As the head coach of Team Great Britain, how do you feel about leading your team into the Street Hockey World Championship in Visp and Raron, Switzerland?
George Gortsos: Coaching the group of players from GB has been a joy for me and has been highly enjoyable for me and my co-coach Mentis.They are players who love playing our sport!! 85% of our team comes from the domestic leagues in the UK and from this Hockey nation. We have a young group with close to 65% of the team under 23 years of age. The improvement these players have achieved from playing each other in the domestic BHUK leagues combined with the hard work and concentration they displayed at our camps has led to growth at a very fast rate. It is a wonderful group to be a part of.
Can you share some insights into the team's preparations for the championship, considering the diverse competition you'll face?
George Gortsos: Our preparation has been three camps in BHUK rink in Sheffield and finally culminating in the big floor of the wonderful rink in beautiful Edinburgh at Murrayfield. Where we played some international friendly games against teams from Switzerland, USA, and Bermuda and we won the tournament in May. This is a great first step for our young group!!
Lastly, what message do you have for the fans and supporters of Team Great Britain as they gear up to cheer on the team in Switzerland?
George Gortsos: I think my message to the fans is that these young players will evolve and are evolving into a A Pool division ball hockey power step by step. We are all excited to see where our hard work from the open tryouts in September 2023 in Sheffield to the Final Preparation tournament of Murrayfield Scotland in May 2024 has brought us. Where we are now and I can tell you that fans will see a group of players who love playing the sport and being part of this young core of GB players who are passionate about representing the UK. And are keen to see where we stack up! You will see GB pride for sure. Also for me it has been a joy to coach these young guys and will be great to be back for me on the ISBHF bench after my last game leading my Canadian teams in 2009. So after 15 years I am back where I belong!! With this great group. We are ready for Visp and Lonza Arena.
