Monday 19 June 2017
Katy Gannon, a lower sixth student at The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL), has impressed the selectors at Hockey Wales to earn a place in the national U18 training squad.
Having honed her hockey skills as a member of the first teams at school and with Leeds Adel Hockey Club, Katy stepped up her training with monthly sessions in the Hockey Wales’ 360° Hockey Centres towards the end of last year.
The 360° training is the established route into the Welsh performance system, and after just a few months Katy earned selection for the U18 National Age Group (NAG) training squad and made her match debut in a friendly against England at half-term.
Katy qualifies for Wales through her mother’s side of the family – her maternal grandparents were born and brought up in Caernarfon and her mum Lisa competed for Wales in gymnastics.
The NAG programme involves alternate weekends training and a week long training camp in the summer. The U16 and U18 squad members train together, including mixed training for girls and boys, to broaden the approach to play and development of core skills.
Katy said: “We all train together which helps get you involved and push yourself through faster play. I wasn’t expecting much from my first match but it was a great experience to play a strong national side.
“I hope to continue playing for Wales in the future and see what happens; sport has always been part of my life, I have always been encouraged and I enjoy it.”