The Return Of The Tour: Juniors Tour The Netherlands

Following a brief hiatus, the junior section successfully resurrected our proud touring tradition. The club has a long and celebrated history of travel, from senior social tours to the legendary junior trips to Gibraltar in the pre-pandemic years.

This Easter, we were delighted to take three full squads; our U15 Boys, U16 Girls, and U18 Boys, providing a total of 51 young players with an unforgettable hockey experience.

Destination: The Heartland of Hockey

For this tour, the destination was the Netherlands, widely regarded as the absolute heartland of world hockey. Playing in an environment where the sport is so deeply embedded in the culture was an eye-opening experience for our players.

A truly incredible highlight of the trip was a bespoke training session at Hoofdklasse giants Oranje-Rood HC, led by former Pakistan international Rashid Mehmood. This gave our young players a rare and inspiring taste of a professional premier league environment, exposing them to world-class facilities and a completely different style of elite coaching.

During our time there, we were also treated to a special visit from Struan Walker, a current Great Britain & Scotland international who plays for Oranje-Rood HC and finished as the top scorer in the prestigious Hoofdklasse (the Dutch Premier League).

The tour party was also joined by former Telford junior Kyle Gladwin, who has been successfully plying his trade in the Netherlands for the past eight years. Both players were incredibly generous with their time, posing for photos with the squads, chatting with our players, and answering questions about life at the very top of the sport.

More Than Just Hockey

Of course, going on a sports tour is about so much more than just the matches played on the pitch. It is a fantastic opportunity for our juniors to develop essential life skills, such as independence, leadership, teamwork, and social confidence—helping them grow into well-rounded young adults.

The trip was packed with memorable moments, and our players did themselves, their families, and the club incredibly proud with their exemplary behaviour throughout. Countless laughs were shared, new nicknames were coined, and friendships were cemented.

A Huge Team Effort

An undertaking of this scale requires an immense amount of planning and goodwill.

A massive thank you must go to Laura Heath, who coordinated and oversaw the entire trip with military precision. We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to the coaching and support staff: Tom G and Matt HM (both of whom actually toured Gibraltar themselves as Telford juniors!), Jodie L, Liam H, Chris H, and Sunny S.

Finally, we would like to thank the parents and families whose support and investment made this incredible opportunity possible for their children.

Here’s to the memories made, and to the next tour!