Wales players pay out of own pockets to play at Hockey World Cup

Drawn in Pool D alongside India, the Wales hockey team is one of the two teams slated to make their World Cup debut over the next few days in Odisha.

It has been a dream run for Wales over the past few years in World Hockey, wherein they have leapfrogged from 36th to 15th in FIH world rankings and from third tier European Hockey to the World Cup.

But the financial condition of hockey in the country continues to remain precarious, thanks to the very little popularity it enjoys.

Unlike other players who get paid to play for their countries, the Wales hockey players pay out of their pockets to represent the nation.

On an average a Welsh hockey player shells out about 1000 pounds a year (close to INR. 1 lakh) into the system to play the sport - this is to not only ensure the development of hockey in the country but also to contribute towards the team's international travel and other expenses.

"Hockey Wales is a small sport. So, obviously our funding is limited. Due to our recent performances, we have qualified for bigger tournaments," said Wales coach Danny Newcomb in a media interaction.

"Whilst the government has been helpful and we now have a shirt sponsor for the world cup, the gap between the money we have and we need is quite big," he added.

In fact, Wales reached Rourkela for their maiden World Cup appearance after a round of online crowdfunding in December last year.

"Our players contribute to the program. They pay at least £1000 a year to play for Wales. The crowdfunding was just a way to reduce the cost for the players," the coach revealed.

Set up by Ria Burrage-Male - a Hockey Wales executive, the crowdfunding page initially targetted to raise £25,000 pounds towards the flight tickets of the players. The fundraiser was, however, closed at £5,165.

Does having public money behind them increase the pressure on the Wales hockey team to produce exceptional results on their World Cup debut?

No, says captain Rupert Shipperley.

"I would not say it is added pressure. It is something we used to and we need to go on with. We have accepted that it is what we have to do to play at this level," Shipperley said.

"It is obviously frustrating and I wish we did not have to go down that route...there obviously has been improvements over the years, but we are still not there yet," the captain added.