England hockey player back on track after op in Leeds

British hockey international player Ashpal Bhogal feared her career could be over when she suffered a knee injury.

But she is back on track for England trials following successful knee surgery in Leeds.

Ashpal, 22, from Leeds, was the first British Asian woman to represent the England hockey team in 2010 as part of their junior women’s team.

She has played at all junior levels and excelled at every age group.

Her passion for hockey started when she was just five years old, when her father, international hockey player, Bobby Bhogal, introduced her to the game.

Leeds Met Carnegie hockey coach, regional performance coach and former elite player Bobby single-handedly coached a young Ashpal from the age of six.

But Ashpal tore her ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) playing for England Under 18s in 2012 in a training game against Ireland.

It was shortly after she was chosen to carry the Olympic torch through Monk Fryston on its way to London at the start of the Olympic Games.

Following surgery, which involved a biological ACL reconstruction under the care of Ram Venkatesh, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Spire Leeds Hospital, Ashpal returned to the game feeling stronger.

But earlier this year, Ashpal, who plays in midfield position, suffered some injuries during training and started to feel pain in her shin bone after a game, which threatened to disrupt her playing for a second time.

“When you suffer an injury it is terrifying. It makes you feel like your career might be over,” said Ashpal, who currently plays with Slough Hockey Club.

She immediately returned to see Mr Venkatesh at Spire Leeds Hospital and under went a minor secondary procedure to remove a screw from the shin bone.

“It was a very stressful time. You go through all sorts of emotions.

“I’m so careful with my knees; I don’t even go skiing because the twisting puts strain on the knees,” says Ashpal.

“Nobody wants to have to undergo surgery but for me it meant the future of my career was uncertain. You always worry in case something goes wrong,”

Mr Venkatesh explained the procedure he did to help Ashpal.

“In 2012 Ashpal had an ACL reconstruction during which we retained some of the partially torn original ligament fibres in the knee, which gives a stronger result, it benefits the ligament nerve supply and also aids faster healing.

“More recently, Ashpal suffered injuries during training and was having some pain due to pressure on the shin bone area.

“The surgery to reconstruct the ACL was extremely successful and she was soon able to return to training.”

For Ashpal the operation has put her dream of being in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo back on track.

“Mr Venkatesh performed a miracle as far as I’m concerned and if it wasn’t for him my playing career might be over,” she said.

“He knew immediately what the problem was and helped me and my family with the whole process and filled us with confidence.

“He spent a lot of time explaining everything in detail and even scheduled surgery to fit with my training schedule.”

After surgery, Ashpal made a rapid recovery and was able to resume her training just three weeks later.

She soon built back up to 24 hours of training per week, including running, gym conditioning, weightlifting and also yoga for flexibility.

“I’ve had no problems at all since having the surgery. My knee feels like normal. I wouldn’t know I had undergone surgery and visually it looks like I have a small scratch on my knee, “ she said.

It’s a huge relief to Ashpal who is now back on track for the England Team trials and hopes to play in the English Women’s Premier League this month.

Then if all goes to plan, next year she will be eligible for selection for any international call up opportunities that come her way.

“Hockey is my passion and to compete in the Olympic Games in 2020 or 2024 is my dream and I see that as a real possibility now.”

Ashpal’s family members were originally refugees from Idi Amin’s repression in Uganda.

They are a family steeped in the game of hockey. She has also been coached by her uncle Satvinderpal Singh Bhogal.