Sarah Thomas believes Britain's hockey teams can inspire more kids than ever to take up the sport.
Welsh star predicting bright future for hockey in Britain
Sarah Thomas believes Great Britain's hockey teams have the potential to inspire more youngsters than ever to take up the sport after London 2012.
Both the men's and women's squads will be among the favourites for glory in front of the partisan home crowds next year even though it's been a long time since either made the Olympic podium.
While the men are seeking their first medal since Sean Kerly led his side to gold way back in 1988, the women's last taste of success was the bronze medal achieved by Jane Sixsmith and co at the Barcelona Games of 1992.
But the impressive form over the past few years of both England sides, which make up the lion's share of the GB squads that come together for the Olympics, suggests the respective long waits could well be nearing an end.
And Thomas, who is relishing the prospect of her second Games having been part of the squad which finished sixth in Beijing, feels it's the perfect opportunity to excite a new generation of players at grass roots level and subsequently build strong foundations for the future.
The 30-year-old from Wales said: "Beijing was a fantastic experience and it was amazing that my parents were there to watch but this will be something else. Playing in front of home crowds with family and friends in support is an incredible thought.
"All of the hockey tickets have been sold so each game will be played in front of 16,000 capacity crowds. The vast majority of those will be British people so all those fans cheering us on will be absolutely phenomenal.
"Hopefully they'll be a lot of children there getting excited about it and cheering us on.
"A major objective for us to do really well is to inspire youngsters to get involved in the sport. I remember watching the 1992 Barcelona Olympics on TV and thought the hockey looked pretty cool.
"If we can medal in both the men's and women's events then that will only help to inspire youngsters to get involved in the sport and that would be great."
Thomas is now training with the rest of the Team GB squad on a full-time basis having returned home from her seven-year spell in Holland - widely regarded as the best league in the world - and she believes the Dutch prove why it's important for children to get involved in hockey at an early age.
She said: "I've been playing hockey in Holland for the last seven years and kids start playing it when they're about five or six. I started when I was 13 so there's clearly a big difference between the countries.
"If we can get youngsters learning the technique as soon as possible, that would be amazing in years to come.
"Holland are the world and Olympic champions and this comes from the sport having a strong family connection. They watch their local teams together in a similar way to how we go and watching our football clubs.
"It's something the Dutch children have always done and don't know any different - so when they get to around 18, they're already really accomplished in playing hockey and making the right decisions."
On track
Thomas admits it was a "no brainer" to leave her club Rotterdam as it wouldn't have been possible for her to stay there as well as be a part of the centralised Great Britain squad ahead of the Olympics and insists they're well on track to win a medal.
She said: "We're based on the England rankings and currently we're fourth in the world.
"We're now training as Great Britain which means myself and four Scottish girls have come into the programme so we can only hope this has made us stronger and we're definitely going to be in contention for a medal.
"We don't train together every day not to go for a medal. Ultimately it's every athlete's dream to go for gold but at the same time everyone else is thinking the same.
"England were third at the World Cup last year and got a bronze in the European Championships this summer so they've continued to be there or thereabouts like the last few years.
"In February we get to play the Champions Trophy as Great Britain for the first time so it will be good to play as a team together.
"We train so much together - twice a day, every day - so in that respect we're probably the most prepared team in the world. So everything feels as if it's going well right now.
"Apart from a few odd Test matches against Holland and China, up until this point, England, Scotland and Wales have mainly been separate but from now on it's Great Britain all the way until the Olympics."
Of GB's ones to watch, Thomas added: "Our captain Kate Walsh leads by example from the back and is a very important part of the team. She communicates really well and plays just as hard as she trains.
"Helen Richardson is a midfield player who is very skilful and has been a part of the England team for many years. This I think will be her third Olympics.
"Then there's Crista Cullen who plays at the back and she's a formidable force for us. She's very noticeable in the way she plays and always has an impact on the big games."
Future
Thomas has put her personal training business Fitness 18 on the back burner while she focuses her attention on London 2012 but admits she's unsure of what the future holds beyond the Games.
She said: "I haven't come to a decision on my future. A lot depends on how my body is feeling. I absolutely love hockey and I'll play it as long as my body can take it so I'll see how it goes.
"I am starting a photography course soon but you can't do anything too heavy because at the end of a day's training you're pretty knackered.
"I could go into my personal training business again or it could be a clean sheet of paper for me. I haven't thought too much about it as life can change on a weekly basis."
Thomas stars in a new Cadbury Dairy Milk music video for its Keep Singing Keep Team GB Pumped campaign, as part of their London 2012 Olympic Games sponsorship, which aims to get the nation singing along to show their support for Team GB. For more information visit http://keepourteampumped.com
