Inside the Circle with Giselle Ansley: Olympic Hockey, Elite Training and Life Beyond the Pitch

What does it take to compete at three Olympic Games? How does an international hockey player prepare for the biggest matches in the sport? And what happens when you combine more than 200 international caps with a passion for baking?

In this edition of Inside the Circle, Total-Hockey catches up with Great Britain and England defender Giselle Ansley to talk about her journey through hockey, her experiences at three very different Olympic Games, life inside the GB programme, overcoming injury, mentoring the next generation and her business away from the pitch, Stick or Whisk.

With Olympic gold and bronze medals, a complete set of Commonwealth and European Championship medals and more than 200 international appearances to her name, Giselle has experienced hockey at the very highest level.

But her story started much closer to home.

Watch the full Inside the Circle interview with Giselle Ansley below, or keep reading for the key stories and insights from the conversation.

Where Giselle Ansley’s Hockey Journey Began

Like many hockey players, Giselle's introduction to the sport came through her family.

Her mum played hockey, which meant Giselle and her siblings spent plenty of time beside the pitch from a young age. Hockey quickly became part of everyday life, from watching matches from a pushchair to running around on the pitch at half-time.

Although hockey ultimately became her career, it wasn't the only sport she enjoyed growing up.

Cricket was another major part of her sporting life, alongside swimming and tennis. She continued playing cricket alongside hockey until university, but it was the team environment that ultimately appealed to her most.

That multi-sport upbringing is something Giselle still values, particularly when talking to young players today.

Three Olympic Games, Three Completely Different Experiences

One of the most fascinating parts of Giselle's career is that her three Olympic Games could hardly have been more different.

Rio 2016 delivered the ultimate sporting achievement: an Olympic gold medal.

Friends and family were able to travel to Brazil, and as Great Britain progressed through the tournament, more supporters arrived as the possibility of something special became increasingly real.

Then came Tokyo 2020.

With the Games affected by COVID restrictions, athletes competed inside spectacular but largely empty stadiums. While that removed the traditional Olympic crowd, Giselle believes it created a different kind of experience.

The players and support staff who had trained together every day suddenly had only each other inside the stadium.

GB weren't necessarily expected to medal after a difficult build-up, but something clicked during the tournament. The team ultimately returned home with bronze.

Then there was Paris 2024.

Although the result wasn't what Great Britain had hoped for, Giselle's memories of Paris aren't defined solely by where the team finished.

After the empty stadiums of Tokyo, playing in front of huge crowds again was something special. Even after GB's tournament ended, she returned to the stadium to watch the remaining matches and experience the atmosphere.

The lesson? Even for an athlete who has reached three Olympic Games, success isn't the only thing that makes an experience memorable.

What Is It Really Like Inside the Olympic Village?

For those watching from home, the Olympic Village is one of the parts of the Games we rarely get to experience.

According to Giselle, each Village had its own character.

Tokyo offered spectacular views across the water and incredible sunsets.

Rio was enormous. Simply walking to the food hall for three meals could contribute towards around 20,000 steps in a day, enough that some athletes eventually started using the Village shuttles.

Paris offered something different again: a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower.

Towards the end of the Paris Games, Giselle found herself walking laps around the Village simply to take everything in, knowing it was an environment very few people ever get the opportunity to experience.

How Does an Olympic Hockey Player Train?

Elite hockey training isn't quite the traditional 9-to-5 job.

A typical GB training day can include physical preparation, pitch sessions, gym work, tactical meetings, video analysis, physiotherapy, nutrition and psychology.

Before getting onto the pitch, players complete what the squad calls daily prep — individual preparation designed to get their bodies ready for training.

Exactly what that involves varies from player to player.

Pitch sessions can then be combined with gym sessions two or three times per week, while meetings and video analysis help establish what the squad wants to achieve during a particular training session.

Players also have access to an enormous amount of match analysis.

If they are preparing to face a particular opponent, they can study footage and data from previous matches and set pieces to understand what that team is likely to do.

Importantly, the schedule is designed around performance rather than conventional working hours.

Recovery between sessions matters, and training times can even be adjusted to replicate competition.

Ahead of the Olympics, for example, the squad practised around the times they expected to play matches. An early morning Olympic fixture doesn't simply begin when the whistle blows — preparation, meetings, activation and travel mean the player's day can start several hours earlier.

Avoiding Information Overload Before a Big Match

Preparation isn't simply about having as much information as possible.

Before matches, players need enough tactical information to understand the opposition without reaching the pitch with dozens of instructions running through their heads.

Some analysis might therefore happen the previous day, with the final team meeting reinforcing the most important details.

It is a useful insight into elite sport: sometimes better preparation means knowing which information matters, rather than trying to remember everything.

And when it comes to pre-match rituals?

Giselle deliberately avoids having too many.

When she first joined the international squad, she noticed players had particular seats on buses, places in changing rooms and routines before matches. Rather than adding another ritual to remember, she decided to keep things simple.

There is, however, one important rule.

Socks first. Then shoes.

Playing Hockey Around the World

Giselle has experienced club hockey in England and the Netherlands and, at the time of the interview, was preparing for another challenge with Canberra Chill in Australia.

Playing internationally offers more than simply a change of scenery.

Different countries, clubs and coaches can have very different philosophies about how hockey should be played.

The fundamentals don't disappear — elite players still work on recognisable hockey drills — but when a franchise squad brings together players who don't regularly play alongside one another, establishing a shared playing style becomes particularly important.

Players need to quickly understand formations, tactical expectations and how their teammates see the game.

For Giselle, experiencing those different interpretations of hockey is part of the attraction.

There isn't only one way to play the sport.

The Hockey Stick Giselle Ansley Uses

Giselle has played with adidas equipment since around the Rio Olympics.

Her stick choice at the time of the interview was the adidas Chaosfury .2, which suits elements of her game including aerials and drag flicking.

Interestingly, one reason she likes the .2 is its slightly softer feel.

For someone who spends plenty of time playing hockey in cold British conditions, that can make the stick feel more comfortable in the hands while still providing plenty of power.

Her relationship with adidas started in a very hockey-player way: by trying someone else's stick at training.

She liked the bow, discovered it was an adidas stick and eventually made the switch.

For footwear, she uses adidas Lux shoes and highlighted their comfort and support, particularly because she wears orthotics.

It's a useful reminder for players choosing hockey equipment: specifications matter, but actually experiencing how a stick or shoe feels when you play can be just as important.

Coming Back From Serious Injury

An international career spanning more than a decade inevitably brings difficult periods too.

Giselle has dealt with several significant injuries, including Achilles surgery and an LCL rupture.

The physical side of rehabilitation is supported by the specialists available through the GB and England programmes, including physiotherapists, doctors, strength and conditioning coaches, scans and specialist medical support.

But Giselle also highlights something less visible: mindset.

Long-term rehabilitation demands motivation and discipline, particularly when an injury means missing matches, tournaments or significant periods of training.

Her approach is to focus on what she can do.

Even when an injury prevents normal training, there may still be opportunities to work in the pool, use an arm bike, complete rehabilitation exercises, study the game or develop other areas.

And returning to the pitch after a long period away can make playing hockey feel even more valuable.

Why Young Hockey Players Don't Always Need More Hockey

One of the most valuable parts of the conversation comes from Giselle's work mentoring younger athletes.

After training through the True Athlete Project, she began mentoring athletes before also working with young players progressing through the talent system at Surbiton.

Her message to ambitious young players is refreshingly simple:

You still need to be a teenager.

Young athletes today can have access to school hockey, club hockey, regional programmes, national pathways and additional training.

Those opportunities can be fantastic, but more isn't automatically better.

Giselle's own childhood involved plenty of sport, but it wasn't exclusively hockey. She played cricket, swam, played tennis and tried numerous other sports.

For young players, she believes it is important to make sensible decisions based on what's right for the individual rather than feeling they have to attend every available session simply because somebody else is doing it.

Having time away from hockey can even help players arrive at training with more energy and enthusiasm.

After all, the reason most people first pick up a hockey stick is simple:

because they enjoy it.

From Hockey Sticks to Stick or Whisk

Away from elite hockey, Giselle has another passion: baking.

What began with taking homemade bakes into training eventually developed into her own small business, Stick or Whisk.

The idea was encouraged by her brother and sister, with her brother getting much of the credit for the name.

Starting primarily through Instagram and word of mouth, the business has grown alongside her hockey career. She has also supplied bakes as part of a collaboration with a coffee business run by fellow GB hockey players.

For Giselle, baking provides something completely different from elite sport: a creative outlet where there's always another skill to improve.

Running the business also involves far more than making cakes and brownies. There are orders, accounts and all the other jobs that come with running a small business — something that has even provided another focus during periods when injury has kept her away from the pitch.

What Can Hockey Players Learn From Giselle Ansley's Career?

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Giselle's story is that an elite sporting career isn't built from one ingredient.

There is the obvious commitment to training and performance, but also adaptability, recovery, curiosity and maintaining interests away from competition.

Her journey has included three very different Olympic Games, international club hockey, serious injuries, mentoring young athletes and building a business alongside her playing career.

And despite reaching the highest level of the sport, one theme repeatedly comes through: enjoy the opportunity you have to play hockey.

Whether you're preparing for an Olympic Games or heading to club training on a Tuesday evening, that might be one of the most useful lessons of all.

Watch the full episode of Inside the Circle with Giselle Ansley to hear more about her Olympic experiences, hockey equipment, training, injuries, mentoring and life away from the pitch.