Women's hockey talking points: Raph Robeson, 16, credits Maddie Hinch for goalkeeper award
As a young goalkeeper with previously limited coaching and no hockey history in her family, Raph Robeson looks back at the Surrey County under-12 trials as the turning point of her burgeoning career.
She recalls a conversation her mother had with a parent of three goalkeepers, who suggested buying a coaching DVD made by John Hurst, the former GB women's team manager and long-serving coach.
When Robeson's mother searched for it online she found it out of stock and soon contacted Hurst. While working out who would pay for postage, she asked Hurst what she could do to help a young goalkeeper. Hurst, part of the coaching staff at the Rio Olympics, suggested Maddie Hinch, who worked on and off with Robeson until the GB No.1 travelled to Brazil for her history-making feats.
Robeson hasn't looked back. Still only 16, she is part of the England under-18 women's squad and is into her second senior season with Wimbledon 2s, who play in the Investec Conference East. Last week, she was awarded the Hockey Writers' Club under-18 youth award, which Hinch also won back in 2006.
"To see Maddie's name on there was fantastic and maybe if I keep on putting in the hard work I can follow in her footsteps," said Robeson. Hinch was also one of the first to congratulate her on social media. "Keep doing what you're doing and you will go a long way," she wrote.
For her first forays into being taught the art of goalkeeping, Robeson was left starry-eyed. "Maddie taught me the basic techniques, helped my smothering and diving, and as a young goalkeeper it was awesome as I hadn't had much coaching before then," she said.
"I know lots of kids who look up to her and want to get into goalkeeping after what she's done. She is an inspirational role model. I remember watching the Olympic final and Maddie being a key role in that. It's so great to see so many successful women's teams out there now on the back of Team GB's win."
Robeson was on a table with Hurst at the awards' lunch in London last Wednesday, where she also revealed a busy life off the pitch. Studying for A Levels in politics, history and economics next summer, she has completed two official cross channel swim relays with her school, Wellington College, and raised £8,000 for charity. She said: "We did one hour in the water, five hours out and everyone did three hours and 8km each. Six of us were in the team, it was a lot of training and so worth it."
Robeson has also trained with England Hockey to be a Level 1 umpire, active as a coach with Wimbledon's junior goalkeeper programme and is a young carer for her critically ill father, Spencer, a former Saracens rugby player. She has also set up a website with her mother to help goalkeepers. "It's not perfect yet but the idea behind fieldhockeygoalies.com is to create a community and connect with clubs," she admitted. "From personal experience, it's hard to sometimes find a club where you know you will get a game every weekend. For training and development that's so important."
As she looks towards securing an England squad place at the under-18 European Championships this summer, Robeson is more than aware of the wellbeing risks associated with players at elite level - she has kept up with Hinch's journey after she took a year out of the GB programme - and especially those on the development path.
She added: "It's so important for people to focus on that, with the youth aspect as well. It is difficult to balance everything these days and the mental health side can be difficult."
Swain signals bright future
There was success for another England under-18 athlete when Claudia Swain picked up the Hockey Writers' Club under-16 junior award at the Royal Yacht Club. Swain was on the same table as Sophie Bray, the runaway winner of the Investec women's senior player of the year award. The former GB forward told Swain that when she won the youth award in 2007, she also took her parents and grandparents to the awards. There is further symmetry, given Swain is also a forward and, according to her Repton coach Martin Jones, "one of the most exciting prospects that I have coached."
