Scott hoping to follow in footsteps of England hockey history makers

By Will Castle, Sportsbeat

ENGLAND U18 hockey star Leila Scott is hoping to emulate the era of Olympic excellence enjoyed by Team GB’s women’s team, having initially been inspired by their famous gold in Rio.

Heroes were made when Great Britain’s women topped the podium for the first time at Rio 2016, with the likes of Maddie Hinch, Hollie Pearne-Webb and Alex Danson all becoming household names.

It was a night that was sure to spur on the next generation of female players, with Olton and West Warwickshire’s Scott among those to become hellbent on reaching such lofty heights after watching her idols take home gold.

“I remember the 2016 Olympics in Rio when obviously the women won gold - I must have been maybe seven or eight,” Scott recalls, after being selected by Aldi – the official supermarket partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB and official partners of Team GB Nearest & Dearest Programme, supporting athletes’ families. “I was on holiday and at the time I didn't realise how big that it was gonna be for women's hockey.

“Honestly, that would be an unmatched feeling, to feel how they felt with that medal in your hand, to know that that's what you've done, and you've done that off your own back.

“Meeting some of the Olympians, seeing the medals, and their stories from it, it's just helped inspire the future of hockey, especially for people like me.

“It's been so inspirational to see all of them nowadays. You can play against them in different clubs and just seeing Olympians as normal people baffles me. They have gold medals under their belts but are so humble.”

An incredible 65% of athletes in Paris with Team GB have received financial support and recognition from SportsAid during their sporting journey so far. That’s 224 out of 351 members of the British team.

Scott is one 1,000 athletes supported each year by SportsAid, who provide crucial financial support as well as offering development opportunities through workshops and visits.

She has also reaped the rewards of SportsAid’s partnership with Aldi, who also provide vital media training and nutrition sessions, as well as funding the Parent Pathway Series - a series of tailored online sessions for parents and guardians to ensure SportsAid athletes are getting the best family support they can.

As is the case with most top athletes, it has not been a completely smooth road for Scott in her journey in elite sports. However, possessing a never-say-die attitude, she looks to Team GB icon Kate Richardson-Walsh for motivation, who reached the top despite suffering setbacks in her youth career.

“Kate Richardson-Walsh is my role model,” she added. “I relate to her on a level in that we’ve both experienced setbacks.

“I read her book, Winning Together, that she wrote with her wife [Team GB teammate Helen Richardson-Walsh], and when reading it, I felt like I could relate.

“She experienced setbacks at U16s and U18s hockey with England, and that's what I've had as well. So, it's not been a straightforward journey.

“To see obviously how far she's come, she is literally like a role model to every young hockey player out there. We should all be a bit more like her.”

Scott feels prepared to take centre-stage in front of the camera after getting a taste of the limelight during a promotional day for Aldi and SportsAid in Poynton, soaking up the attention warranted by elite athletes.

The opportunity to be part of the SportsAid and Aldi promotional campaign means they will receive enhanced financial Aid Award, to help with the cost of competing, training, and participating in sport, a monthly fruit and vegetable voucher, redeemable at Aldi stores nationwide until the end of the 12-month SportsAid award period, a private tour of Team GB’s Kitting Out experience and media training and nutrition sessions.

“It's been different,” Scott said. “I've never done anything like this before. I've been in about 50 different poses and taken about 400 photos, but days like this also will help you prepare.

“If you were to make that next level of media training, it’s been good for managing your nerves and knowing what it's like to be an elite athlete without being one just yet.

“This is the first of many and it makes you really want it. I went to GB Kitting Out and seeing some of the athletes and their faces when they got their kit - they're grown adults and the excitement that you still get from receiving your kit before going to the Olympics, it almost feels like an unmatched feeling.”

These athletes are Great Britain's brightest sporting prospects. They are nominated to SportsAid by the national governing bodies of more than 60 sports based on set criteria from each.

The typical value of a SportsAid award is £1,000 with money generated through a combination of commercial partnerships, trust and charitable funds, and fundraising activities.

While the grant has been immensely valuable to Scott in funding his progression, it’s what she has learnt on the mentality side of things that stands out to her - discovering how to live the life of an elite athlete.

“The nutrition courses and the mental health workshops have been very helpful because I think sometimes as an athlete, especially if you get a few setbacks, you need the support and it's so easy to feel alone,” she added.

“SportsAid workshops have helped me manage stress and have especially helped me when being away from home, when you can find yourself sometimes not wanting to play or not wanting to be there.

“The workshops really help you get through those times because at the end of the day, you love your sport, and everybody has dark patches.

“Learning how to live like an athlete, you can't teach it at school. It's stuff like SportsAid which really helps people like me and I'm sure loads of other young athletes take their sport to the next level through the education that they get through it.”

Aldi and SportsAid are now in their third year of partnership. In 2024, they are supporting six local athletes, who will be part of SportsAid and Aldi promotional campaign, receive enhanced financial Aid Award, a monthly fruit and vegetable voucher, a private tour of Team GB’s Kitting Out experience and a media training and nutrition sessions. For more information visit https://www.sportsaid.org.uk/partners/our-partners/aldi