'He moved heaven and earth for us' - South African coach highly regards the England hockey team's assistant coach

Sports have a principle that they always prepare an individual to become at least a good human being. As it has been said loss and win are just the sides of the coin in any sport but apart from that, it is the sportsman spirit that goes in the end with a player even after he stops playing that particular game.

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A similar incident has happened in the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games 2022. The coach of South Africa’s men’s hockey team has come up with a story that involves the good human being of England’s assistant coach Kwan Browne. He went a step ahead to serve the sportsman spirit.

South African coach Iain Shippey has talked very highly of Kwan Browne for his help to the South African side. Shippey also revealed the way Kwan Browne helped the team.

The kindness of this gesture left us speechless - Iain Shippey on Kwan Browne

“Connections: True story on the eve of the Bronze medal match between England and SA, this is one of the background stories that should be told before anyone stands on a podium. Two weeks before the Commonwealth Games, the SA Men’s Hockey team had not confirmed a venue for their training camp in the UK. Unbeknown to the team, the management held a crisis meeting as we endeavored to resolve this dilemma. We had no sponsor and urgently needed a solution,” said Shippey while narrating the story.

“We had to call people and ask if they would host us. One of our players suggested that we call Kwan Browne to ask him if he could help. It was 11:59 on the clock as it was two days before the end of the school year and we were looking to base at a school with access to a boarding house, a hockey field, and a gym. “Kwan moved heaven and earth for us and asked Mill Hill School, where he is Director of Hockey if they could host us. He came back with the message. ‘You can stay for free but please can you pay the cost price of the food,' the kindness of this gesture left us speechless,"  he added later discussing the humility of the hosts in England.