Wales men may be short of funding but at least they will have their names emblazoned on the back of their shirts as they enter uncharted waters on Friday with a first ever World Cup game here in Rourkela. It hasn’t always been like this in Welsh sport. Take a recent conversation co-captain Rupert Shipperley had with Paralympic great Tanny Grey-Thompson in a Hockey Wales send-off in Cardiff last week.
“She said that she wished she had something with a shirt and a name on it,” Shipperley told The Hockey Paper. “When she was competing she had a shirt and a number and she would write her own name on it. She said for us to cherish the moments.”
Wales are certainly experiencing a different build-up like never before, even in the face of funding issues. Last month, Wales had the rare luxury of playing a series of warm weather warm-up matches before a major tournament for the first time. It also served to highlight the path that this Welsh team have chosen.
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