Current Hockey SA Athlete and Coach Development Manager, Hugh Purvis, definitely understands what it’s like to be a young hockey athlete wanting to further your game.
Hugh has been playing hockey since the age of eight, developing a great admiration for the game.
“I played NSA and in the senior state team,” he explained.
The hockey sensation then played a year over in Sheffield, England, in 2013, before commencing a successful coaching career.
“Since then I have coached a couple of junior state teams, and have been involved in the HRL program this year in 2015. My new role is in high performance at Hockey SA,” he explained.
Hugh shares that he loves his coaching career for many reasons.
“The personal reward for their development is fantastic, and I guess the sense of still being part of the team and contributing to their development and hopefully success, is very rewarding.”
Hugh revealed he was extremely impressed with the calibre of talent that showed up for the NSR Australia trials in South Australia last Saturday.
“We had some really good athletes, there’s a couple of SASI (South Australian Sports Institute) athletes that attended, and there were quite a few from state and development programs. It’s always good to see, the young talent that we’re working with… attending this sort of stuff,” he explained.
Hugh has high hopes for the athletes that recently trialled.
“We’re really happy with the girls that turned up and hopefully a few of them both academically and sporting wise can be quite successful.”
Hugh believes that a US college pathway would be an excellent option for any young athlete.
“Obviously it’s a great opportunity for anyone looking to study. The more exciting your study, and your university life is, the more rewarding it will be in the long term, and the more you can reflect on that,” he said.
“Obviously, to be playing at a professional or elite level in an international competition, is an invaluable experience for development and to experience another style of hockey.”
Well said, Hugh! We wish all the Hockey SA girls luck!