Name a sport, GO. Football, netball, rugby, um… cycling? Unless you’re Canadian, ice hockey might not be first to spring to mind, particularly for women’s sport, but women’s ice hockey is very much a thing, and a growing thing at that.
Fiona King is assistant captain and chairperson of the London-based women’s ice hockey team Streatham Storm. As a child, King skated at Streatham’s ice rink during school holidays and, on one fateful occasion, was approached by a team member – “You know we’ve got a women’s ice hockey team?” – and she’s not looked back since.
“I played for Streatham for a long time after that, before moving on to play for the GB women’s team. I captained the national team for 15 years, and then coached before eventually taking a year out. This is actually my first season back playing for Streatham Storm, just as we’ve moved up into the elite league – the top league in the UK. I’ve come full circle now and it’s great. Streatham is my local rink and it’s brilliant that we’re now up there with the top teams.”