On a cold, frosty February morning, the sunshine and heat of Valencia seems a world away, writes Sarah Haycroft.

But for the GB women's hockey team, qualifying for the Olympics during the World League Semi finals in Valencia, in June, is at the forefront of our minds.

This period of time for us athletes is always a tough one, turning up to find the pitches frozen and having to pass the time effectively while we wait for the pitches to thaw.

This does allow us to have valuable team video sessions and meetings, which with the introduction of some new rules have been of great benefit to us as a squad.

The most notable new rule which has been introduced to the National League since January 1, is the dissolution of the 'long corner' [similar to a corner in football] which now becomes a free hit on the 23 metre line, in line with where the ball crossed the baseline.

When the pitch is completely unplayable, we fall into the hands of our strength and conditioning coach.

There has only been one day so far this year where we were unable to get on the pitch at all, and our coach concocted a gruesome cross country challenge around the grounds of our base, Bisham Abbey.

We were split into three different teams and had to complete various challenges, with forfeits for the two losing teams, and the theme being 'it pays to be a winner'.

Although we are all so competitive and desperate to win, we came together as a team, and it was such a great team building tool.

By the end, we were exhausted, covered in mud, but had smiles on our faces, and I for one was extremely proud to be a part of the GB women's hockey team.

When the television rights for football have been sold for £5.136 billion it provides a good opportunity to reflect upon the differences between hockey and football.

We have to pay to have hockey shown on the television, let alone have companies out bid each other to earn the rights to show our sport.

The footballer's wage bill is also a strong talking point amongst many. My annual income as an international hockey player is less than four per cent of Wayne Rooney's weekly wage.

However, football can command these numbers because of its popularity and the amount of revenue it creates, both for club and country.

It shows just how influential sport can be in our nation, and it gives us hope that one day hockey can capture the peoples imagination in the way that football does today.

What binds us all together however, is being lucky enough to play sport as a career, and the proudest moment of any athletes life is the achievement of representing their country.

*Investec, the specialist bank and asset manager, support women's hockey from grass roots level through to the national team - investec.co.uk/hockey or on Twitter @Investec.