GUEST BLOG: British hockey's Alex Danson

Posted: Tuesday 3rd February 2009 | 16:12

ALEX Danson reports from Holland and tells British team-mates that going Dutch isn't such a bad idea...

TRAVEL BROADENS THE MIND: Great Britain's Alex Danson is enjoying her club hockey in Holland with Klein Zwitserland

There is no doubting it would be good for British hockey if more girls followed in my footsteps and tested themselves in a foreign league.

It's something I will recommend to the rest of the Great Britain squad when we meet up for our first training camp of the year - that's at Bisham Abbey later this month.

I'm playing out in Holland at the minute with a team called Klein Zwitserland and it's a fantastic experience.

The sheer amount of time we spend on the field compared to what I've been used to with club hockey in England, is just amazing.

After the Olympics in Beijing I was given the chance to play abroad and with Holland being the Olympic champions - it was the sort of opportunity I couldn't miss.

There are no huge differences on the field of play but it has just been a matter of me learning different ways of doing the same things and it's great.

Back home we would train once a week, whereas out here I am on the field, training or playing, at least five or six times a week, which is absolutely great for my development.

Playing so often is definitely something that would help the game back home but it would be difficult to implement.

With Holland being such a small nation most people can ride their bikes to training and everything is quite easy for people.

Also there is a lot more money in hockey out here, with every team having a good sponsor behind them.

Doing what you love in a foreign country is amazing and a great life experience.

The broken thumb I sustained at the Olympics ruled me out of the first five games in Holland but I have scored three goals since, which is great.

This year is a big for us in terms of GB hockey with the Champions Trophy coming up in Australia.

The Olympics was a great breakthrough for us and coming sixth means we can go to tournaments like the Champions Trophy and keep testing ourselves against the best in the world.

The pull of London 2012 has helped us because we have only lost Jennie Bimson and Katy Roberts to retirement and I think everyone is excited about working hard to keep GB rising up the world rankings.

It's definitely going to be a busy few months going to and from England for the training camps as well as keeping up my studies for my degree - but I can't wait.