Playing as "Club Martinus", the side will compete amongst some of the top domestic sides in the Netherlands, training and playing together full time under Dutch head coach Harry Brokking.

Martinus successfully hosted the Dutch men’s side in the 1990s as well as currently the Dutch women’s side, who have just returned from winning the World Grand Prix in Japan, highlighting the benefits of having the National side playing as a team full time.

The squad is made up from those training with the GB programme, funded by UK Sport, over the past year out of the training base at the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, where the women’s squad will begin full time training in just a week’s time.

Following a successful summer campaign in Egypt, Tunisia and Poland the team will fly out to Holland next Wednesday.

 

During their international campaign, they scooped several wins against national A/B and junior sides in both Egypt and Tunisia before turning heads at the Hubert Wagner Memorial Tournament in Poland, taking a set off world number two Poland amid facing some of Europe’s top competition impressively.

Brokking said, “We are looking forward to the challenges ahead of us in Holland.

 

"It will provide the ideal opportunity to further develop the squad over the coming season”

Programme manager Wayne Coyle said, “This is the next step for the men’s programme in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

 

Preparing them to face the top level countries is a long journey and this certainly stands them in good stead to reach the next level.”

The squad will be training during their last week in the UK at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.