Oral History Interview: Joanne (Jo) Thompson

Partial Transcript: Thompson states her name and date of birth for the record.

Segment Synopsis: ACKRELL: This is an interview with Lydia Ackrell and Joanne Thompson for The Hockey Museum. Today's date is Saturday 9th September, 2023. We are in Joanne's mum's house in Twyford. The interviewer is Lydia, the interviewee is Joanne. Joanne, please can we start with you saying and spelling your full name please.
THOMPSON: Yep, my full name is Joanne Sarah Thompson.

Keywords: Date of Birth

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Um, so if we could start with your route into hockey, um, when did you start playing?
THOMPSON: I started as a right back, um, playing for school, um, our teacher Angela Mitchell, was, at the time, the manager of the women's Slough hockey team and her husband, Ian Mitchell, was the manager of the men's hockey team, so they were so into hockey, so anyone who was half decent, they, they took, er for the Slough team.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson describes her route into hockey and how she started playing for Slough Hockey Club.

Keywords: Angela Mitchell; Ian Mitchell; Langley Grammar School; Manager; School; Slough Hockey Club; Slough--United Kingdom (UK); Right Back

Subjects: Teams--Girls--Club; Education and Schooling

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Ok, so when did you make that transition from hockey player to goalkeeper? Was that early on or was that later on in your career?
THOMPSON: No, that was as early as possible.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson describes how and why she transitioned from field player to goalkeeper for Slough Hockey Club.

Keywords: Angela Mitchell; Goal; Right Back; Slough Hockey Club; Slough--United Kingdom (UK); Goalkeeper

Subjects: Teams--Girls--Club; Kit & Equipment

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Are there any notable memories that you've got from your club days? Either as a player or when you then transitioned to goalkeeper?
THOMPSON: Um, yeah, I mean it was, it was just really, really fun times, that's what I remember.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson reminisces over her club hockey days and the rivalries her team had with other hockey clubs.

Keywords: Alcohol; Dog poo; Ealing Ladies Hockey Club; First reserve team; Goal; Grass; Hightown Hockey Club; Ipswich Hockey Club; Ipswich--United Kingdom (UK); Katie Dodd; Leicester Thursday Hockey Club; Leicester--United Kingdom (UK); Shed; Slough Hockey Club; Slough--United Kingdom (UK); Sutton Coldfield Hockey Club; Goalkeeper

Subjects: Indoor Hockey; Recreation; Teams--Women--Club; Teams--Women--Territory; Amateurism & Professionalism

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: You touched on it a little bit there about indoor hockey, so, did you find it very different playing indoor versus outdoor when you were on the grass?
THOMPSON: Oh, yeah. It was just, indoor was my game.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson explains why she preferred playing indoor hockey.

Keywords: Boyfriend; Crowd; Crystal Palace National Sports Centre; Ealing Ladies Hockey Club; Fast; Girlfriend; Goalkeeper; Grass; Press; England

Subjects: Hockey Homes, Venues & Stadia; Recreation; Teams--Women--International; Indoor Hockey

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Um, was hockey the only sport that you played?
THOMPSON: Er, at school, I mean, I did a little bit of everything else

Segment Synopsis: Thompson explains that, while she played tennis at school, she preferred hockey and goalkeeping. She also describes how she would train and learn from other goalkeepers to improve her own performance.

Keywords: Cycling; School; Tennis; Training; Walking; Goalkeeper

Subjects: Coaching & Management--Club; Training & Conditioning--Club

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: From the other people that I've listened to, their interviews, it, er, one of the challenges of being a hockey player is funding that career and getting the equipment and things. Do you have the same kind of challenges, especially being a goalkeeper, did you have to provide all that extra equipment that you needed to wear?
THOMPSON: Yeah, and, and as a goalkeeper, I mean the equipment has moved on, um, to, such a high level.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson explains why funding your own career is difficult when playing as a goalkeeper. She also describes how goalkeeping equipment changed over the course of her career and how these changes were initially received.

Keywords: Angela Mitchell; Barcelona--Spain; Boots; England; Goal; Goalkeeper Chest Guard; Goalkeeper Elbow Guard; Goalkeeper Gloves; Goalkeeper Groin/Pelvic Guard (Box); Goalkeeper Helmet; Goalkeeper Kickers; Goalkeeper Leg Guard (Pad); Hand guard; High density foam; Hockey Ball; Injury; Mercian Hockey; Monarch Goalkeeping; Nan; Olympics/Olympic Games; PE teacher; School; Sponsorship; Wicket keeper pads; Goalkeeper

Subjects: Fitness, Injury & Health; Indoor Hockey; Manufacturing & Industry; Olympic Games--1992 Barcelona; Playing Surfaces; Recollection of Others--Non-hockey Athlete; Rules; Teams--Women--Club; Teams--Women--International; Kit & Equipment

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: So if we can talk about the games that you played and the tournaments that you were involved if, um, do you remember when you were first selected to play for England, and your memories of this?
THOMPSON: I remember the first time I wasn't selected.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson remembers not being selected for England and how she dealt with these emotions. She goes onto describe her first match for England and then Great Britain and what qualities coaches look for when selecting goalkeepers for games.

Keywords: Barcelona--Spain; Belgium; Coach; European Club Championship/EuroHockey Club Championship; Family; Goal; Great Britain; Hillsborough disaster; Hockey Ball; Ireland; Jane Sixsmith; Langley Grammar School; Lisa Bayliss; Liverpool--United Kingdom (UK); Michelle Scott; New Zealand; Olympic Qualifiers; Olympics/Olympic Games; Possibles versus Probables; Sarah Rimmer; Slough Hockey Club; Slough--United Kingdom (UK); Training; Training Camp; Trials; England

Subjects: Olympic Games--1992 Barcelona; European Nations Championship--Women--1991 Brussels

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: So do you think your, maybe goalkeeping style, or the attitude you had towards goalkeeping, was that different to the people that you had been around?
THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, it didn't, it, its, its strange. When you're a goalkeeper, you know, you often get people coaching you who aren't goalkeepers.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson describes her style of goalkeeping and willingness to learn.

Keywords: Angela Cannell; Coach; Ealing Ladies Hockey Club; England; Football (Soccer); Great Britain; Hockey Ball; Ice hockey; John Clark; Masters Degree; Phil Williams; Positioning; Slough Hockey Club; Slough--United Kingdom (UK); Slow; Striker; Style of Play; Training; Wales; Goalkeeper

Subjects: Coaching & Management--Club; Recollection of Others--Player; Teams--Women--Club; Training & Conditioning--Club; Recollection of Others--Coach & Manager

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Um, so going back to some of the games that you've played, um, can you talk me through some of the memories that you've got of your 1991, the European Championships?
THOMPSON: Yeah, that was, I mean that was, that was, a great, great Championships.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson recounts her memories of the 1991 Brussels European Championship, the players involved, the things her and her team mates got up to and what it felt like to win.

Keywords: Beer; Broken thumb; Brussels--Belgium; Chip shot; Cinema; Coach; Coach; Germany; Germany; Goal; Hockey Ball; Injury; Jane Sixsmith/Janet Sixsmith; Jane Smith; Netherlands; Netherlands; Nightmare; Penalties; Physiotherapy; Physiotherapy; Sandra Denise Lister/Sandy Lister; Sling; Tammy Kelly Miller/Tammy Miller; Tammy Kelly Miller/Tammy Miller; Victoria Jane Dixon/Vicky Dixon; European Nations Championship/EuroHockey Nations Championship

Subjects: Awards--Hockey Trophies; Awards--Recognition; Fitness, Injury & Health; International Travel; Recollection of Others--Coach & Manager; Recollection of Others--Non-hockey Athlete; Recollection of Others--Player; Recreation; Reunion; Rules; Teams--Women--Club; Teams--Women--International; Tournaments--International; European Nations Championship--Women--1991 Brussels

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: So after that then was it the Barcelona '92 Olympics. Can you talk through your memories of that, that event?
THOMPSON: Yeah, its interesting, um, after getting knocked back, er, to go to the Olympic qualifier, I wasn't expecting to get to go to Barcelona.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson describes her memories of being selected for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, what it was like to play in the Olympic Stadium, be surrounded by other sports players in the Olympic Village and her family's response when she came out on the pitch.

Keywords: Carnaby Street; Father; Funding; Girlfriend; Goalkeeper; London--United Kingdom (UK); Mother; Netherlands; Olympic Qualifiers; Olympic Stadium; Olympic Village; Olympics/Olympic Games; Palm reading; Palmistry; Pitch; Selection; Sport psychologist; Suitcase; Barcelona--Spain

Subjects: Hockey Homes, Venues & Stadia; Kit & Equipment; Playing Surfaces; Recreation; Social & Friendships; Teams--Women--International; Tournaments--International; Olympic Games--1992 Barcelona

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: So how does that experience, then, compare to the next one, which was it '96 Atlanta Olympics? So how would you compare the, the two?
THOMPSON: Yeah, well people, people who have been to two Olympics, two or three Olympics always say your first one's always the best, um, I think, I mean Barcelona was fantastic, it was a great place, it was a good team, it was was new and exciting for me, er, fully involved in all the, you know all of the games, apart from the last game, I didn't play in the last game, but I played all the ones up until, um, we, we won the medal.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson compares her Atlanta Olympic experience to the Olympics she played at four years earlier in Barcelona.

Keywords: Atlanta--United States of America (USA); Barcelona--Spain; Goalkeeper; Hilary Mary Rose/Hilary Rose; Injury; Medal; Medal match; Netherlands; Penalities; Rolling substitution; Training; Olympics/Olympic Games

Subjects: Amateurism & Professionalism; Awards--Recognition; Fitness, Injury & Health; Olympic Games--1992 Barcelona; Recollection of Others--Player; Recreation; Rules; Social & Friendships; Teams--Women--International; Tournaments--International; Training & Conditioning--International; Olympic Games--1996 Atlanta

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: In recent GB games, goalkeepers play alternative quarters, would you have liked to like this or would you rather how you used to play?
THOMPSON: Um, good question, I think its, I would have struggled with that, I think.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson describes how she would have struggled to play alternative quarters.

Keywords: Alternative quarters; Great Britain; Goalkeeper

Subjects: Tactics and Performance; Teams--Women--Club; Tournaments--International; Training & Conditioning--Club

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Can you tell me about any of the rivalries that you may have had with other goalkeepers, well, did you have any rivalries with other goalkeepers?
THOMPSON: Um, not really, no, most games, and most goalkeepers, you know, we would applaud each other if we did good things, so there was a goalkeepers union, absolutely.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson outlines the rivalries she had with other goalkeepers and why she had them.

Keywords: Atlanta--United States of America (USA); Great Britain; Hilary Mary Rose/Hilary Rose; Olympics/Olympic Games; Selection; Train; Goalkeeper

Subjects: Recollection of Others--Player; Training & Conditioning--International; Olympic Games--1996 Atlanta

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Um, goalkeepers often complain about the defences in front of them, um, but is there anyone that you particularly admired or liked playing in front of you, when you were in goal?
THOMPSON: Yeah, I, I, most people that played in front of me were, you know, much braver than I was as far as going out there and facing the ball without any protection, so, um, lots of different styles and different defenders.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson lists the names of players who she liked playing in front of her while she was in goal and describes the type of player who would frustrated her.

Keywords: Defender; Hockey Ball; Ipswich--United Kingdom (UK); Kathryn Louise Johnson/Kath Johnson; Positioning; Striker; Sweeper; Victoria Jane Dixon/Vicky Dixon; Goalkeeper

Subjects: Rules; Social & Friendships; Tactics and Performance; Recollection of Others--Player

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: When you were playing hockey, um, you managed to juggle a job alongside your hockey representative career, was this quite difficult to manage, or did you find it quite easy to, to, to do both?
THOMPSON: I found it easy to do both because I was, I could compartmentalise what I was doing.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson explains how she managed a career outside of hockey. She goes onto outline why she preferred this to playing as a full time athlete.

Keywords: Australia; Barcelona--Spain; Brussels--Belgium; European Nations Championship/EuroHockey Nations Championship; Injury; Olympics/Olympic Games; Training; PPG Industries

Subjects: European Nations Championship--Women--1991 Brussels; Life Outside of Hockey--Career; Social & Friendships; Teams--Women--International; Training & Conditioning--Club; Training & Conditioning--International; Olympic Games--1992 Barcelona

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Moving on from your playing hockey career, um, I understand that you are in a same-sex relationship, um, would we be able to talk about this within life and hockey?
THOMPSON: Yes, absolutely.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson recounts when she first became aware of her sexuality and what it was like growing up as a gay woman.

Keywords: Barcelona--Spain; Chris Evans; Elaine Price; First Team; Friends; Gay/Homosexual; Husband; Lesbian; Love; Olympics/Olympic Games; Radio; Relationship; Role Model; Slough Hockey Club; Slough--United Kingdom (UK); Straight/Heterosexual; Same-sex relationship

Subjects: Media; Olympic Games--1992 Barcelona; Politics; Prejudice & Inequality--LGBTQ; Recollection of Others--Player; Social & Friendships; Tournaments--International; Sexuality

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: In terms of your club set up, like they sound really supportive and you were able to just kind of be yourself. Um, but when you compare that to the international set up, when you were away in the Olympics and the European Championships, was it different for you then? Did you have to kind of suppress who you were a little bit because of the different countries you were in and around?
THOMPSON: No, I mean we never, I mean, the, the, the funny thing is, you know we didn't ever show any emotion to each other anyway.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson describes what it was like competing as a gay woman and how she was often told by coaches not to discuss her sexuality for fear of losing sponsorships.

Keywords: Coach; European Club Championship/EuroHockey Club Championship; Friends; LGBTQ community; London--United Kingdom (UK); Olympics/Olympic Games; Relationship; Sponsorship; Wife; International Match

Subjects: Media; Prejudice & Inequality--LGBTQ; Sexuality

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: In, um, I think it was 1988, there was Section 28, which was, banned the promotion of homosexuality of local authorities, that was like the, the words that the act used. Did this have any effect on you at all?
THOMPSON: Um, it, it didn't directly.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson explains how Section 28 effected hockey and its athletes and the response it received once repealed.

Keywords: "Don't ask, don't tell"; Club House; Conservative; Gay/Homosexual; Government; Headteacher; Hockey Family; House of Lords; Love; Newspaper; School; Slough Hockey Club; Straight/Heterosexual; Teacher; Teaching; The Guardian; United States of America (USA); Elaine Price

Subjects: Education and Schooling; Sexuality; Media

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Do you think being gay during this time period that you were active, do you think it was easier as a woman being gay than it was as a man.
THOMPSON: Absolutely, I think, and I always thought that at the time.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson explains why it was easier to be a gay woman during the 1980s rather than a gay man.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS; Gay/Homosexual

Subjects: Sexuality; Prejudice & Inequality--LGBTQ

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Looking today now, so going forward from the time you were playing and into the modern era, how would you describe, er, hockey's current relationship and attitudes towards being gay and the LGBTQ+ community? Do you think that its improved? Or do you think there are there still problems there that they need to work with to be more inclusive?
THOMPSON: From what I can see its improved, greatly.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson describes hockey's current attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community.

Keywords: Helen Richardson-Walsh/Helen Richardson; Kate Richardson-Walsh/Kate Walsh; LGBTQ community

Subjects: Prejudice & Inequality--LGBTQ; Sexuality

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Did you ever officially come out to, like, the press, or was it just, did it just, become known?
THOMPSON: Um, I think as a gay person you come out several times.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson describes the time she was outed while holding an interview with a magazine.

Keywords: Marriage; Relationship; Gay/Homosexual

Subjects: Prejudice & Inequality--LGBTQ; Media

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: So just going on hockey generally then, er, now, is a team or a player that you particularly remember that was really good to play against and with?
THOMPSON: Yeah there's, I mean there's, there's lots of players that I've loved playing, um, certainly I, I prefer people in my own team.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson lists some of her favourite players and why she liked playing with and or against them.

Keywords: Karen Brown; Kate Parker; Netherlands; Shooting; Substitute; Tina Cullen/Christina Cullen; Train; Sandra Denise Lister/Sandy Lister

Subjects: Reunion; Social & Friendships; Recollection of Others--Player

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Do you have a stand out memory from your career within hockey?
THOMPSON: I think, um, I think, yeah probably standing on the medal podium in Barcelona.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson recounts some of her favourite memories from her hockey playing career.

Keywords: Club Match; Coach; Elaine Price; Ipswich--United Kingdom (UK); Lisa Bayliss; Medal; Minibus; Olympics/Olympic Games; Slough Hockey Club; Barcelona--Spain

Subjects: Awards--Recognition; International Travel; Olympic Games--1988 Seoul; Recollection of Others--Player; Recreation; Reunion; Rules; Social & Friendships; Teams--Women--Club; Teams--Women--County; Olympic Games--1992 Barcelona

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: And on the flip side of that then, is there anything that you regret from your time playing or that you find particularly disappointing when you look back and remember?
THOMPSON: I, yeah, yeah I'm disappointed with my own attitude at some points.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson looks back over her hockey career and describes her regrets and why she has them.

Keywords: Coach; Goalkeeper; International Match

Subjects: Teams--Women--International; Coaching & Management--Club

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Um, you've mentioned so many names throughout this interview, which is great, um, and so it shows that you've made a lot of like, friends within hockey, do you still keep in touch with them? You've mentioned you're going somewhere today for a 60th birthday party but is there a lot of friends that you've stayed in contact with from your time playing, both internationally and club level?
THOMPSON: Yeah, definitely.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson recounts some of the friendships she has made within hockey.

Keywords: Amanda Pottow/Mandy Pottow; Slough Hockey Club; Sandra Denise Lister/Sandy Lister

Subjects: Recreation; Reunion; Social & Friendships; Teams--Women--Club; Recollection of Others--Player

Partial Transcript: ACKRELL: Um, and you've mentioned this briefly about your involvement with hockey today, so do you not play anymore at all?
THOMPSON: No, I don't play at all.

Segment Synopsis: Thompson describes her current involvement with hockey.

Keywords: Ipswich--United Kingdom (UK); Sarah Banfield; Masters Hockey

Subjects: Recollection of Others--Player; Tournaments--Masters & Veterans; Teams--Women--Masters & Veterans