The BAC is delighted to announce that Great Britain and England hockey captain, Hollie Pearne-Webb, is joining the organisation as its new Athlete Development Ambassador.

Hollie will work alongside the organisation’s three existing ambassadors – athletics’ Hannah Cockroft and Adam Gemili, and skeleton athlete Laura Deas – with a specific focus on enabling athletes to develop their skills and interests away from the sporting environment, with an eye on ensuring that they can adapt to life after their sporting career as smoothly and successfully as possible.

The 30-year-old has balanced her decorated hockey career with a role at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and has recently won a place on the prestigious EY Women Athlete Business Class of 2021.

She says:

“I love my career as an athlete, and have always been incredibly grateful for the chances that it has brought me, but I’ve also been very conscious of grabbing with both hands any opportunity that will make moving away from hockey – when the time comes – easier, and my post-sport career more enjoyable.

“When they retire, athletes are often moving away from the one thing that they’ve done all their lives, and had an all-consuming passion and love for. Identifying something else that they have a passion for and an interest in, and opening doors for athletes to follow these ambitions, can therefore help mitigate the risk of an emotionally tough transition.

“In taking up this role with the BAC, I’ll be sharing my experiences and helping to facilitate discussion among athletes on this subject. The focus on athlete welfare in sport has never been greater, and I’m looking forward to playing my part in making sure this focus extends to supporting athletes as they look towards a future beyond sport.”

Hollie was part of the history-making team which won hockey gold for Great Britain at Rio 2016, and is currently preparing for the Tokyo Games alongside her team-mates.

BAC Athlete Engagement Manager, Kristian Thomas, adds:

“Ensuring that athletes receive the opportunities and information to develop their skills away from sport is a key focus of the BAC, and to have someone of Hollie’s calibre and experience on board to help us do this is fantastic.

“We have plans in place to build an alumni network for retired athletes, which will allow us to extend the support we currently offer to athletes during their careers, and Hollie is a great asset for us as we press ahead with these plans.

“Our four ambassadors – Hollie, along with Hannah, Adam and Laura – will play crucial roles as we help athletes to navigate this particular time in the Olympic and Paralympic cycle, and we are delighted to be working alongside them as we strive to provide a world-class level of support to our members.”