PD PROFILES: AMAAN RASHID By Matt Spence

When my daughter was in seventh grade, she played field hockey, and when I went to her games, I was interested to see that a boy played goalie. Sometimes, he didn't get into the game, but most times he would play one half and a girl would play the other. I asked another parent about this, and she explained that Amaan Rashid was an eighth grader from England who loved to play field hockey. Because there were no boys' teams in the area, he asked if he could play with the Middle School team, and he was allowed to do so as long as the opposing coaches didn't object.

After that year, I didn't hear much more about Amaan Rashid and field hockey. I would see him once in a while in the hallways or around campus, but that was about it. But, in August of 2021, I bumped into him again at the varsity field hockey team's game against Myers Park. I noticed Rashid on the opposite sideline with a camera, and because I had recently developed an interest in photography myself, I wandered over to talk with him.

During the course of our conversation, I asked him about his interest in field hockey. He told me that he was born in England, where the sport is played by both men and women, and he had been playing for years until his family moved to Charlotte. I commented that it must have been tough to give up the sport after Middle School, and he said that he still played and that he had just been named to the US National Under-18 team.

I was stunned, and I wanted to know more, so I asked if I could interview him. He smiled and said, "Sure," but it wasn't until January that our schedules allowed us to meet so he could tell me his story.

Amaan Rashid was born in Luton, a large town located in Bedfordshire, which is about an hour north of London. He grew up around the game of hockey (as it's called in England) because his father and uncles played for local clubs. When he was three, his father bought him a juniors stick and would hit the ball with him before games. Rashid loved the game, and he joined his first club after he turned six. At age nine, his coach asked for volunteers to play goalkeeper, and Rashid said he would do it. He had just one training session before his team competed in a tournament, and although his team lost, he really enjoyed the experience of playing goalie, and it's been his position ever since then.

I should pause here and say that in England, field hockey is simply referred to as “hockey.” (In full disclosure, it took me quite a while to hear the word hockey and not automatically envision people on skates in an ice hockey rink!) The website for England Hockey, the sport's governing body, says that more than 140,000 people play the sport, with an additional 15,000 playing on university teams. There are more than 800 clubs in England, and hockey is slightly more popular with boys than girls. In London alone, there are 84 clubs for teenage boys.

One can understand, then, why Rashid was disappointed to find that there were virtually no opportunities to play the game he loved when his family moved to Charlotte when he was 13. "My parents had told me that there wasn't much boys' hockey in America, but I assumed there would be some. I didn't realize that there would be virtually nothing." In his first summer in the US, Rashid attended a summer camp sponsored by the local club. There, he met a boy his own age who was also from England and was looking for a way to play hockey, and another PD student named Hayden Clay (Class of '18). The three of them would constitute the total number of teenage male field hockey players in Charlotte.

Rashid's family approached the PD Athletics Department to ask if he could play on the Middle School girls' team, and although Providence Day welcomed the idea, other schools in the conference were not as accepting. Rashid was only allowed to play in non-conference games. Fortunately, the Charlotte Ambush allowed him to train and play with them in inter-squad scrimmages, and this helped him to continue playing while also developing the skills that would make him a better goalie.

Being the only boy on the girls' team resulted in some awkward conversations with his male classmates. Rashid recounted several times when his peers told him “[field hockey] isn't a manly sport because you’re not hitting each other.” He frequently had to explain that it is a men's sport and that there is contact. After about a year of these talks, Rashid said that his friends' opinion had evolved somewhat: “Okay, it’s still not really a man’s sport; well, maybe in England it is, but not here.” Recalling this statement, Rashid rolled his eyes and shook his head. A year later, he did something that significantly changed his peers' opinion of the sport – he made the Under-16 US National Team. “Then, when I made the USA team in 2019, they were like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s great. Congrats! I didn’t realize there was one, but congrats!’” said Rashid.

In October 2019, Rashid traveled to Greenwich, Connecticut to attend the National ID Camp. This camp was basically an invitation to field hockey players who wanted to compete for a spot on the national team. Rashid says that the process was challenging, but he managed to earn his place. After making the team, Rashid had to travel to California for training camp every other month. He played for the US team in two international games with Canada, but everything stopped when the COVID pandemic struck.

With the country basically locked down, travel to California became impossible. So, his coaches had to resort to team Zoom meetings and regular emails in which they would give the players exercise regimens and training exercises to keep their bodies fit and their skills sharp. Rashid says this was difficult for everyone, but it was the only alternative, given the situation.

When travel again became possible, Rashid went to Virginia Beach for another week-long tryout in the summer of 2021. The boys at the camp were separated into four teams: two U-16 squads, and two U-22. Because he was now 17, he was placed on one of the U-22 squads. His performance at the camp earned him a spot on the U-18 national team.

When I asked Rashid if his goal was to try out for the US Men's Senior team, he said while that would be a dream situation, he wouldn't be allowed to because he's not an American citizen. And, because he is applying to schools in both the UK and US, applying for US citizenship at this time might be impractical. When I suggested that he could try out for the English Senior team, he believes that it would be very difficult to earn a spot. Part of the problem is that the sport is much more competitive in England than it is in the US, and he would have to play for one of the top clubs in the country to attract the attention of scouts. The other part of the problem is that Rashid assumes he would not have an easy path in England as a player of color. English Hockey has been the subject of numerous reports detailing racism within the sport.

There are several sources that support Rashid's comments. In 2020, nine major UK clubs sent a letter to the head of English hockey that detailed the racism endemic in the sport from the youth to the professional level. This letter and subsequent media exposure has prompted the leaders of England Hockey to publicly address the allegations and to implement new policies. Links to several articles about this can be found at the end of this story.

As a senior, Rashid is exploring his options for his future with field hockey. If he returns to England for university, he plans to play for the school and for a club team. If he attends college or university in the US, he will continue to play for the national team, even though that would require extensive travel to training and tournament locations. Rashid says that he wants to continue to play for the US, and if playing for the senior team becomes a possibility, he will explore becoming a US citizen.

Rashid says that playing for the high-level U16 and U18 National Field Hockey teams has been an incredible experience. "I'm amazed to have [the] honour [of] representing the US every time I put on the jersey." No matter where he ends up for college, Rashid says he has no plans for ending his hockey career. "Whilst I am proud of how far I've gotten, I plan on going straight to the top and not stopping once I get there. I will find a way to the top no matter what it takes."