England Hockey ID (Intellectual Disability) is an adapted, competitive version of hockey designed for players with intellectual disabilities, featuring dedicated England and Great Britain national squads. Hockey ID is the elite end of Flyerz Hockey, where athletes meet strict eligibility criteria set by FIH/EuroHockey and Virtus International to be selected to compete. Flyerz is grass roots disability hockey at club level. Hockey ID or Para Hockey as it’s know in other countries is a mixed gender, 6 a side half pitch format with gender split quotas.
The England team competes internationally, in the EuroHockey ID Championships every 2 years. This year for the first time they are competing in the Santorelli Cup in Rome, a five nation tournament at the end of June and will be competing in the World Cup in August. The GB team has competed in the Special Olympics World Games and the Dutch Special Olympics National Games.
At Grays Hockey we partnered with GB & England Hockey ID Player Rob Crosse in 2023, and he has achieved great success with the team at international events since then, receiving many personal accolades in the process. This summer (if selected) Rob and the team will set off for the World Cup in a tournament that will run alongside the main events in Belgium and the Netherlands. The ID team is in pool B and will be in Amsterdam with the senior England Squads. They will face teams from Argentina, Bulgaria, Chile, India, The Netherlands, Malaysia and Spain. Pools A and B have been decided by the same FIH ranking system that is used for senior tournaments.
We recently spoke to Rob to discuss his love for the sport, recent success and future plans with the England ID Hockey team.
1. What have the recent tournament successes meant for you?
“It’s been amazing to win gold and silver medals at the Olympics and Euros it makes me believe in myself and what I can do if I work hard. It makes me very proud of myself and my team. My dream from when I was younger was to go to the Olympics, I am so lucky I have achieved my dream.
Being captain for some matches at the European Championships last year was just an amazing feeling, it was the best day ever I felt so proud.
Winning the Disability Sports Yorkshire Awards for my Hockey and Karate this year and last year has been just amazing. I want to be an ambassador and role model for disability sport, and these help me do it. I’m very proud of myself.”
2. What excites you most about the World Cup in the Netherlands?
“If I am lucky and get picked, we will get to be history makers at the first ever Hockey ID World Cup. We get to show the world what we can do, and we get to inspire other people like me with learning disabilities to believe in themselves and get involved in our hockey family.
I will be really excited to score as many goals as I can and play teams from all over the world we’ve never played before. I’m excited to play at the stadium and walk out to the national anthem it will be so amazing.”
3. What does Club Hockey look like for a Hockey ID player?
“I train twice a week at Wakefield Hockey Club. On a Tuesday with the Flyerz and on a Wednesday with Men’s 5s. Over the past few years, I have played for the Development Team and now I’ve played for the Men’s 5s in the YNE Dale Open League. I’m playing in the Summer League I scored a hat trick last week that felt amazing and I do Rush Hockey when it’s on. Sometimes we have all ability matches at the club where all the Flyerz get to play in mixed teams with people from across the club and they are good fun. This year I went to Den Bosch to play in an EHL club ID tournament.”
4. What challenges does a Hockey ID player face?
“I was inspired by the London 2012 Olympic Games to play hockey, but it took more than two years to find a club that did Flyerz hockey where I could learn hockey. That was a challenge because I kept going on and on about playing hockey!
Speed, agility and learning new skills are all challenges. I need more time and lots of demonstrations. Things broken down into small steps. Coaches shouting too many instructions too quickly, using words I don’t understand, different coaches using different words for things are all difficult for me. Sometimes coaches talking or the game is too fast for me as well.”
Head Coach Steve Bradley answered the same question
“Hockey is fast paced, making quick decisions in a game, rapidly adjusting to turnovers or anticipating opponent's plays is challenging because Hockey ID players like Rob need extra time to process information and many struggle with planning, focus, remembering instructions, processing speed and juggling multiple tasks on the pitch. The coaching group are fortunate to work with some incredibly talented and driven players who want to get better and it is quite something to look at Rob stride onto the pitch telling other players and coaches he will do the best he can do.
Hockey requires some quite complex technical skills, dribbling while running, throwing and receiving aerials, maintaining proper body positioning etc, players like Rob who have physical challenges with their motor skills as well as learning disabilities find mastering these stills challenging, they require significant effort and over learning. Maintaining focus during training or games can also be a challenge, too much noise, too many instructions etc can lead to players becoming distracted and loosing track of the game or drill. One of the newer elements now is that the players are away at tournaments for longer and longer, this of course creates new challenges for all the players in terms of their level of independence and life skills.
A big challenge for the England team is finding the right level/kind of teams to play against to help with training and preparation for competitions. Flyerz is England Hockey’s open and Inclusive hockey for everyone, this has been brilliant for encouraging people that have never played to have a go. Holland who are one of the strongest nations just play Hockey ID so competition between clubs is strong, this is a place we’d like to get to in England, but it will of course take time. Over the last few months, we have been lucky enough to have some of the senior Womens team come to training (at Bisham) and help lead drills this has given the group such a visible boost to players confidence. For those senior players they can see how serious the ID team are and how hard they work. They have been so good at working with the group, and you can get a sense of real joy on both sides!
5. GB & England’s Alex Malzer Leads By Example
We spoke to Grays Hockey Ambassador, Alex Malzer about her involvement with Hockey ID:
"I have helped with Falcon Flyerz/England Hockey ID team for many reasons. I’m a big believer in inclusion; I love that these sessions give people equal opportunities to participate in relaxed hockey sessions through to the highest levels despite ability. Being around these athletes who have overcome social and physical barriers inspires me. They constantly challenge people’s assumptions about their conditions and it’s amazing to see, they never fail to surprise you. The impact that hockey has on these participants is massive.
Confidence, independence and quality of life are all increased through these sessions - not only do the athletes break barriers externally but also within themselves and it’s truly incredibly to witness. Speaking to the families/ coaches of the England Hockey ID team has shown me how powerful being part of a team is for these athletes. Lastly, I love creativity and coaching at this level requires a lot of “thinking outside the box”. You constantly must modify drills, equipment or communication style to suit each athlete. It feels more personal coaching, progress is different and the small wins feel big."
If you are a Hockey ID Player and would like to be sponsored by Grays Hockey please apply via our website: -
