Wales' hockey team crowdfunding for World Cup

Wales' hockey team crowdfunding for World CupImage source, World Sport PicsImage caption, Gareth Furlong scored from two penalty corners against Poland as Wales secured their World Cup spotByGareth BaileyBBC Sport WalesPublished28 minutes agoWales' men's hockey team are crowdfunding to help cover their costs for the World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium.They beat Poland 2-1 in Santiago, Chile, in March to seal their place at August's tournament.The win secured back-to-back World Cup qualifications after Wales made their competition debut in India in 2023, where they finished tied 11th.They have set a £40,000 target to cover costs such as travel, accommodation and competition expenses.As part of a largely amateur programme, many of the squad have full-time jobs or study, and players are responsible for funding their own international travel.Hockey Wales hope the World Cup appearance will help "inspire the next generation of hockey players". Image source, World Sport PicsImage caption, Jack Pritchard (right) scored the opening goal against Scotland in Wales' qualifying groupJack Pritchard was one of the goalscorers in Wales' 5-0 win over Scotland in their World Cup qualifying pool. He said the challenges of a part-time programme are felt by the players."It's a difficult balance to get right between training and the day job," added Pritchard."We've got a range of ages, some are students, some of them are working full-time, some are working part-time. "A lot of the guys come down from London, places like Nottingham and Birmingham, that sort of stuff." Pritchard admitted it was "an ask on people" to combine work with hockey. "Being a part-time programme, we have to fund ourselves year in year out," he said. "The cost is going up so we have to do something about it."Wales and GB's Shipperley ends international careerPublished1 JuneEngland and Wales drawn togeth...