I have made many friends and memories for life, whilst at Wolverhampton. I still regularly see a number of friends that I made at University as well as a wider group that I contact for a number of professional reasons. The links that I made have stood me well in my career. The lecturers had a keen passion for their subjects and wanted me to grow intellectually, exploring the areas that interested me the most. Being a sportsman I enjoyed the practical elements the most but was never the best in the pool! I liked the way that the practical elements were then linked to the classroom work. One of the best trips was an Outdoor Ed module where we camped on top of mountains in huge storms as well as in bivouac in the scorching heat. All in a single week. Memories that are still discussed today when friends get together or I think about camping.

Before moving into full time coaching I worked as a teacher, teaching PE both as a core subject and at examination level. I took on the excellent work I had experienced at Wolves by drip feeding information into my pupils whilst making it fun. I always tried to give nuggets of knowledge whilst in a practical situation. The examinations classes were an extension of lots of my work at University. Not at the same level, apart from the very bright pupils who would ask a complex question which I would have to look up but the same subject matter just presented in a slightly different way. Having the greater depth of knowledge given to me by the lecturers I was able to be confident in my presentations and give the pupils really in-depth explanations. When I moved into full time coaching the base knowledge from my degree underpinned all aspects of my work. There have been many leaps forward in lots of areas of physical performance but the base that I gained allowed me to explore new and interesting techniques. I think the degree pricked my intellectual curiosity and I continue to enjoy exploring in great depth areas that I feel would benefit my work and the performance of my players.

I am involved in all aspects of the program. I spend time recruiting, viewing video as well as going out and seeing possible future players. I lead the international recruitment and spend time traveling to the hockey hotspots of the world as well as hosting zoom interviews and conversations. I help with the planning and booking of all the travel linked with the program - unlike the UK where you can travel and play on the same day our away matches tend to be 5 or 6 hours away and therefore there are overnight stays, food and logistics that need to be sorted. The coaching team meticulously plan training, whether this be whole group training or individual work we want to make the most out of the time together. I lead on a number of aspects of the game and support in others. We have numerous video cameras tracking the play as well as all the players wearing GPS whilst playing and training. I spend an equal amount of time reviewing performance and scouting future opposition. The players have team and individual clips they can access as well as having meetings with coaches to discuss performance. I am also linking with Cornell's Schools of Computer Science and Mathematics with a team of students looking at trends in both ours and oppositions data.

I have coached junior international, senior international, won Division 1 to become the first Welsh team into the Premiership, and won schools titles, but I think my career highlight is helping to coach Pacific Tigers in California to 3 back to back conferences titles. A under dog team that repeatedly beat the top teams in the area. The rings that I won sit in pride of place on my mantel piece.

I would say that you should try to experience as many different things as possible. You never know what may prick you interest and where this may lead. I never intend to go into teaching or coaching when I started the course but have really enjoyed myself.