By Rhianna Davies
WALES women narrowly missed out on a place at the 2022 Hockey World Cup, but it was a tournament youngster Emily Drysdale will never forget.
Sportsmen and sportswomen dream of representing their country. The dream came true for 20-year-old Drysdale who received her first international call-up to represent Wales at the 2022 Hockey World Cup Qualifiers in Italy last month.
“It was a bit of a shock, but I was over the moon. I was straight on the phone to my mum!” Drysdale said.
Drysdale, who is currently studying Psychology with Sport and Exercise Science at Exeter University, plays club hockey for the university as well as ISCA Hockey Club.
“I started playing hockey at school and just really enjoyed it. I wanted to play a bit more than just at school, so I quickly joined the local club,” she added.
“It is my third season now for ISCA and University of Exeter. I am fortunate enough to captain them again this season after such a disrupted season last season.”
Proof why @rose_thomas29 was goalkeeper of the tournament at the 2021 World Cup Qualifiers! 😍👏🏻#flashbackfriday #goalkeeper #hockey pic.twitter.com/NcGHfR5gbZ
— Hockey Wales (@HockeyWales) November 12, 2021
Wales women had a tournament to be proud of at the World Cup Qualifiers beating hosts Italy and Scotland, making it to the tournament final.
Unfortunately, losing to Ireland in the final meant Wales missed out on a place at the 2022 World Cup.
Commenting on the tournament Drysdale said: “Obviously the overall aim was to qualify for the World Cup, which would have been an amazing experience.
“Throughout the tournament we were always continuously wanting to improve our ranking.”
Wales women are currently 26th in the Federation of International Hockey (FIH) Women’s World Rankings.
Drysdale added: “My future goals are just to continue representing Wales at top levels and hopefully one day at a Commonwealth game.”
The future is bright for Drysdale and hopefully one day she will get the chance to represent Wales on hockey’s ultimate stage.