The Scots School Albury, Hockey Albury-Wodonga welcome overseas players

Pippa Best, of Ireland, and Belgium's Justine Van Lathem are settling into life as boarding assistants and coaches at The Scots School Albury as well as playing with Albury-Wodonga Spitfires and clubs like Magpies and Wombats.

Scots hockey co-ordinator Douglas Agar, who is also Hockey Albury-Wodonga development director, said the scheme had been planned for a couple of years.

"I'm from Ireland where this is a pretty common system we have, where if you've got a sporting program you try to get overseas experts into that," he said.

Mr Agar said both players represented their countries under-age, earned scholarships to the US and competed professionally in Europe.

"I think bringing Pippa and Justine in is really adding a lot to what we can offer," he said.

"They've both got very good international level hockey experience, they've done lots of coaching in a number of different countries as well, so being able to bring them on board is just an extra facet."

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Hockey Albury-Wodonga operations manager Cayte Campbell said the pair, as well as playing, would run some development clinics for the Border's juniors.

"It's going to raise the profile of the competition but it's also going to raise the standard of the competition," she said.

The recruits took part in the Spitfires' practice match against University of Canberra on the weekend.

"We have a very young team and it was a good work-out for them," Mrs Campbell said.

"While one person does not a team make, having skilled players who are able to pass on their knowledge to the rest of their teammates, either Spitfires or division one, there's a big gain all round."

The overseas players spoke to The Border Mail just days after arriving in Australia and admitted to lingering jet lag.

"Everyone's been very welcoming and we're just excited to get started," Miss Best said.

Neither had visited Australia before and so they've been adjusting to the land, and its accents.

"You hear them on TV before and then when we got here, you're like, 'Wow, these people actually sound like this'," she said with a laugh.

The pair noted every country had its own style and standard of hockey.

"I just try not to compare too much because we are ... coming to a new place," Miss Van Lathem said.

"It shouldn't be the same because you're trying to get away from that and just embrace something new.

"It's not just hockey, it's the whole package."

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