Students from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) met teams from all over the world in an international hockey tournament in Barcelona.
DMU Hockey Club, run by the De Montfort Students' Union, partnered with Leicester Hockey Club to attend the 68th International Hockey Reyes Tournament, hosted by the Real Club of Polo and Hockey.
Third year Arts and Festival Management student, Leighton James, took part in the #DMUglobal trip. He said: “It was a pleasure and a privilege to represent DMU within Europe as well as internationally, and always is, both on and off the pitch. It was a unique opportunity for us and one which we are thankful for.”
#DMUglobal is the university’s programme which gives students the chance to enjoy valuable international experience during their degree. Leighton and six of his fellow teammates felt proud to put DMU on the map as they paraded their kits in Barcelona.
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Leighton added: “It was good to have so many different continents united by the sport, and to meet people with the same interest. We had the opportunity to watch and learn from European and North American players, and build connections for the future.”
Leicester Hockey Club is one of the oldest and most successful Women’s Hockey Clubs in England, established in 1894 and accredited by England Hockey – and one of the first international members to become part of the Real Club of Polo and Hockey in Barcelona.
Leighton said: “There are talks of the DMU Hockey Club and the Leicester Hockey club collaborating together to form a Leicester men’s hockey team, ready to take part in next year’s tournaments in Barcelona.”
Leighton’s passion for hockey began when he saw that DMU Hockey Club had an active presence in and around his university students' union. He said: “Hockey was banned in my school, so I’d never really played before starting DMU. The hockey club was very vocal within the DSU and I noticed them everywhere in their kits, and they meet at least twice a week for training.”
Posted on Tuesday 16 February 2016