Michael Bremner retires from international hockey

After 132 caps and four goals for Scotland, Michael Bremner has retired from international hockey. Bremner represented Scotland at three Commonwealth Games and numerous EuroHockey and FIH competitions during a tremendous Scotland career.

The recent EuroHockey qualifiers saw Bremner appear for the final time, and wearing the captain’s armband for his final match against Switzerland.

Bremner said, “I’ve loved every minute of playing for Scotland but after 15 years of international hockey it’s the right time to retire. The last year or so has been really tough on my body, particularly my back. Besides hockey, I’ve started my masters degree in Hamburg and am looking forward to my career after my career.”

Michael rose to prominence as youngster at Kelburne and sees playing alongside a number of Scotland internationalists at the club as a major factor in his development into an international player.

His first cap soon came away from home against Ireland in a three match series. Bremner recalled, “Myself, Alan Forsyth and Josh Cairns all went over for a first experience of playing for Scotland. Although we were 17, at that time there were lots of Kelburne players in the team so it felt quite natural to be there. It definitely made the transition to joining up with Scotland a lot easier.”

Scoring for your country the first time is always a memorable moment in the career of an internationalist, and Michael’s first goal for Scotland came in the Celtic Cup in a victory over France. A Scotland counter attack saw Bremner follow play from left back and when the ball rebounded off the French keeper, Bremner was there to sweep it home from the top of the D. “I had a good goal ratio for a while there – one in five! Pretty good for a defender, but it didn’t last long,” said Bremner

When Michael first came into the Scotland squad in 2010 it was part of the build up to the Commonwealth Games, and he set Delhi as a target. Bremner explained, “Playing in Delhi was a loose goal for me. My target was to commit to every session and give myself a chance to be selected. Even though I didn’t make the squad for Delhi it was a great experience being part of the build-up and experiencing the intensity of training needed to make it to a Commonwealth games. Just being involved was fantastic.”

Bremner may not have been selected for the Commonwealth Games squad that year but Team Scotland’s Achieve 2014 programme saw Bremner go to Delhi. The concept behind the programme was that since athletes generally perform better in their second Games they would travel to Delhi to gain experience ahead of Glasgow 2014. The programme had an impact on Bremner, who said, “It was a great experience. I got to join for the opening ceremony, watch the games and experience the village. It’s definitely a different experience from playing at a Commonwealth Games but it helped prepare me for some of the potential distractions and really pushed me to try and be at the next one.”

Big tournament hockey wasn’t far away and Champions Challenge II in France was the first big competition for Bremner. Scotland beat China 2-1 in the quarter final, a team ranked considerably higher, before narrowly losing out to France in the semi-finals, and to Russia in the bronze medal match.

Bremner was also selected for EuroHockey Championship II in Ukraine in 2011. Scotland had a strong team for the tournament, featuring the likes of Graham Moodie; Stephen Dick; and Niall Stott. On this occasion the Scots lost in the semi-final to Czech Rep, before taking the bronze medal with a 4-3 win over Austria.

Bremner was selected for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games squad, and like everyone who was involved in Glasgow, it made a huge impression. He said, “It’s up there with the best experiences I’ve ever had in hockey. We were training at Glasgow Green in the build up which was a constant reminder and motivation of what was coming up. The whole experience was unbelievable. On one of our rest days we went into Glasgow and couldn’t go anywhere for people looking for pictures and wishing us good luck. They had no idea who we were but just wanted to support Team Scotland. It was unreal and it was one of the first times that I had a feeling for the scale of the event.

“The opening ceremony at Celtic Park was amazing. I bumped into my mum and dad as we were leaving, which is unbelievable when you think about the amount of people that were there. It was really nice to see them at that moment, and share it with them. Having all my family and friends at the matches as well was really special.”

Bremner also earned his 50th cap at the Games when Scotland came up against Malaysia in the play-off, a proud moment for the midfielder.

He added, “The closing ceremony was one of my favourite experiences. We were waiting to enter at Hampden Park and a couple of us snuck off with some of the other athletes to a pub in Mount Florida. We were with some of the medal winning boxers and when we walked in the whole place went mental – bagpipes and everything. The whole day was a great experience and we all really felt part of the city.”

Playing a home tournament is a special experience and Michael got to do it again when Scottish Hockey hosted EuroHockey Championship II in Glasgow, in 2017. The crowds came out in force once again and cheered Scotland to the gold medal at the tournament, and finally gaining qualification to the top tier of European hockey.

Bremner explained, “The Euros in Glasgow was an example of what you can do when you have more time together as a group – we had a six month block with three tournaments, and we were playing really well. A home tournament is always so special and it’s only now I realise how being the host nation makes such a difference. We won five out of five, which is so hard to do, and after falling short in so many tournaments it was incredible to have the success that we did.

“There were some amazing individual performances at times – both Alan Forsyth and Tommy Alexander had unbelievable performances that got us through some tough moments. But we had a group of top players and we could rely on them when it mattered. There was so much baggage from previous tournaments, so to qualify, then win the final, was a real high point.

“The team was so close, a group of us had been playing together for 16 years, and it felt like it was all building up to that point in 2017. We overcame that ‘glorious failure’ feeling and with a change of mentality we got over the line.”

Earlier in the year Scotland earned another huge achievement by reaching the World League Semi Finals in London. Bremner recalled, “It was brilliant to be part of that tournament. It was even the small things like playing test matches against the Netherlands in the build-up because we were being taken more seriously. We’d earned their respect. Every game at the tournament was against a top team and overall it was positive. We were proud of reaching that stage and that had meant qualification for the Commonwealth Games.”

Bremner’s second Commonwealth Games was at Gold Coast 2018, and it was a competition that was successful on and off the pitch for Scotland, with a record sixth place finish for the men’s team. Bremner added, “I’m very lucky to have had two very different experiences at Games. We didn’t have the home crowd in the Gold Coast but it was an unbelievable experience to travel and play on the other side of the world. The holding camp was in the best setting – around a small lake with kangaroos roaming about – and the team atmosphere was really positive.

“We achieved our highest ever finish at a Commonwealth Games, and looking back it almost feels like a holiday. Not because it wasn’t hard work but because we were such a close group and we performed on the pitch – it was just such a great experience.”

After many years of trying, Scotland men finally got to compete at the EuroHockey Championships in 2019, in Antwerp, Belgium. The Blue Sticks went up against Germany; Ireland; The Netherlands; Wales; and England at the tournament.

Bremner said, “Finally getting to the EuroHockey Championships was amazing, it was great to be back after 12 years of trying. The team had changed a lot since 2018 and we had lost around 600 caps of experience from the players that had retired. The games were tough but we performed well in our target matches, and in the end we were only one or two goals away from staying up, it was goal difference that relegated us. We were so close but it didn’t go our way and that was tough to take for everyone.”

Although impacted by the Covid 19 pandemic Scotland still got to compete in EuroHockey Championship II in Poland in 2021. It turned out to be a tremendous tournament for Scotland, winning silver after losing the final on penalties. Sadly, there would be no promotion from the tournament due to the pandemic. Bremner said, “We played better than we probably expected, it was very positive. It was a shame that there was no qualification from the tournament. We lost the final on penalties but beating Ireland at the tournament was a big moment for us and meant qualification for Birmingham.”

Then Bremner’s third Commonwealth Games came in 2022 when Scotland competed in Birmingham. It was a tournament close to home that saw the Scots put in some memorable performances, particularly a 5-5 draw with New Zealand where the Scots raced into a 5-1 lead at half time.

Bremner said, “We really appreciated the support we had, the atmosphere was brilliant at the matches. It was a reminder for me of how special it is to play in front of friends and family. We probably lacked the maturity to turn those close games into wins and in hind sight we missed a good opportunity to reach the semi-finals. Some of the younger players really performed well and although we finished on ranking, we were disappointed with the outcome.”

“The first half against New Zealand was probably the best half of hockey I’ve ever been a part of for Scotland. Our lack of experience in the second half cost us, but what an experience for the younger players in the squad. I’m sure they can use that in the future and to continue to compete with these teams.”

“It was a really tough two weeks for me physically. I had been struggling with a back injury through out the summer and could only get through the Games with the help of Tracy, our physio and Victoria, the Team Scotland doctor and I would like to thank them for their support.”

Paying tribute to Bremner’s contribution to the Scotland national setup over the years, Scotland men’s head coach Derek Forsyth said, “Over the last 13 years Bremmy has been a stalwart within the senior men’s squad amassing 132 caps. He has been a superb player throughout his international career, playing in three Commonwealth Games and numerous European tournaments, contributing much to Scotland’s successes over the years.

“He will be sorely missed and I wish him well for the future, which I have no doubt he will approach with the same enthusiasm as he has done throughout his hockey career.”

When you have a career like Michael’s there are so many people to thank for their contributions and support down the years. Bremner, said, “I want to thank everyone at Kelburne. I grew up at the club and through the various teams there. It’s not until now that I can fully appreciate how special the atmosphere was in the club at that time and how important it was for me and my career. Having now played for other clubs in Germany, I can really see that it was a special team to be part of – a team of winners.

“Derek Forsyth has been a special part of my career, and I’d like to thank him. He was there for my first game at Kelburne, when I was 13 or 14 years old, and he was there for my first and last caps for Scotland. We have a really good understanding, and respect, and what he’s done for Scottish Hockey and for Kelburne is incredible.

“The support from my parents and my brother has also been really special. When I look back it was really great to have them at many of the highlights along the way and I wouldn’t have had the career I’ve had without their support.”

A huge congratulations from all at Scottish Hockey to Michael Bremner on a fantastic Scotland career.

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