Help Courtney get to the Under 21 European Hockey Invitational Tournament, Netherlands

Hi, my name is Courtney Winterbottom and I am a 19 year old, up and coming New Zealand Hockey player. I have just been selected to represent New Zealand in the under 21 Future Black Sticks Hockey Team. I am extremely excited to be traveling to the Netherlands to play in the Volvo Under 21 European Invitational Tournament, which is to be held in July 2015. During pool play we will face England, Germany, Netherlands, India and China. This will be a great challenge for me, as this Tournament is part of the selection process in naming the NZ Junior World Cup team which will be travelling to Chile next year.

The trip to the Netherlands is all self-funded and the cost is currently unknown whilst we wait for NZ Hockey to confirm details. We have been advised that it could be anywhere between $5,000 - $10,000. As the news of my selection was very recent, this has left me very little time to raise funds. I would greatly appreciate any support that anyone can offer.

I was 9 years old when I first started to play Hockey on the grass soccer fields at Warkworth. Having lived locally my entire life, I’m very proud to be representing the local community as the only national representative player in recent years. This year I have been able to give back to my sport via an opportunity to coach the 2nd XI at my old school Mahurangi College, with very pleasing results. I intend to continue offering as much support as possible to local hockey, using this opportunity to assist where I can.

As a youth player I was fortunate enough to be selected to play for the North Harbour Under 13 Collier team. I have played in a North Harbour Representative team every year since. In 2010 my Under 15 team won the National Tournament in Napier and I have been part of the North Harbour Senior Women’s team that won the National Tournament in 2010 and 2014.

This year was my second year playing in the North Harbour Under 21 Women’s team. Last year we came home with a Bronze medal and this year we stepped it up for a Silver. My position as a Striker enables me to score goals and this year at the Under 21 Tournament I was on the leader board for top goal scorers with a count of four.

As well as my Representative Teams, I also play Club Hockey in the Premier Women’s Grade for Hibiscus Coast Dairy Flat.

It has been a long journey, as over the last six years I've travelled to Rosedale - Albany up to seven days a week, often twice a day. I’ve had a few years when injury hampered my progress and held me back but thankfully that seems to be behind me now.

My goals for the future are to make the North Harbour NHL Team and the New Zealand Junior World Cup Team to go to Chile next year. It would also be a privilege to progress into the Black Sticks Team to compete at the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.

You can keep up to date with my progress through my Facebook page.