Are you ready? Let me explain...

When I arrived in Genova, the city I am spending my year abroad in, I knew nobody. I felt alone and I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t played hockey in over 4 years but I knew I wouldn’t be able to find a shinty club (!), so I decided it would be a way to meet new people and relieve some of my loneliness. This turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg.

The start of something new...

I was put in touch with a man called Gigi, who explained that H.C. Rainbow, Sampierdarena (a suburb of Genova) is a relatively new women’s (field) hockey club, formed in 2015, but is unique in that it is one of the few (if not, only) clubs that cater to women only and beyond the level of Under 14/16. Hockey is not a very well known sport in Italy and so there is not as much funding for community sports teams like Rainbow as there might be for a football/soccer team for example. The team welcomed me from the outset and not only have my hockey skills improved but so has my Italian. Most importantly though, I have made new and wonderful friends; these are girls that care, that enjoy a laugh and a joke but that want to pull together when the going gets tough.

What’s in a name?

Gigi also explained the story behind the name Rainbow. Rainbows, as we all know, are beautiful wonders of nature made up of a spectrum of colours. In the same way, our team is made up of a variety of girls from all over the world (I think he said we have something like over 15 countries represented in our team, but I can’t remember them all) a few examples include Egypt, Ghana, Germany, France, Ecuador, Albania, The Netherlands and now even Scotland! It doesn‘t matter where we come from, what we look like, what religion we believe in or what the colour of our skin is; diversity makes us beautiful and what unites us is a love for hockey and a love for our team.

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty...

This is a team I am intensely proud of, but it is a team that is struggling. And by struggling, I mean financially. The memberships are already subsidised so that hockey is accessible to girls of all backgrounds, the buses to our matches are again subsidised and we had to let a coach/trainer go as it was one expense too much. And yet the thought of me paying membership was batted down, I am a guest in their country, no way should I be paying. Of course I couldn’t just take advantage of this so I paid my membership like every other girl, but one more membership just wasn’t ever going to be enough.

So where does the money go?

The money from memberships goes towards everything and yet does not cover all of it. The rental of the pitch and its upkeep, the changing rooms and the heating/power in them, the purchase of new, essential protective equipment (such as goalie kits, shin pads, face masks), the buses to matches, the entry fees to competitions/tournaments, the team kit, the coaches’/trainers’ fees, plus a whole host of other small bits here and there. So how do we make ends meet? There are two ways: the first is through the founder of the club, Gigi. He uses his own money to make up the difference because he cares, it is his passion. I feel honoured to have met someone so involved and so dedicated to something as he is. The second is through fundraising.

Are we finished yet?! Nearly...

In order to raise money for the club, this year we are selling raffle tickets. There are some prizes to be won including chocolates and hockey gear etc. (that I can bring back to the UK with me at Christmas) but the main reason behind the raffle is to raise money for the club and so it is not so much a raffle as a donation. Each girl has been tasked with raising 50€ but I am hoping to raise 100€.

Tickets cost 2€ each or 3 for 5€ (and I will personally put in 1€ for every 3 tickets bought by an individual)

Every little helps, so whatever you can give is greatly appreciated, even if you don’t want a raffle ticket, even 1€ or £1, it all helps.

(Please message me a contact email address if you buy a raffle ticket and I will send you a photo of your ticket/give it to you in person if you live in Genova)

p.s. thanks for reading this far

p.p.s. To any shinty girls reading, don’t worry you know this doesn’t mean I have forgotten about shinty