Wolverhampton: Pray to help boys watch their mothers during the Hockey World Cup

A woman is raising money to take her sons to New Zealand when she plays in the 2024 Masters Hockey World Cup.

Sandeep Maan, 45, from Wolverhampton, qualified for the England over-45s team in January and is the first woman of South Asian descent to play masters hockey for England.

She wants her sons, Jay, 10, and Kieran, eight, to accompany her as she credits them with getting her back into the sport.

“They mean so much to me, and I feel like it’s because of them that I am where I am today,” Ms Maan told BBC Radio WM.

“I can’t think of anything better than ending the year with the boys at the World Cup in New Zealand.”

The aim of the fundraiser is to raise £2,500 for the boys’ plane tickets to Auckland in November.

So far, more than £1,700 has been donated to an online fundraising page.

Ms. Maan’s hockey career started when she was 10 years old.

At the age of 15, she advanced to the national league, but noticed that there were few Asian players around her and some prejudice associated with it.

“One of my coaches said to me, ‘When you turn 16, do you stop playing?’ she remembered. “He said, ‘Other Sikh girls have come to play and their parents have shortened that trip for them.’”

She explained, “I was shocked why you asked me that question.

“My only barrier originally was how I would get to training, not letting the color of my skin stop me from playing something I absolutely loved.”

In fact, she continued to play in the US while studying for a master’s degree, and then for a club in Sutton Coldfield on her return.

But after having her boys and going through a divorce, she gave up the sport.

“My focus was on the work and the boys,” she said.

Last year, however, her sons encouraged her to start over.

In January she took part in the matches in England, securing her place in the World Cup squad.

“If I ask my children to put themselves first, what better thing can I do than set a good example for them?” she said.

“They started this journey for me.”