IT is almost impossible to escape the fervent debate over national identity in these befuddling Brexit times. And Sarah Robertson can relate.

The 25-year-old is one of just a handful of non-English players in the Great Britain hockey set-up, a testament to both her talents and her determination.

Having first joined the squad four years ago, she is comfortable with the arrangement and the mix of nationalities. “You’re just a group all in it together. Some of my best mates are the English girls,” she reveals.

Moving away from her family home in the Borders, however, has done little to distil her sense of Scottishness. She can understand why some foreigners find it confusing that the same players can turn out for England in one tournament and then Britain in another, but not when it’s match commentators who should know better.

“The girls will be focussing on something to do with England and I’m always the first to pipe up to remind them that there are Scots and Welsh girls there too! I’m not shy on that front.

“Sometimes people treat England and Britain as if it’s the same thing and I find that infuriating. I understand why it’s confusing for some but if you’re commenting on the match then, c’mon, there’s no excuse.”

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With both the England and Britain squad managed by the same coach, it would seem harder for the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish players to force their way into playing contention. Robertson disagrees but admits it can be tougher for those outside of England to make the initial breakthrough.

“Getting into the GB squad in the first place is difficult – I’m not going to lie,” she adds. “Most of the Scottish and Welsh players have played at a Commonwealth Games before we were called up for Great Britain. Whereas the English girls tend to come through the English pathway and get into the GB set-up a bit younger. So we definitely have to do more to prove ourselves to get into it.

“But a few things have helped. We had David Ralph, a Scot, as our head coach for a while and now we have Mark Hager who’s an Australian. He doesn’t seem to pay any attention to the different nationalities.”

Robertson nearly wasn’t part of it at all. Joining the GB squad on a part-time basis in 2015, she didn’t make the cut for the Rio Olympics the following year and then watched her team-mates go on to win gold. That prompted a bit of soul-searching as she chose to step away for a year to complete her law degree at Edinburgh University.

Realising she still had the desire to compete, she re-joined the British squad on a full-time basis in 2017 and is now an integral part of the group.
The Herald: Sarah Robertson (right) battles for the ball with Laurien Leurink of Netherlands during the FIH Champions TrophySarah Robertson (right) battles for the ball with Laurien Leurink of Netherlands during the FIH Champions Trophy
“I wouldn’t say Rio was too soon for me,” she adds. “It was difficult as I only got invited into the squad after Glasgow 2014 so there was only really a year-and-a-half of me being a part of it. In that time I had a couple of injuries as well so if there was going to be any chance of me making it, I would have had to be fit for that entire period.

“Unfortunately it didn’t work out for me at the time. After I didn’t get picked I went back to uni and had to think a few things over.

“Is this realistic? Am I good enough to go to the Olympics? Is hockey what I want to do for the foreseeable future?”

“I had a chance to regroup and properly take a step back and wonder if it was the right thing for me. Once I decided it was I think I’ve come back better as a result.”

The introduction of the FIH Pro League has meant for a hectic international schedule. Having already competed in Australia, New Zealand and China this year, Robertson and her team-mates head to USA and then hockey-daft Argentina at the end of this month. With Olympic qualification on the line, it’s shaping up to be a pivotal competition.

“As a tournament it’s been well-received so far. The events in Australia and New Zealand were epic. We had crowds of around 5000 people watching, and the weather was amazing so the whole thing was just brilliant.

“It’s USA and Argentina next. We went to Argentina last year for a Test series and played five games against them. And it was crazy.

"We met a couple of 13-year-old girls who had travelled eight hours by bus across Argentina to watch one of the games. That was incredible and shows what hockey means to people over there. There have been games in the past where the stadium has been actually rocking so that’s something to look forward to.”

As well as Britain, Robertson continues to fly the flag for Scotland – who she will represent again at the European Championships in Glasgow in August – and the Borders.

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Growing up in Selkirk, she fell into hockey only after reaching high school and realising she could no longer play football or rugby. Mentored initially by Jedburgh’s Janet Jack, a former fellow GB international, Robertson has gone on to become the new poster girl for hockey in that part of the country.

“Hockey was the last of my priorities growing up,” she reveals. “I hung about with all the boys when I was younger. I played a lot of rugby at Selkirk Mini Rhinos, and football, too. It was only when I went to high school there wasn’t a platform for girls to play rugby at that time. Girls had to do hockey so I picked up a stick and thought 'what’s all this about?' but got quite into it and slowly worked my way up from there.

“I always try to go back to Selkirk High School or Borders Fjordhus, my old club, whenever I’m home and it’s nice to be recognised there. It shows how far the sport has come and that it’s possible for someone from the Borders to make it this far.

“A lot of people there have this perception that it’s a private school sport and that schools in Edinburgh and Glasgow will be better than them. I’ve proved that it doesn’t matter what school you go to or where you’re from. It’s just about how determined you are to make it.”