Katie Robertson retires from international hockey

After ten years in a Scotland shirt, including two Commonwealth Games appearances, Tartan Hearts vice-captain Katie Robertson has announced her retirement from international hockey.

Katie’s senior Scotland career began and ended at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre. A memorable debut came in a three match test series against Czech Republic, where Robertson’s first goal quickly followed her first cap – the winner in a 2-1 victory in the second match of the series against Ireland.

Katie’s story is a fascinating one of resilience, comebacks, and success. As a teenager, Katie was a competitive showjumper—part of the Great Britain “Children on Horses” team that won the European Championships in Paris in 2010.

However, at the age of 14, a serious rotational fall in Wales left her with a broken shoulder, collarbone, and concussion. She never returned to competitive riding but regards it as a blessing in disguise. Not only did the injury motivate Katie to commit to elite sport, but it led her to team sport.

Following recovery, she found a new sporting passion in hockey during PE classes at Kilgraston School, motivated by Olympian Pauline Stott MBE. Rising through the Scotland age groups it all led to a new journey in the Scotland Women’s National Team.

Recalling her debut for Scotland, Katie said, “I was just so thankful to the head coach at the time, Gordon Shepherd, for giving me the opportunity. I made sure I took it all in, and it was really special to have my family and friends there to support me.

“I remember my first goal really clearly. It was a short corner and the ball just landed perfectly for me – it was like slow motion. Then I just swept it in the goal.”

28 July 2017 at the National Hockey Centre, Glasgow Green.
Scotland women v France

Despite the great start it took missing out on a major tournament, and a frank discussion with Shepherd, before Robertson emerged to being a top athlete. “It was a turning point,” she said, “Shep told me I’d have to take on board what I needed to do to improve, and then I put in the work. I put a lot into my fitness and worked really hard, and it was a great lesson for me.”

A major tournament then followed when Robertson was selected for the Fintro Hockey World League Semi-Final in Brussels. With matches against The Netherlands; Korea; Italy; China; and Malaysia, it was a taste of the top level that Robertson loved. She said, “We played against some of the best teams in the world, and that’s my inspiration to be honest. It’s playing at these tournaments that always motivated me with the best teams and big crowds.”

The EuroHockey Championship in Amsterdam quickly followed and within the blink of an eye the first of two Commonwealth Games appearances was confirmed when Robertson was selected for Gold Coast 2018. Finding out she was selected was a moment that Robertson will never forget. She recalled, “I remember opening the email. We’d had a tough camp in Gran Canaria and it was just such a sense of relief when I saw my name on the list. After the relief it was excitement and I was so keen to get out there. My family was delighted. They’d been there through some tough moments so to share such a good moment with them was amazing – they were straight on to book the flights!”

Scotland was drawn in a pool with Australia; New Zealand; Canada; and Ghana in what would be an incredible tournament. Robertson was on the score sheet in a 5-0 win over Ghana, and then a 4-2 win over Malaysia saw the Scots finish 7th in the tournament.

Katie said, “The village was my first experience of a multi-sport event – the setup was immense. I remember waiting in line for porridge next to Tom Daley, and getting a terrible hairdo from the hairdressers in the village, which I’m still unhappy about!”

Following Gold Coast it was time for Robertson to take a break. Robertson lives in a remote area and the balance between travel, training to be a teacher, and an international hockey player was challenging.

Supporting Scotland as a fan at Women’s EuroHockey Championship II in Glasgow gave Robertson the urge to restart her international career. Scotland won gold at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre and gained promotion to the top tier of European hockey. Robertson, once again, had the bug. She said, “I watched the tournament from the stands and just knew it was time to go back. Seeing them win was amazing, and the atmosphere was so good. It was such a good tournament, and it was the decider for me to go back. I’m an all-in kind of person and I was ready to throw myself fully into it again.”

Covid threw a spanner in the works when it came to a comeback. Alongside the rest of the squad, Zoom became the platform for training sessions. Robertson, however, sees it as a blessing because the team had each other to keep each other going through the pandemic.

When international hockey returned Robertson wasn’t selected for the European Championships – a blow for the Fifer. Robertson said, “It was a challenging time, it felt I was right back where I started. I remembered Shep’s advice from the first time this happened and rewound myself back five years. I took on board everything that was asked of me, and because I’d done it previously I knew what I had to do.”

It was on the build-up to Birmingham 2022 where Robertson was announced as vice-captain, a fantastic personal achievement and key leadership responsibility. It meant for a different type of preparation for the Commonwealth Games as one of the older and more experienced players in the squad. The change in role and responsibility was a driver for Robertson as the biggest stage in Birmingham approached.

Australia; New Zealand; South Africa and Kenya joined Scotland in Pool B in the tournament where Scotland would eventually finish sixth.

Robertson found the net against Kenya in an 11-0 victory, but the game that hurts was a narrow defeat to New Zealand.

Katie Robertson, Scotland v Canada, 7/8/22
Photo: David McCarthy

Reflecting on Birmingham, Robertson said, “The game against New Zealand under the lights with a full stand was one of the best games. To be that competitive was brilliant but I think we deserved a draw. You play these games where you win 11-0 and it’s great, but it’s the close and competitive ones that are the best. It was a good tournament, we played well.”

Robertson had the honour of captaining Scotland at a major international tournament in 2023. The EuroHockey Championship in Monchengladbach saw Katie lead out the team for matches against Germany; England and Ireland in Pool B, before crossover games against Italy and Spain.

Katie said, “I never ever expected to captain my country. It was challenging but such an incredible honour. The highlight for me was the last game against Spain. We knew it was Amy Gibson’s last game and she played immense – we played for Gibbo that day. It’s really special to be part of these moments and to beat a team ranked above us, like Spain, was a great way to end a challenging tournament.  It’s always so pleasing when we prove what we can do.”

A 2-1 victory and a sensational display by Gibson saw Katie captain Scotland to a last game win in A Division.

A call-up to the GB setup gave Robertson an opportunity to play for a place at the Tokyo Olympics. Katie played a key role in GB’s Olympic Qualifiers: after wins over Canada and Malaysia, the final playoff against Ireland was decided by Katie’s goal 46 seconds into the last quarter—securing GB’s place at Paris 2024.

Robertson said, “The goal against Ireland is the highlight of my career. I knew going to the Olympics was a long shot but being part of the setup building towards the Olympics was a dream come true.”

The curtain call for Robertson came where it all began – the Glasgow National Hockey Centre. Although she never mentioned it publically, Katie went into the EuroHockey Qualifiers in Glasgow knowing it might be her last. It ended in triumph as Scotland won the tournament and booked a spot in the upcoming EuroHockey Championship.

Robertson reflected, “I had a firm idea going into the tournament that it would be my last one. I decided to wait until I was confident with my decision before announcing it. I just went into it knowing I had to enjoy myself, and I did. It was brilliant to end with a win, and a gold medal, back where it all began. I felt it was a fitting way to end my career.”

Katie Robertson’s trajectory illustrates extraordinary resilience—transforming a potentially career-ending injury into a world-class sporting journey. From horses to hockey, setbacks to crucial international goals, Katie was a core midfield leader for Scotland.

Robertson said, “I want to thank all my family for being with me every step of the way, and thanks to all my teammates past and present for all the memories and making my time in the squad so enjoyable. My thanks must also go to all the staff at Scottish Hockey and sportscotland who have supported me over the last 10 years. Representing Scotland has been the greatest honour and now feels like the right time to step away but I will always continue to support the team and wish them all the best at the Europeans in August”

Congratulations to Katie Robertson from everyone at Scottish Hockey for a tremendous international career.

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