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Helen Richardson-Walsh is a double Olympic medal winning British hockey player, winning bronze at her home Games in London 2012 and gold at her final Olympics in Rio 2016 – where she was one of only two players to score during a tense penalty shootout in the final. Having played international team sport for 18 years, including 4 Olympic Games.
Over the course of her 18-year career, Helen amassed 19 medals including Olympic gold & bronze, World Cup bronze, European gold and Commonwealth silver. This success has not always been assured, in her early twenties Helen’s career was threatened when she needed three surgeries on her ankle, consultants warned that it was unlikely she would ever play competitive hockey again. After a two-year absence, she defied the odds and returned to the field of play. Helen also suffered a ruptured disc in her back in her early 30s, requiring two rounds of back surgery within 11 months, which left her side-lined for the World Cup in 2014. Consistently showing significant psychological and physical strength throughout her career, she returned to the team and played an instrumental part of a leadership turn around at GB women’s hockey. After Rio 2016, Helen’s home town of Nottingham named a bus after her and a beer, ‘Golden Hels’, was produced by local brewery Magpie.
Helen’s knowledge of high performing teams and what it takes to win as individuals and teams is world leading. Her experience and insight into team culture and helping people thrive is supported with an MSc in Organisational Psychology which uniquely blends the sporting and academic worlds in her work with sports organisations and businesses. She powerfully shares her experiences of mental health and being LGBTQ+ as a passionate activist and supporter of equality and justice for all people. Helen is a proud Mum to Pfeiffer alongside her wife, Kate.
Helen is currently working at Tottenham Hotspur FC as the psychology lead for the women’s team. She attained her Psychology degree through the Open University and her Masters in Organisational Psychology at City, University of London. Helen coaches Cambridge City HC women’s first team. Helen is an ambassador for Access Sport and Para Hockey for the European Hockey Federation and the Patron of the Proud Lilywhites. Helen plays golf, five-a-side football with a group of female ex-football internationals and any other sport she can! Helen played hockey in the Netherlands for two seasons for Den Bosch and HC Bloemendaal. Helen has three older brothers who all played hockey to the top domestic level.
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