Wales Hockey Team Praises Hyderabad’s Sports Infra
Players attend St David’s Day event during FIH Women’s World Cup Qualifiers
Hyderabad: Members of the Wales women’s hockey team have praised Hyderabad’s sports infrastructure and hospitality during their visit to the city for the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.
The team, which came to Hyderabad for the tournament, attended the St David’s Day celebrations hosted by British Deputy High Commissioner to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Gareth Wynn Owen at his residence in Hyderabad. The team’s arrival in Hyderabad was delayed by a few days due to the West Asian crisis.
A friendly exhibition match between the Wales players and girls from Victoria Memorial Home and Residential School, originally scheduled for March 2, will now be played on Thursday. The visiting players also expressed interest in sharing their hockey skills with underprivileged girls in the city if given an opportunity.
Team captain Beth Bingham said adjusting to the city’s climate had been challenging. “Before coming to Hyderabad, we used to spend time in Sona steam for some time to acclimatise to Hyderabad’s climate”
Sarah Jones, an Olympic player in the squad, also interacted with guests at the reception. “This visit could give us a lot of insight about the people of Hyderabad and hockey in India.”
Eoghan O’Regan, Head of India for the Welsh Government, said, “Hyderabad is a big city with a lot of great infrastructure. Most important is the sporting culture here.”