England’s women’s hockey team are still riding a wave after they landed an historic first Commonwealth gold at the Birmingham 2022 Games.
But, for star player Shona McCallin, that wave is about far more than just making history. This is a team that are determined to make a difference across the country - for their sport, for women and for future generations who simply want to enjoy sport.
Nothing sums that up better than when both the women’s and men’s England Commonwealth Games teams released an open letter addressed to the future Prime Minister of the country, either Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss. In that letter they called for government support to back the provision of PE and team sport within schools as they quickly turned their incredible achievements into a force for good.
Much like the Lionesses that made history before them, England’s hockey women are also looking to inspire a nation. Their masterful 2-1 victory over Australia in the gold medal match certainly helped to captivate an audience but, as McCallan recognises, this can’t be it. The achievement has to mark the beginning of a journey towards something better.
“To be able to do it on home soil - the first ever one - in front of a packed stadium a week after the Lionesses got the European trophy back home in England, it was just the perfect recipe for women’s sport and certainly for hockey as well,” she told Mirror Sport following the launch of the new OPRO Instant Custom-Fit mouthguard, a world’s first dentist quality mouthguard which can be fitted entirely at home.
“We’re still very much riding that wave. I still look at it and think ‘oh wow’. This is a special one because no England team has ever done it before and, on a personal level, it was my first Commonwealth Games, and will be my last, so to come away with a gold medal was pretty special.”
"It’s about keeping that interest and keeping that excitement"
As someone who now holds Commonwealth, Olympic and European Championships gold medals, McCallin knows what is needed to succeed at the top. But that passion for her sport and the desire to make ground-breaking change in women’s sport, following England’s history-making achievement, also shines through as she talks.
“Our hope as a sport is that we capitalise on it,” she said, reflecting on that vital win. “There’s a danger for something like this that there’s interest and then the interest goes when the football season starts or when the rugby season starts. It’s about keeping that interest and keeping that excitement.
“From an international point of view it’s great that we have another tournament on the horizon to give further opportunities for fans to come and watch international hockey on home soil in Durham [ the women’s Eurohockey qualifiers ].
“It’s getting people through the doors and through the gates at club matches, enticing people back into the sport that may have dropped off when work gets in the way, and ensuring it’s delivered in school - in PE lessons and games lessons - and making it accessible to as many people as possible.”
She added: “The perception is that hockey is an elitist sport and we want to break down those barriers of entry for people to participate.”
"There are stories in there and people want to know about them"
The visibility is also key for the growth of women’s sport. You only have to look at the Lionesses and their remarkable Euros triumph to see it in full flow, breaking records in stadiums, on the TV and garnering more attention than ever before.
Whether it’s stories in the media, or athletes who recognise their position as an influential role model, McCallin and many other players in that England hockey side know just how vital it is.
“The accessibility is a big part of it but also the visibility,” she said. “I think as a women’s squad, on a GB and England level, we take a lot of pride in being visible role models.
“By that I mean going out into schools and clubs and being there, and showing that it is possible. Sharing journeys and sharing experiences, inspiring people to perhaps give their extra 10 or 15 per cent to their sport or helping people understand choices that need to be made to balance sport or academic or social life.
“Just being seen and accessible is a really important thing for the younger generation to help inspire them a bit more.”
But while traditional mammoth sports have made their comeback to competition - such as the return of the Premier League - McCallin has called on outlets to keep telling those remarkable stories in women’s sport. There’s no shortage of them, and this summer has proved just how much people can take an interest.
“I go on my news outlet apps and 95 per cent of the stories are often about male sport,” she added. “Now women’s sports, there are stories in there and people want to know about them. So I'd love there to be extra spotlight put on women’s sport from a media point of view.
“I’m an avid fan of sport in general and what has been great over the years is seeing women’s football on TV more often and the women’s rugby with the Six Nations. It is popping up in periodic pockets but it’s not consistent, and that’s what I mean about the wave.
“It's not consistent, it's just when it suits or when it’s a higher profile. But it needs to be a bit more consistent in my point of view.”
Should domestic teams prove to be as successful as this hockey team, and the Lionesses, then there’s every chance McCallin will get that wish very soon. With any luck this women’s sport wave will soon become a tidal wave that no one can possibly ignore.
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Shona McCallin is an ambassador for leading mouthguard provider OPRO, who have recently launched the world’s first Instant Custom-Fit mouthguard. For more information visit www.opro.com
