questions about his hockey. After a short time in the centre of Amsterdam, the team were taken to their second match against Soest. This match was also very entertaining, and ended in an exciting draw.
Day 3 started with a Welsh Hockey session run by coach, Lee Ible. This allowed the players to work on team play and core skills before heading off to the hockey superstore close to the stadium. The players were then given free time in Amsterdam prior to their final game against Fletiomare. The opponents proved to be the most difficult of the week, but the Welsh boys and girls had gelled as a team and used the things they learnt in the masterclasses to produce a great performance, achieving a draw to finish the week on a high.
The trip proved to be a huge success, with boys and girls coming from different parts of Wales to learn from the best and experience hockey in Holland. The facilities and hospitality at all of the clubs were fantastic, and the players and staff thoroughly enjoyed it. WHU would like to thank Lee Ible, who coached the team during the week, and staff members Jon Elliott and Angela Miles (HDO Carmarthenshire) who made this trip possible.
We would also like to thank the staff at Sport Experiences and SportWays for providing us with an excellent service. For more information about future hockey trips and camps please contact Vicki Kovacs (WHU Development Support Officer) on 029 2078 0733.
Also in this section:
Youth Hockey Activator Programme (ages 16-21)
International Youth Hockey Experience
WHU Youth Zone (available shortly)
