Deganwy's Lily Copeland all set for European Championships!
The Rydal Penrhos School pupil will face Switzerland on Sunday (July 13) in her opening group game, before a tough match against home favourites Scotland on Tuesday (July 15). Her final match in Pool A will be against the Czech Republic on Wednesday (July 16) with the top two teams progressing to the knock-out stages.
The teenager made her Wales Under 18 debut in the Canada Series in April. She made an instant impact being named Player of the Match and scoring two impressive goals.
Since then, she has gone on to play against England Colleges (twice) and Scotland (twice) with six appearances to her name. She will win five more Welsh Caps during the nine-day competition in Glasgow.
Tom Hutchinson, Principal at Rydal Penrhos School, said: "We are delighted and so very proud that Lily has been chosen to represent Wales in the Under 18 Euro Hockey Championship.
"Everyone here at Rydal Penrhos sends their best wishes and we are excited to watch the next stages of Lily's hockey career.
"Pwb Lwc Cymru!"
Lily, who is originally from Rhuallt, made it into the Wales team in January this year following a gruelling year of trials which began at the start of 2024
She began playing hockey 10 years ago at school under the watchful eye of teacher Jude Pyves who she now plays alongside at Eirias Hockey Club, In Colwyn Bay. The Ladies first team have just completed a whole season without losing a match winning the League Title and Welsh Trophy in a stunning unbeaten season.
In 2021, she was the youngest member of the North Wales Under 13s team at the UK Lions National Tournament in Nottingham in 2021 and went on to captain North Wales at the same competition a year later.
Last year, Lily, whose birthday falls on St David's Day, was picked to represent the County (Eryri) to compete in the Hoci Cymru Under 15s County Championships. She was again handed the role of captain and led them all the way to the final in Swansea in February 2024. Off the back of her performance, Lily was selected to play for Wales in the prestigious School Games held at Loughborough University in July.
The teenage star began her pathway to the Wales team in Wrexham at one of three Regional Performance Centres set up to identify potential talent for the Hoci Cymru National Age Grade Squad (NAGS). She nominated to attend trials in Cardiff where she spent seven weekends at training camps at the Welsh Institute of Sport, from September to January, as they slowly whittled an initial group of around 70 of the best young players in Wales, down to a final squad of 24.
Lily made her debut in the first match of the Canada Series at National Hockey Centre, Cardiff, in April, having been selected in the matchday squad of 18.
Her standout performance earned her selection to the European Championship squad as the sole North Wales representative.
The other 17 girls play for clubs based in South Wales or are signed to clubs in England.
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