England hockey star Luke Taylor gets a grilling!

We continue our young sports stars interview series with Luke Taylor, England and Surbiton Hockey star who captained England U21s to success in 2015. He spoke to us about school tours, playing abroad and all things hockey.

How long have you been playing hockey?

I’ve been playing since I was 10 years old so 13 years. I played at school and then progressed from school to club level and worked my up from there.

Did you ever go on a school / amateur tour? What memories do you have that have stayed with you?

I went on tour to South Africa with Whitgift school which is one of the best things I have done to date. The safari in Johannesburg was definitely a highlight, but I also loved playing and getting to know people from different backgrounds and cultures.

What is a normal tour/training camp like?

I have less training camps now that I’m in the senior team as we train full time with roughly 2 sessions a day, 5 days a week. When we do go away we usually have a mix between training days, match days and rest days to make sure we can perform.

What are the main differences playing abroad as to playing in England?

Definitely the weather! Many countries that play hockey have hot humid conditions, such as India and Malaysia, so it definitely takes some getting used to.

The kids also had some questions to ask…

Megan (Aged 9) Who are the best 3 teams you have played?

Holland, Germany and India

Billy (Aged 9) What are the most important things to practice?

At your age spend as much time on the pitch practicing your skills and have fun!

Sam (Aged 12) Who was your sporting hero growing up?

Barry Middleton and Michael Phelps

Emily (Aged 11) What advice do you have for young players who want to follow in your footsteps?

Have fun with what you do and enjoy working hard by making the most of every second you spend on the pitch, then the hockey will take care of itself.

Thank you so much Luke for answering our questions and good luck for the future :)

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