During half term seventeen girls from the First XI teams travelled to Valencia to take part in three matches and have two coaching sessions with a local coach.
After arrival, and a bit of acclimatisation, it was time for the first game! A strong performance by all concerned gave us a winning start to the tour, with the overall team performance getting better and better as the game went on. One small issue that we hadn’t accounted for was that the Spanish teams at this level play quarters, whilst we play halves, but this did not effect a dominant performance.
Friday morning saw the first coaching session with Mario and the team worked on lead runs, attacking and defensive transition.
In the afternoon, the girls visited Oceanographic, the largest aquarium in Europe, and were particularly impressed with the dolphin show.
Saturday morning and the second coaching session with Mario, saw the team working on pressing, outletting and retaining possession, before the team played the Valencia CH team that Mario normally coaches.
We had decided to work on some tactical formations ahead of the upcoming Regional Championships in November and so were happy to contain the opposition for three quarters, before pushing for the victory in the final quarter. Despite, several good chances and dominant possession in the final phase of the game, the team was unable to score the goal that would have secured the win.
The afternoon was spent taking advantage of the warmer weather, with the younger girls taking advantage of the hotel pool, whilst the older group visited the beach just outside the hotel’s confines.
The final game was a real test against a local adult team. Although the majority of the girls play adult hockey in local clubs, this provided to be the most difficult opposition by far, and despite some spirited individual performances, the team finished the tour with a loss.
The evening saw a visit to a local commercial centre, Heron City, for the team meal, preceded by a game of Laser tag.
The activity on the final day, saw the girls try Valencian Pelota, a local game where the small ball is hit with the players hand and the ball stays in play even if it is hit into the seated area! There was then an opportunity for dinner and some shopping in Valencia, before boarding the bus to the airport.