Julia Johnson

HOCKEY BACKROUND:

I started playing hockey when I was 9 after a friend introduced me to the sport and I was eager to start playing. I have always been a sport enthusiast: playing many sports from an early age which helped me pick up hockey quickly. I began playing at Hampstead & Westminster Hockey Club and loved every minute of it. It was not until I joined my secondary school, Francis Holland, that I found hockey was something I really wanted to pursue since I had a real passion for it. The first representative hockey I played was for the U13 and U14 county team for North London where we won the South Areas County competition at U13 level and came 3^rd at U14 level.

I was then offered a trial for the H&W Talent Academy when I was 14 and successfully made the squad. This was a real step up for me in performance level, as the squad consists of players from ages 14-18 making it very competitive, forcing me to adjust my physicality of play drastically to keep up with the older players. The coaching was high level, and I continuously found myself challenged and keen to develop my skills to make me the best player I could be. After my first Talent Academy season I was chosen for the 2024 Talent Academy Festival Squad and was also selected for an open assessment trial for the England U18 Squad. I continued with Talent Academy for the 2024/25 season where I really started seeing improvements not only in my technical ability but also understanding of the game and was selected for the 2025 Talent Academy Festival Squad. Additionally, last season at Hampstead & Westminster Hockey Club, I captained the U16 team, and at Francis Holland, I captained the First XI in Year 11 and was vice captain in Year 10. This gave me a real leadership role within the school and boosted my confidence which I brought into games at higher levels. 

More recently, I joined Repton School for the sixth form with aspirations to really stretch my playing ability to reach the highest level of hockey of which I am capable. Joining the school has been a real step up for me, as I moved to Repton Hockey Club where I joined the Women’s 1s squad who play in the Division 1 North League, as well as playing indoor and outdoor hockey for the club at U18 level. At Repton School, I am part of the First XI team. This has given me experience playing higher level hockey than I ever have before, and I have already seen massive improvements in my game thanks to the amazing coaching that I have here. As Repton has such amazing facilities, I have been able to accompany my hockey training with lots of strength & conditioning work which has helped me become a stronger and fitter player to keep up with the tough demands of the sport, especially playing for the Women’s 1s team at RHC, where I am still adjusting to the physical demands and speed of the game.  Throughout the second half of the season, I hope to see many more improvements in my game as we come closer to the National competition finals for club and school. 

As a midfielder playing mainly in the screen position, I tend to work a lot around the middle of the pitch, transferring the ball from either side. A main strength of my game is my link play: I am an accurate passer and understand where I need to play the ball to keep possession of it. I also have strong dribbling abilities and am composed on the ball which allows me to combine both passing and dribbling to link players across the pitch. I have a strong backhand hit which I am increasingly using to get shots off on goal and I have spent a lot of time working on my drag flick for short corners which I have scored in matches and can also trap at the top of the circle. 

WHY I WANT TO PLAY COLLEGE FIELD HOCKEY:

I am incredibly excited at the prospect of playing college field hockey in the US. It is an amazing opportunity for me to harness my potential as a player and play to the highest standard I can. Along with playing hockey, I would get to experience studying in different country and meeting many new people. I think this opportunity would encourage me to step outside my comfort zone and become involved with new groups of people too, which is especially important to me. As well as hockey, I am academically focused, and going to an American College would mean not only playing hockey to an incredible standard but also having the opportunity to study at an extremely high level. 

I really value my friendships and being in a team environment, explaining why I have such a passion for hockey. After playing in many different teams throughout my life, I have found that many of the friendships I have made through sport are ones I value the most. Moving to the US would give me the opportunity to meet a completely new team of people, who I could develop relationships to continue my hockey career and beyond with.

Another extremely appealing feature of American colleges are the unbelievable facilities offered to players that I simply would not have the option of anywhere else. With a high-level hockey programme paired with a focused strength and conditioning programme, I would be able to not only develop myself in technical ability, but also in athleticism which is something I really value.

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