The Olympic Park has seen plenty of success stories during a short lifespan and this month could present one of its more notable turnarounds. England’s male and female hockey players will compete at the EuroHockey Championships at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre over the next 10 days and the men’s team can call on an outstanding forward whose career has taken a step that barely seemed imaginable half a decade ago.
Sam Ward became one of England’s centrally-contracted players in September 2014 and wasted no time in scoring twice on his senior international debut against the world champions Australia three months later. Another three goals have followed and it has been a remarkable introduction to life at the highest level for a player whose route there took in none of the pathways and university streams common for national squad members.
“I worked in a Volkswagen car dealership in Loughborough,” Ward says. “I started there when I was about 17 and a half, doing a bit of selling and working in their fleet department. You put all your working time into that and it was very hard to train as much as you could to reach the top level.
“It was just a case of cracking on and doing as much as you could in club hockey, having not played for uni or things like that. Then when I got this chance, I had to take a big gamble. I’d been working for four and a half years and relocated 125 miles from my home town, and that’s quite a nerve-racking experience. But I haven’t looked back really – I’m enjoying every minute.”
Ward plays his domestic hockey in Kent for Holcombe, an unfashionable side who have courted controversy through their heavy investment, which has seen a number of England players – Ward included – join what was until recently a second-tier club. It means the core of Bobby Crutchley’s team are developing together and Ward believes his all-round game has improved rapidly since becoming professional.
“It’s a massive boost to play with all of the other players as often as possible, and it’s only going to improve your game at club and international levels,” he says.
“In general, since joining the England programme there’s been a big change in me mentally, physically, everything. There’s been a lot of hard work in the gym – my shape was far different when I first started. If you’re carrying an extra seven or eight kilos it’s a lot more to have to move around the pitch with, so losing that has helped increase my speed, footwork, nimbleness and reactions.”
There was little wrong with Ward’s reactions when he struck twice more for England against Spain in Hamburg earlier this month. His accuracy helped the team to a 3-2 win and landed an early blow against a side they may well need to defeat in order to progress to the semi-finals from Pool A.
“We hadn’t beaten the Spanish for many years,” Ward says. “So to do that just before the tournament when we’ve probably got to do it again for a semi-final spot is pretty important. It was a very good performance, a grafting one – the Spanish are very hard to break down and defend very well so it was just a case of being patient. It was a good experience for us.”
First of all, Russia await on Friday evening. That appears to be a must-win for Ward and his team-mates, with the Netherlands, who beat England into third place in Boom near Antwerp two years ago, completing their quartet.
“We don’t know much about the Russians as it’s a long time since we’ve played them, so they could be a bit of a surprise package,” Ward says.
“I think we’ll have to beat the Dutch if we’re to try to finish top of the group, and then we’d have to see about making the final. The Germans [the reigning champions] are in the other side of the draw and always a tough ask to beat.”
Ward was not involved when Great Britain – composed, to all intents and purposes, identically to the England team – competed in London 2012 to scenes of enthusiasm comparable to anything else witnessed at that summer’s event. They finished fourth in another tournament won by Germany. Home advantage cannot be discounted, particularly with few English fans generally watching the team play abroad, and Ward says his more experienced team-mates have stressed its importance.
“The psychological advantage of a home crowd will be massive for us,” he says. “The difference that having 5,000 English people getting behind you will be huge. The stadium is fantastic – it looks absolutely amazing and I don’t think you’ll find anywhere better to play hockey. The boys who played in the Olympics have said how much the venue means to them and obviously that filters down to me and the other newer boys. We can’t wait, and hopefully we can do well for everyone.”
