Inside the Circle with Sarah Robertson: Olympic Hockey, Scotland and Life Beyond GB

Few players can look back on a decade inside the Great Britain programme with the range of experiences Sarah Robertson has had.

Olympic bronze medallist. Two-time Olympian. More than 100 Great Britain caps. More than 100 appearances for Scotland. Commonwealth Games experience. Club hockey across the UK, Belgium and Australia.

And now, after stepping away from the GB programme, another chapter is beginning.

Sarah has continued playing for Scotland, joined Wimbledon for the new season and moved into a full-time role within the hockey industry at Grays.

In this edition of Inside the Circle, Sarah joins Total-Hockey to talk about the highs and lows of elite sport, winning bronze in Tokyo, the disappointment of Paris, bouncing back from Rio deselection, playing Hockey One in Australia, choosing her Grays equipment and what hockey can do to become easier and more engaging to watch.

Watch the full Inside the Circle interview with Sarah Robertson below, or keep reading for the biggest stories, insights and lessons from her journey with Scotland, Great Britain and beyond.

Still Going With Scotland

Retiring from Great Britain hasn't meant Sarah is finished with international hockey.

Far from it.

She's still representing Scotland and preparing for major competition while balancing a full-time job.

That creates a very different routine from the centralised GB environment.

Instead of spending the whole week training as part of a professional programme, Scotland's players often need to combine individual work with weekend camps.

For players based away from Scotland, that also means plenty of travel.

It's demanding.

But Sarah has been encouraged by the young players coming through the Scottish pathway.

After spending periods away from the squad because of GB commitments and injury, she returned to find several new faces pushing the standard forward.

For Sarah, that's a positive sign for the future of Scottish hockey.

A New Club Chapter With Wimbledon

Sarah has also recently joined Wimbledon Hockey Club.

The move comes at an interesting point in her career.

She's no longer training full-time with GB, but she's still playing international hockey with Scotland and wants to compete at a high club level.

Wimbledon offers exactly that.

The squad has added plenty of international experience, including several Scottish players, and Sarah is hoping the group can challenge strongly during the season.

There isn't much downtime before it begins either.

International hockey now runs almost year-round.

Major tournaments finish.

Club preseason starts.

Then domestic competition begins.

For elite players, maintaining fitness has become a 12-month job.

Retiring From Great Britain

Sarah announced her retirement from the Great Britain programme after Paris 2024.

Looking back on almost a decade inside that environment, she describes the experience with both pride and realism.

There were huge highs.

Olympic medals.

Major tournaments.

Training full-time.

The opportunity to discover just how good she could become.

But there were difficult moments too.

Injuries.

Non-selection.

Disappointing results.

And the relentless pressure that comes from competing inside a squad where Olympic places are limited.

Elite sport rarely exists at one extreme or the other.

The achievements and setbacks often happen side by side.

Looking Back on a Golden GB Era

Sarah joined the programme during one of the most successful periods in British women's hockey.

The Rio cycle ended with Olympic gold.

Tokyo produced another medal.

Paris didn't deliver the ending the squad wanted.

But over the wider period, the results speak for themselves.

For Sarah, being part of that era remains something she is enormously proud of.

It was an environment that pushed her physically and mentally.

And, ultimately, it shaped the athlete she became.

Tokyo: Sarah's First Olympics

Tokyo 2020 was Sarah's first Olympic Games as a player.

The circumstances were unusual.

COVID restrictions.

Empty stands.

Constant testing.

And extreme heat.

On the day of the bronze-medal match, Sarah remembers pitch-side temperatures around 42°C with enormous humidity.

The match became so physically demanding that quarters were split further to give players additional opportunities to drink and recover.

And the hockey itself wasn't exactly calm.

Seven goals.

An Olympic medal on the line.

Complete chaos.

Great Britain came through it with bronze.

Winning Olympic Bronze

Sarah admits she didn't arrive in Tokyo with enormous expectations.

It was her first Olympics.

She wanted to embrace the opportunity and see where the team could go.

Then everything clicked.

Great Britain reached the bronze-medal match and came away with a medal.

The medal itself now has a surprisingly glamorous home.

A sock drawer.

Sarah jokes that it's secure there, although announcing that publicly might have slightly compromised the system.

She still brings it out for school visits and events, but hasn't yet created the full display case treatment.

How Quickly Women's Hockey Has Changed

After Tokyo, Sarah took a year away from the full-time GB programme.

She continued playing for Scotland but stepped away from the daily centralised environment.

When she returned, one thing surprised her:

the game had already become faster.

Just one year.

And the standard had moved again.

Players were quicker.

Ball speed had increased.

Teams had become more professional.

That meant returning to the level she had been at in Tokyo wasn't enough.

She had to reach the Tokyo level — and then move beyond it.

Why Modern Hockey Is So Fast

Sarah sees this constant evolution as both one of hockey's strengths and one of its challenges.

From a player's perspective, the speed makes the sport exciting.

From an athlete's perspective, it makes the physical demands relentless.

You can't simply maintain.

You have to improve.

And for new viewers, that pace can sometimes make the sport difficult to follow.

The ball moves quickly.

Decisions happen in seconds.

Rules aren't always obvious.

Which raises an important question:

How can hockey make itself easier to watch?

What Hockey Can Learn From Other Sports

Sarah believes hockey could use technology more effectively to help new audiences understand the game.

Other sports already do this well.

Cricket uses graphics to explain what's happening.

Tennis displays serve and ball speeds.

Broadcasts provide information that gives the viewer context.

Hockey could do more of the same.

Why was a penalty corner awarded?

How fast was the drag flick?

What did the video referral actually show?

A little more information could make a huge difference for somebody watching the sport for the first time.

Making Hockey More Watchable

Sarah also believes better production needs to filter beyond the biggest competitions.

The Olympics, World Cups and European Championships usually benefit from high-quality broadcast teams.

The camera operators understand how fast the ball moves.

They know when to zoom in and when to pull back.

Lower-level international and club hockey doesn't always have that luxury.

Better technology, graphics and short-form social media content could help more people understand and appreciate the sport.

If hockey wants to grow, the viewer needs to be able to follow it.

Paris 2024: A Different Olympic Experience

Paris was Sarah's second Olympics.

And almost everything felt different.

No COVID restrictions.

Crowds.

A more normal Olympic Village.

Higher expectations.

But the outcome was disappointing.

Great Britain finished fourth in their pool, creating a difficult quarter-final against the Netherlands.

Facing the world's best team in a knockout match is about as difficult as Olympic hockey gets.

Where Did Paris Go Wrong?

Sarah believes some of the most important moments actually happened earlier in the pool stage.

Great Britain lost 2–1 to Spain in the opening game.

At the time, nobody wanted to treat the first match as if the entire tournament depended on it.

There were five pool matches.

Plenty of hockey remained.

But with hindsight, that result became pivotal to the final group position.

Finish higher and the quarter-final opponent changes.

That's the fine-margin reality of tournament hockey.

A result on day one can shape everything that follows.

Rebuilding After Paris

Paris also marked the end of an era.

Several experienced players retired after the Games.

That creates an opportunity for younger players to come into the programme and reshape the team.

Sarah believes the timing may ultimately be useful.

Fresh players.

Fresh ideas.

Another cycle.

But she also highlights the unique challenge of Great Britain hockey.

For much of the cycle, players compete as England, Scotland or Wales.

Then before the Olympics, those groups need to combine into GB again.

There's no perfect system.

Scotland vs England

The structure produces some unusual situations.

Sarah can spend years training alongside English players in a GB environment.

Then Scotland play England at the European Championships.

Suddenly the teammates become opponents.

During international windows, the programmes largely separate again.

England train together.

Scotland train together.

Wales do the same.

For Scottish and Welsh athletes without fully professional programmes, that means far more responsibility falls on the individual to maintain the required physical level.

The Andy Murray 100th-Cap Moment

One of the most memorable moments from Sarah's Paris experience came after receiving her 100th Great Britain cap.

And the person presenting it?

Sir Andy Murray.

Sarah's family are huge Andy Murray fans, and the players already knew he might be attending the hockey.

After GB's match against Argentina, Sarah hadn't realised what was happening.

Then suddenly one of Scotland's greatest sporting icons was standing on the pitch presenting her milestone cap.

The match result wasn't what she wanted.

But the moment itself was unforgettable.

From Paris Straight Back to Scotland

There wasn't much time to process the Olympics.

Around 10 days later, Sarah was back playing for Scotland in European qualification.

Several Scottish GB players returned for the tournament.

There was no extended holiday.

No long decompression period.

The priority was making sure Scotland secured its status for upcoming European Championships.

Sometimes elite sport is simply about getting through one challenge before finally allowing yourself to stop.

Why Sarah Took a Break After Tokyo

Sarah already understood the importance of that balance.

After Tokyo, she took a year away from the full-time GB programme.

It gave her space.

A different routine.

And a chance to reset.

That break didn't end her international career.

It helped extend it.

Sometimes the best way to stay in elite sport isn't simply to keep pushing harder.

Sometimes stepping away can be part of the performance plan too.

The Rio Deselection That Changed Everything

One of the biggest setbacks in Sarah's career came before Rio 2016.

She was around 21 and relatively new to the GB environment.

The squad was filled with some of the most experienced names in British hockey.

Alex Danson.

Kate Richardson-Walsh.

Helen and Kate Richardson-Walsh's generation of established stars.

Sarah came close to selection.

Then missed out.

For a young player on an upward trajectory, it was a huge blow.

What Deselection Feels Like

Suddenly, the confidence that had carried Sarah forward disappeared.

Maybe she wasn't good enough.

Maybe this wasn't going to happen.

Those thoughts are normal after a major setback.

Sarah returned to Edinburgh to finish her law degree and gave herself time to process what had happened.

Then, around a year later, she came back to trial for the programme again.

This time the mindset had changed.

She wanted it.

And she was ready to prove it.

Using Setbacks as Fuel

The return went extremely well.

Sarah impressed enough to establish herself back within the squad and continue towards the next Olympic cycle.

Looking back, she believes missing Rio ultimately made her more resilient.

It forced her to understand herself better.

It also taught her one of the brutal realities of Olympic sport.

A squad might contain 30 or more outstanding players.

Only 16 go.

Half the group will inevitably experience disappointment.

How players respond to that disappointment can define what happens next.

Playing Hockey in Australia

After Paris, Sarah headed almost immediately into another hockey adventure.

Australia.

She joined the Tassie Tigers in Hockey One.

For a player stepping away from full-time GB hockey, it offered exactly what she wanted:

something completely different.

A new country.

A different league.

A different style of hockey.

And a little more freedom around the competition.

Why Sarah Loved Hockey One

The experience exceeded expectations.

Hockey One uses a compact franchise-style format.

Teams play each other across a relatively short season before the finals.

Matches are shown on Australian television.

Podcasts follow the league.

Men's and women's games are tied together.

And there's a strong social atmosphere around the teams.

For Sarah, it felt like an event rather than simply another domestic competition.

The Hockey One Scoring Rule

The league also experiments with the format.

One of the biggest differences comes after an outfield goal.

Instead of the goal simply counting and the game restarting, the scorer gets an additional running penalty opportunity.

Convert that and the goal effectively becomes worth two.

That leads to some unusual scorelines.

10–7.

10–3.

Results you rarely see in traditional hockey.

But that's part of the attraction.

The rule encourages attacking play and keeps matches alive.

Fast, Direct Australian Hockey

The style of play suited the format.

Fast.

Direct.

Aggressive.

Attacking.

Sarah joined the Tasmania team alongside other international recruits, including GB teammates.

Everyone had to adapt quickly.

New tactics.

New terminology.

New teammates.

Even Australian slang required adjustment.

But the group clicked.

And the Tassie women went on to reach the finals for the first time in decades.

Club and International Hockey Around the World

Sarah's career has taken her through several countries and club environments.

Scotland.

England.

Belgium.

Australia.

Each one adds something different.

Different tactical ideas.

Different approaches to training.

Different cultures.

For players considering going abroad, those experiences can add far more than just another line to a playing CV.

A Career With Grays Hockey

Sarah's relationship with Grays Hockey stretches almost as long as her elite career itself.

She started using Grays equipment at around 15.

And never really stopped.

That's unusual.

Elite players often move between different brands throughout their careers.

Sarah found something she liked and stayed with it.

The relationship eventually went even further.

She now works for the company.

From Grays Athlete to Grays Employee

After Tokyo, Sarah took on a role with Grays covering areas of hockey and women's sport.

Today, her work includes business development, marketing, athlete relationships, product input and other projects across the brand.

That means her perspective on equipment has completely changed.

Before?

Order the stick.

It arrives.

Use it.

Now she sees everything that happens before the product reaches the player.

What Hockey Stick Does Sarah Robertson Use?

Sarah uses the Grays DB10, the modern equivalent of the Dynabow 10,000 she had already used for years.

That continuity is important.

At international level, once players find a stick they trust, changing unnecessarily doesn't always make sense.

Sarah has used essentially the same type of stick for seven or eight years.

It's a relatively slim stick.

The bow is modest.

Nothing extreme.

And that's exactly what she wants.

Why the DB10 Works for Sarah

The biggest benefit for Sarah is her backhand.

She likes hitting on the reverse side.

A less aggressive bow makes that feel more natural.

She's not choosing a stick around drag flicking or highly specialised skills.

She wants a dependable all-round option.

That's an important equipment lesson.

You don't need the most extreme shape available if your game doesn't require it.

Sarah's Stick Setup

Sarah uses a 37.5-inch stick and generally prefers it as light as possible.

She's not obsessive about every specification.

But she has changed her grip setup over the years.

Before Tokyo, she normally used a traditional shammy-style grip.

Afterwards, she switched to a more tennis-style Twintex grip.

Why?

Traction.

Why Grip Choice Matters

Sarah has relatively small hands and found her hands could slip on some traditional grips.

The tennis-style option gives her a more secure feel.

There is one obvious weakness.

Rain.

A grip that works brilliantly in dry conditions might suddenly become less effective when it's soaking wet.

And when you play for Scotland, having a wet-weather backup isn't exactly optional.

Helping Develop Grays Hockey Shoes

Sarah also wears Grays footwear.

But she's done more than simply test finished products.

She's been involved in the development process.

Athlete feedback helped shape newer models, including changes to comfort, performance, colourways and design.

For Sarah, being able to contribute to a product and then actually use it at the highest level is particularly rewarding.

How Grays Develops New Products

Working inside the company has given Sarah a completely new appreciation for how far ahead hockey brands need to plan.

A stick range launching next summer may already be close to finalised a year beforehand.

Every decision adds complexity.

Different models.

Different colours.

Different sizes.

Different price points.

Then all of that needs to be manufactured, forecast, stocked and sold.

What looks like a simple product wall inside a hockey shop is actually the result of a huge amount of planning.

Refreshing the Grays Stick Range

Sarah was involved in the major update to the Grays range.

One challenge was balancing innovation with heritage.

Some players loved the existing products precisely because they hadn't changed.

They recognised the colours.

They knew the names.

They knew exactly which stick to buy.

But hockey's audience is also relatively young.

The products need to feel current.

Modern.

Technical.

Fresh.

The new family-based structure was designed to make the range easier to understand while still keeping the familiarity players expect from Grays.

Tradition vs Innovation

That balance matters for a brand with more than a century of history.

Change everything and you risk losing what people trust.

Change nothing and the brand can start to feel dated.

For Sarah, the aim is to protect the heritage while continuing to move the equipment forward.

It's a challenge hockey itself faces too.

Respect the traditions.

But keep evolving.

Sport Beyond Hockey

Sarah's professional life hasn't been limited to the hockey industry.

She also has a first-class law degree from Edinburgh.

And one of her first major jobs outside full-time hockey came in Premiership Rugby.

Her role involved salary-cap compliance.

In simple terms:

helping make sure clubs followed the rules around what they could spend on players.

Working in Premiership Rugby

The position came during a period when the league was placing greater emphasis on salary-cap enforcement.

For Sarah, it combined several interests.

Law.

Sport.

Rugby.

And a fascinating behind-the-scenes view of professional competition.

It was a strong first step into working life.

Then an opportunity at Grays arrived that was simply too closely aligned with hockey to ignore.

Why Multisport Backgrounds Matter

Sarah didn't grow up playing only hockey.

Football was actually her favourite sport for much of childhood.

She was obsessed with it.

Friends.

Keepy-uppies in the garden.

Playing every chance she could get.

Hockey only arrived around the age of 13 or 14.

Within a couple of years, she chose hockey.

What Football Gave Sarah's Hockey

Those years playing football weren't wasted.

Sarah believes the sport developed spatial awareness that transferred directly into hockey.

Understanding offside.

Playing into space.

Recognising channels.

Reading movement.

Those instincts became part of her hockey game.

She believes many elite GB players benefited from playing several sports while growing up.

Why Young Athletes Shouldn't Specialise Too Early

Playing multiple sports isn't only about transferable skills.

It can also protect enjoyment.

Specialise too early and there's a risk of becoming tired of the same sport before reaching senior level.

Sarah played lots of different sport simply because she enjoyed it.

Eventually hockey became the main one.

That route worked perfectly well.

Commonwealth Games vs the Olympics

Sarah has also experienced major multi-sport competition with Scotland.

And she sees the Commonwealth Games as having a very different atmosphere from the Olympics.

The Olympics are the business end.

Qualification is incredibly difficult.

The standard is elite.

Athletes are there to perform.

The Commonwealth Games feel more like a celebration.

Why the Commonwealth Games Feel Different

Different nations bring different cultures.

Teams sing and dance.

There is a broader range of competitive levels.

The environment feels more relaxed and communal.

That doesn't mean the competition doesn't matter.

It simply creates a different experience.

Sarah is disappointed hockey won't feature at Glasgow 2026, particularly with the event taking place in Scotland.

But she hopes the sport returns to the programme in future editions.

Life Away From Hockey

Sarah's reset away from elite sport is pretty straightforward.

Back to Scotland.

Out into the countryside.

Preferably with her dog, Robbie.

After years of living and training in London, returning to the Scottish hills gives her a completely different environment.

Fresh air.

Family.

Space.

And ideally, decent weather.

Although Scotland doesn't always cooperate with that final requirement.

The Aerial Rule Problem

When asked about hockey rules, one topic appears quickly:

the aerial.

Sarah likes the skill.

It adds another dimension to the sport.

It can completely change how teams attack.

But the rules surrounding aerial receptions can be difficult.

Different interpretations.

Different tournaments.

Different situations.

And players often need to make decisions while the ball is flying through the air.

One Rule Sarah Would Add

Sarah would like to see extra time before shootouts.

Something around 10 minutes.

Sometimes 60 minutes feels slightly too short for a knockout match.

The final whistle goes.

Straight into the shootout.

There's no extra period for the teams to find a winner through open play.

Sarah believes a short extra-time period could add another layer of drama before the shootout takes over.

What Can Hockey Players Learn From Sarah Robertson?

Sarah's career contains plenty of lessons.

The first is resilience.

Missing Rio hurt.

But it didn't define the rest of her career.

She rebuilt, returned to the programme and eventually became a two-time Olympian and Olympic medallist.

The second is keep adapting.

A year away from full-time hockey showed Sarah how quickly the game can change.

Standing still isn't enough.

Third, choose equipment around your game.

Sarah has stayed with a relatively straightforward Grays bow for years because it supports the skills she actually uses.

You don't need the most extreme equipment if it isn't right for you.

And finally, build something beyond your playing career.

Law.

Premiership Rugby.

Grays.

Women's sport.

Product development.

Sarah's transition shows that stepping away from full-time international hockey doesn't mean stepping away from the sport altogether.

After more than 100 GB caps, two Olympic Games and an Olympic bronze medal, the role might be changing.

But hockey remains very much part of the story.

Watch the full Inside the Circle interview with Sarah Robertson to hear more about Scotland and GB hockey, Tokyo and Paris, Grays equipment, Hockey One, resilience and life after full-time international hockey.