National hockey skipper, Robert France, is one of Guyana’s finest journeymen and his contributions to the sport are worthy of recognition.
The 34-year-old France has an interesting hockey story; his doesn’t mirror the typical plot of being around hockey during his teens.
In fact, France, who grew up in Campbellville, Georgetown, was well beyond his adolescent years when hockey became a central peg in his life.
He was introduced to the sport at age 20 by former National Coach and former President of the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB), Timothy McIntosh, who ran a programme at the Hikers Hockey Club.
At Hikers, he found solace after realizing his primary school friends, Shane Samuels and Randy Hope, were members there. They all attended Sacred Heart Primary.
At the then Everest-based hockey club, France quickly grabbed hold of the fundamentals of the sport and was thought of as a naturally gifted hockey player. After producing several eye-catching performances for his club as a forward, he was fast-tracked into the national side two years on.
He made his debut for Guyana at the 2007 Caribbean Cup in Trinidad and has since represented Guyana on 32 occasions, scoring a staggering 33 goals.
He is described as being one of ‘rare ones’, by the current President of the GHB.
“Robert France is a striker of rare quality. While Guyana has had its outstanding share of quality midfielders and defenders, the unique traits of striker Robert France has not been seen very often,” President Philip Fernandes said.
He added, “France has a high work-ethic which always keeps him in top condition and this translates into the way he plays the game. While most of the other strikers relish possession of the ball and position themselves to maximize this, France is willing to sacrifice his time on the ball for the greater good of the team.”
Meanwhile, France still dreams of taking Guyana to the World Cup.
“I’m satisfied with my individual performance for my club right now but for my country, I still dream to help take Guyana to the Field Hockey World Cup and Olympic Games,” France told Stabroek Sport.
Among the foremost satisfying performances for Guyana is one which came in 2014 during the Pan American Indoor Cup in Montevideo, Uruguay when Guyana defeated powerhouse Argentina twice on their way to a bronze medal.
Guyana, in the opening encounter, won 5-3 with France netting the final goal. The national stickmen triumphed 2-1 on shootouts in the third-place bout.
Displaying his skills at home for the first time during the 2017 World Cup qualifier was also an unforgettable moment where he netted 13 goals. It was also the first time France wore the captain’s armband.
But like the old saying states, ‘all good things must come to an end’ and after a decorated career, France believes he may hang up his national sticks pretty soon.
“I don’t think I will play much longer for Guyana… I believe that I have achieved some of my goals while representing Guyana. The main goal was to lead the national team and pave the way for the youngsters coming through.”
France said he achieved one of his feats of becoming a role model.
“I wanted to be a role model for youngsters in hockey and I think I have achieved this and I will continue to encourage them to train hard, play hard, and always practice fair play,” he said.
“We have a wide range of young talent coming up in the Under 21 squad that will soon be entering the national side. I will keep it positive in communication with teammates and also keep leading by example,” he added.
He’s impressed with the likes of Kareem Mackenzie, Omar Hopkinson, Samuel Woodroffe, and Paul D’Andrade as some of the youngsters coming through.
France, when he does decide to walk away from the sport, will surely be one of the celebrated national athletes. He has led Hikers to the status of being the country’s top male club after dominating the local scene.
Apart from those national outings previously mentioned, he also represented Guyana in Venezuela, Peru, and Jamaica. His most notable personal achievement on the hockey pitch was being named in the 2017 PAHF men’s indoor elite team.
