Izzy Gardiner is our very own ladies 1st team goal keeper, who at only 17 years old has made quite an impact across social media on her stance calling for more state school hockey provision in England.

Her original post which states:

I feel very strongly about the lack of equality and diversity in hockey, particularly in relation to the lack of opportunities/facilities for people like me who attend state schools. I can’t play hockey at all now whilst private school students are having regular training and match play, putting students like me at a huge disadvantage. I’m keen to be a part of the solution and ensure England Hockey hear from people like me who face multiple obstacles in trying to achieve their goals. The voice of state school hockey players need to be heard as England Hockey develop their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion plans.

This was as we entered lockdown in the UK through November 2020, all club hockey was stopped in line with government regulations, yet educational activities were allowed to continue.

This post has been retweeted over 100 times, including by Maddie Hinch and Kate Richardson-Walsh as well as other professional hockey players. It was picked up by The Hockey Paper, who have done an article and an interview specifically supporting her stance. She has also appeared on The Hockey Radio Podcast episode 6.

Read these here:
https://www.thehockeypaper.co.uk/articles/2020/11/23/england-hockey-must-listen-to-the-state-school-voice-and-open-access

https://www.thehockeypaper.co.uk/articles/2020/11/23/meet-izzy-gardiner-hockeys-voice-for-more-state-school-inclusion

Listen to the Podcast:
https://linktr.ee/talkhockeyradio?fbclid=IwAR1Q6mI4LQrEYA-PdgCvKyEvGwZV0x0t5LmuWJ6VFwMdxfMm_PbKg8Dtmc

Broxbourne Hockey Club support Izzy with her drive to improve support for state school hockey and the improvement in the inclusion of grassroots hockey.