The Year 7 & Year 8 hockey tour to Holland was a fantastic experience from start to finish, providing the girls with valuable opportunities both on and off the pitch. 

Our journey began with travel to Valkenburg via ferry, including a brilliant stop-off in Bruges. Here, the girls enjoyed exploring the city and a delicious lunch, which was a great way to break up the journey and build excitement for the days ahead. We then continued across the border into the Netherlands, arriving in Valkenburg in time for our evening meal. 

Once settled, the teams took part in an enjoyable training session at Sjiborn HC in Valkenburg, allowing them to familiarise themselves with the pitch and prepare for the opening fixtures. The U12 7-a-side team and U13 11-a-side team both faced strong U14 opposition. Despite two losses, the girls showed great determination and learned a huge amount from competing against older, high-quality teams. 

Day 3 began with an excellent training session in glorious sunshine, where the girls continued to develop their skills, teamwork and confidence. This was followed by an exciting tobogganing experience in Valkenburg, which was a real highlight of the trip, before the group enjoyed some well-earned downtime with chips and ice cream. The day set us up perfectly for the evening fixtures against HC Nova, where both teams produced outstanding performances, securing two well-deserved wins. 

On day 4, the group travelled to Eindhoven to visit the Philips Stadion, home of PSV Eindhoven, who had recently been crowned Dutch league champions. This was a real highlight of the tour and a fantastic cultural experience for the group. After returning to Valkenburg, the girls enjoyed some rest time before the final tour match. This saw the entire touring group come together for an 11-a-side fixture against Sjiborn HC, resulting in an exciting 3–3 draw and a fitting end to the hockey programme. 

Across the tour, the girls made significant progress both on and off the pitch. Playing against overseas opposition exposed them to different styles of hockey, helping to develop their tactical awareness, adaptability and resilience. Their confidence grew throughout the tour, and they showed excellent commitment, teamwork and sportsmanship in every match and training session. 

Off the pitch, the girls represented the school superbly, demonstrating maturity, respect and a positive attitude throughout. The tour concluded with a fun-filled evening of karaoke, followed by tour awards on the ferry from Calais to Dover, rounding off a memorable and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. 

All of the girls should be incredibly proud of their efforts and conduct throughout the tour. It was a hugely successful trip, and we look forward to running it again in the future. We are also counting down to our next sports trip, a cricket tour to Yorkshire during Activity Week in June, which promises to be another fantastic opportunity for our pupils. 

Mr George Pettitt, Director of Sport