We are delighted to announce that BGS alumna, Maddie Axford (2021), has been selected to represent the England U21 squad for the upcoming 2021 Junior Women’s World Cup.

Maddie thrived in a multi team sports environment at BGS and has been training with the U23 GB Development squad since Jan 2021, when she was in the Upper Sixth. Competitive opportunities have been few and far between since the onset of COVID, with two U19 European Championships over two successive summers cancelled. An U21 World Championships in South Africa is therefore a particularly exciting prospect. Maddie is one of only two 18-year olds to be selected for the U21 England World Cup Team and is looking forward to gaining valuable experience at the top level of International hockey. 

Maddie is studying Criminology in her first year at the University of Nottingham and is playing in the top tier of the British Universities and College Sport Competition (BUCS). She  is also representing the university on Saturdays, where she is currently top scorer across the Vitality Women’s Hockey Leagues with 11 goals. 

Maddie flies to Holland next week for three days of matches against what will be very strong Dutch opposition.  She then travels out to South Africa with the U21 squad to prepare and acclimatise at altitude, with the World Cup taking place from the 5th - 16th December before a well-earned rest over Christmas and the New Year.  

View the full squad selection here.