EHF

Want to know more about the main event this week? Here’s a quickfire rundown of what’s coming up at the EuroHockey Championships:

When and where does the EuroHockey Championships 2023 take place?
August 18th to 27th, 2023: For the first time in 12 years, an international hockey tournament will take place in Mönchengladbach, Germany. All 40 games will be played in the SparkassenPark. 

Tell us about the venue?
The stadium holds 9,500 spectators and has a brand new artificial turf and floodlights especially for the tournament. It is the site of the 2006 men’s World Cup and the 2011 EuroHockey Championships.

What is the format?
Eight men’s and eight women’s teams compete in their respective competitions. They start off in a round-robin group phase with four teams each – the top two in each group qualify for the semi-finals from which the finalists and bronze medal match teams will be determined. 

The third and fourth placed teams in each pool are placed in Pool C to determine fifth to eighth places. Each team plays one match against the two teams that they did not previously play. The results from those games and from the game that was previously played against the other team in their original pool are used to rank each team.

The bottom two sides in the Pool C rankings will NOT be relegated as happened prior to 2021; they will go into next summer’s EuroHockey qualifiers – two tournaments per gender in 2024 where the winner will qualify for the 2025 EuroHockey Championships. 

Who plays who?
Women:
Group A: Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy
Group B: Germany, England, Ireland, Scotland
Men:
Group A: Belgium, England, Spain, Austria
Group B: Germany, Netherlands, France, Wales

How did they qualify?
Men: The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and England qualified as the top four from 2021. Spain, France, Austria and Wales won qualifier tournaments in 2022.

Women: The Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Belgium qualified as the top four from 2021. England, Ireland, Scotland and Italy won qualifier tournaments in 2022.

Where can I watch the EuroHockey Championships 2023?
Every game is available to watch somewhere in the world. You can find out more here: https://eurohockey.org/2023/08/16/where-to-watch-the-2023-eurohockey-championships/

Are there tickets left?
Three days are already sold out – August 19, 21 and 27th. Less than 20% of the total tickets are left so get them quick! Go to eurohockey2023.com/tickets.

Is anything else on the line?
The winners of the men’s and women’s tournaments will qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris

Now tell me some stats!
6-5: France played in two matches which finished 6-5 in 2021 in Amstelveen, beating Russia and losing to Germany.

7: Barbara Nelen: the Belgian Red Panther is playing in her seventh EuroHockey Championship, her first taking place at this same stadium in 2011. 

11: The Dutch women lead the all-time table of European champions with 11 titles in 15 attempts. Their last loss came in the 2015 final in a shoot-out against England.

13: Lena Neill played cricket for Ireland at the age of 13 years and 272 days, making her the second youngest player in that sport’s history at the time. She made her hockey debut at the age of 17.

369: Austria’s Michael Körper has scored 369 goals (174 outdoor, 195 indoor) in 249 international fixtures (168 outdoor, 81 indoor)

453: Belgium’s John-John Dohmen will break the world caps record when he steps onto the field for the Red Lions, overtaking Dutch legend Teun de Nooijer.

3,000: Lucia Jimenez’s father won the 3,000m European athletics title in 1996

The post What you need to know about #EHC2023 in Mönchengladbach appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

Wherever you are in the world, there is an outlet for you to view the men’s and women’s 2023 EuroHockey Championships from Mönchengladbach from August 18th to 27th.

EuroHockeyTV will stream every second of the action live on www.eurohockeytv.org with additional highlights going to the site soon after each fixture. Expert commentary and analysis will come from Nick Irvine, Maddie Hinch, Janne Müller-Wieland, Simon Mason and Todd Williams. This service is available in all territories EXCEPT Belgium, Germany and Latin America where alternative broadcasts are in place.

Beyond this stream, EuroHockey are delighted to have agreed deals with a wide range of other broadcasters. You can find the full range of broadcast options below:

Where to watch

Territory Broadcaster Worldwide (EXCEPT Belgium, Germany and Latin America) www.eurohockeytv.org – EuroHockeyTV (€19.99 for an event pass, extended pass for €34.99 until end of 2024) Austria Laola1, ORF Sport+ Belgium RTL, VTM, DAZN/Eleven Czech Republic Czech TV France L’Equipe Germany Sport1, ARD, ZDF Ireland Premier Sports Netherlands NOS Slovenia Sports TV Latin America: Argentina; Bolivia, Brazil,; Chile; Colombia; Ecuador; French; Guiana; Guyana; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Falkland Islands; Paraguay; Peru; Surinam; Uruguay and Venezuela; Mexico; Belize; Costa Rica; Nicaragua; El Salvador) ESPN Spain RTVE Rest of the World Olympic Channel

Further details

Worldwide – EuroHockeyTV

EuroHockeyTV will broadcast every minute of the EuroHockey Championship 2023 live from Mönchengladach via our dedicated website, www.eurohockeytv.org.

Event passes cost €19.99 which get you access to each full match and highlights both live and on demand from August 18th to 27th with commentary in English. Please note, this service is NOT available in Germany, Belgium or Latin America but is available in all other territories.

Austria

• LAOLA1 will stream all five Austrian men’s games; four will be live on LAOLA1 TV and via a stream on their website. One will ONLY be streamed on their website.
• ORF will show a minimum of three games of the Austrian national team live on ORF Sport+.

Belgium

1. RTL to broadcast all Belgian team matches men and women in French
2. VTM to broadcast all Belgian team matches men and women in Flemish
3. Eleven/DAZN Belgium will broadcast every game from the EuroHockey Championships. The games will be shown on their linear channels as well as the DAZN app. For the app, you need a DAZN Total pass which costs €18.99.

Czech Republic

Czech TV – nine matches to be shown on CT sport on delay; these are:

18 Aug Germany v Scotland at 23:30

19 Aug Germany v Wales at 23:30

21 Aug Germany v Netherlands at 22:15

22 Aug Netherlands v Italy at 22:15

24 Aug Womens semi-final 2 at 22:10

25 Aug Men’s semi-final 1 at 21:00 

25 Aug Mens semi-final 2 at 22:10

26 Aug Women’s Final at 22:15

27 Aug Men’s final at 18:00

France

L’Equipe to show on l’Equipe TV linear and/or web: 

(i) three French men’s team pools matches 

(ii) the two men’s semi-finals 

(iii) men’s final

Germany:

• Sport1 to broadcast all matches

• ARD/ZDF to show all German matches on digital. There will be linear distribution for the finals if there is German participation

Ireland

Premier Sports 1 or 2, to show matches of the competition including Ireland’s women – full schedule to be confirmed

Latin America

• ESPN’s digital platform Star+ will carry games from the event. Please check their listings for confirmed schedule

Netherlands 

NOS (please check listings for exact outlets):

• All Dutch matches broadcast live on NPO 1, 2 or 3
• In addition, both semi-finals will be shown on NPO if the Dutch women play in the semi-final at 17:00 on August 24th and the men’s semi-final at 18:30 on August 25th
• The men’s final will be streamed on NOS.nl and the women’s final will be on NPO 1, 2 or 3. However, if the Dutch women play for third place, this will prioritise this over the final.
• Daily highlights on NPO 1, 2 or 3

 Slovenia

Sports TV to broadcast matches – exact programming to be confirmed

 Spain

RTVE will show all Spain matches and minimum one semi final and final. This will be either via linear television or web-player

Olympic Channel

Olympic Channel to stream via https://olympics.com/en/live/ all four semi-finals and both finals in all markets except for the following territories: 

• Argentina; Bolivia; Brazil; Chile; Colombia; Ecuador; French Guiana; Guyana; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Falkland Islands; Paraguay; Peru; Surinam; Uruguay and Venezuela; Mexico; Belize; Costa Rica; Nicaragua; El Salvador; Guatemala; Honduras; Panama; Dominican Republic
• Germany
• Netherlands
• Belgium
• Slovenia
• Spain
• France
• Italy
• UK
• Ireland
• Austria
• Switzerland

 

The post Where to Watch the 2023 EuroHockey Championships appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

The 2021 men’s finalists Germany and the Netherlands are set for another battle royale in Pool B in Mönchengladbach while France and Wales will be looking to put them under pressure this week. Here’s a look at each of the sides: 

Men’s Pool B  

France  

• World ranking:11th  
• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 16 

• Best finish: 4th (1970)  

Overview: The only side currently assured of a spot at the Paris Olympics, France go into the competition looking to build momentum ahead of next summer. Their summer has already seen them beat Australia 4-1. 

In 2021, it was something of a rollercoaster as they beat Russia 6-5 but lost on the same scoreline against Germany having led 5-3 at half-time. A strong 3-2 win over Spain saw them finish in sixth place, their best finish since 2005. 

France’s Victor Charlet. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics

A quintet of their wider panel won the Belgian league with Gantoise this season while Lucan Montecot – who scored on debut against Australia – and Corentin Sellier helped CA Montrouge to the French crown. Their training squad has eight men with over 100 caps with Victor Charley leading the way, scoting 86 goals in his 153 games. 

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  1  Arthur Thieffry  108  0  Lille MHC  2  Mathis Clément  6  0  Gantoise (BEL)  3  Mattéo Desgouillons  37  0  Lille MHC  6  Gaspard Xavier  29  1  Royal Racing Club de Bruxelles (BEL)  7  Lucas Montecot  2  1  CA Montrouge  8  Simon Martin-Brisac  138  23  Racing Club de France  9  Blaise Rogeau  103  26  Waterloo Ducks (BEL)  10  Viktor Lockwood  152  17  Lille MHC  11  Charles Masson  131  20  Gantoise (BEL)  12  Amaury Bellenger  60  1  Uccle (BEL)  16  François Goyet  143  12  Gantoise (BEL)  17  Noé Jouin  14  2  Saint Germain  19  Corentin Sellier  21  8  CA Montrouge  20  Eliot Curty  55  3  Waterloo Ducks (BEL)  21  Etienne Tynevez  106  9  Gantoise (BEL)  22  Victor Charlet  153  86  Waterloo Ducks (BEL)  23  Benjamin Marqué  18  4  Royal Daring (BEL)  24  Theophile Ponthieu  24  2  Lille MHC  28  Timothée Clément  55  20  Gantoise (BEL)  30  Edgar Reynaud  42  0  White Star (BEL)  31  Brieuc Delemazure  18  1  Lille MHC            Team Manager  Antoine Francois        Head Coach  Frederic Soyez        Assistant Coach  Ramon Sala        Assistant Coach  Jorge Lombi        Medical Doctor  Christian Palierne        Physiotherapist  Remi Dietrich        Physiotherapist  Benjamin Boone        Physical Trainer  Fabian Bernard        Psychologist  Christophe Lehoux        Video Technician  Axel Guignard     

 Germany  

• World ranking: 5th 
• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 19 

• Best finish: Winners – 8 times (1970, 1978, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2013)  

Overview: The German men’s squad is led by Mats Grambusch and features 15 players who were part of the successful squad at the World Cup in India in January this year. The most experienced player is Martin Zwicker with 294 caps, the youngest is Jean Danneberg at 20.  

The team consists of players from eight different clubs. In Timm Herzbruch and Johannes Große, they have two players celebrating their comeback in a tournament squad, who last played at the Olympic Games in Tokyo but then dropped out due to injury.  

Niklas Wellen celebrates in 2021. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics

Herzbruch faces his 100th cap in the opening match against Wales and has already scored an impressive 50 goals for Germany. Große should pull the strings in midfield and demonstrate his strategic skills. Malte Hellwig, as one of the best strikers in the Bundesliga, also joins the squad. Hellwig completed his last tournament at the 2019 Euros. Christopher Rühr is taking time out from the squad for educational reasons. 

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  1  Alexander Stadler  44  0  Den Bosch (NL)  2  Mathias Müller  143  9  Hamburger Polo Club  3  Mats Grambusch  186  61  Rot-Weiss Köln  4  Lukas Windfeder  149  59  Uhlenhorst Mülheim  7  Thies Prinz  51  7  Rot-Weiss Köln  9  Niklas Wellen  185  65  Crefelder HTC  10  Johannes Große  90  0  Rot-Weiss Köln  12  Timm Herzbruch  99  50  Uhlenhorst Mülheim  14  Teo Hinrichs  50  0  Mannheimer HC  15  Tom Grambusch  96  35  Rot-Weiss Köln  16  Gonzalo Peillat  182 (ARG 153, GER 29)  19 GER / 176 ARG  Mannheimer HC  19  Justus Weigand  36  9  Mannheimer HC  23  Martin Zwicker  294  26  Berliner HC  25  Hannes Müller  33  2  UHC Hamburg  27  Timur Oruz  110  17  Rot-Weiss Köln  29  Malte Hellwig  43  6  Uhlenhorst Mülheim  44  Moritz Ludwig  29  2  Uhlenhorst Mülheim  74  Jean-Paul Danneberg  13  0  Rot-Weiss Köln              Team Manager  Eric Langner        Head Coach  André Henning        Assistant Coach  Jamilon Mülders        Assistant Coach  Jimi Lewis        Assistant Coach  Pasha Gademan        Medical Doctor  Robert Gorzolla        Physiotherapist  Alexander Schumm        Physiotherapist  Moritz Falcke        Physical Trainer  Robin Arkell        Psychologist  Henk Verschuur        Video Technician  Lucas Koch     

Official press release: https://magazin.hockey.de/articles/em-kader-honamas  

Netherlands  

• World ranking: 1st  
• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 19 

• Best finish: Winners – 6 times (1983, 1987, 2007, 2015, 2017, 2021)  

Overview: Jeroen Delmée said of his tournament selection: “There are really many players who deserve to be involved. We have tried to form the best composition per line and position. It was really hard to make the right choices, but we think with this selection we have the best chance to defend our title. Briefing the players is always a difficult moment because everyone has worked hard in recent months.” 

Seve van Ass (HGC), Teun Beins (Bloemendaal), Max de Bie (Orange-Red), Jasper Brinkman (Bloemendaal), Boris Burkhardt (Amsterdam), and Pepijn Reyenga (Den Bosch) missed out on final selection from the panel.  The national coach was also waiting on the final choice between Pirmin Blaak and Derk Meijer as second keeper. This has to do, among other things, with the imminent birth of Blaak’s child. 

The Dutch shone in the Pro League this year with a run of five successive wins – 10 unbeaten in total – to conclude the competition, including two successes against Belgium and one against Germany. Joep de Mol is the comeback story having missed out on the World Cup while Kampong’s Duco Telgenkamp is the break-out star, scoring five times in his first six international matches. 

They were forced into one late change with Tjep Hoedemakers out injured with Floris MIddendorp coming into the squad.

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  1  Maurits Visser  26  0  HC Bloemendaal  4  Lars Balk  117  3  SV Kampong  6  Jonas de Geus  126  3  SV Kampong  7  Thijs van Dam  99  17  HC Rotterdam  8  Thierry Brinkman  155  68  HC Bloemendaal  10  Jorrit Croon  122  11  HC Bloemendaal  11  Terrance Pieters  56  9  SV Kampong  16  Floris Wortelboer  90  4  HC Bloemendaal  43  Floris Middendorp  15 0  AH&BC Amsterdam 20  Derk Meijer  7  0  HC Rotterdam  22  Koen Bijen  38  18  Den Bosch  23  Joep de Mol  128  2  Oranje-Rood  24  Steijn van Heijningen  36  4  HC Rotterdam  27  Jip Janssen  87  30  SV Kampong  29  Tijmen Reyenga  34  3  Oranje-Rood  32  Justen Blok  47  4  HC Rotterdam  34  Derck de Vilder  43  5  SV Kampong  51  Duco Telgenkamp  6  5  SV Kampong              Team Manager  Ernst Boekhorst        Head Coach  Jeroen Delmee        Assistant Coach  Eric Verboom        Medical Doctor  Stijn Geraets        Physiotherapist  Claire Verheul        Physical Trainer  Matthew Eyles        Video Technician  Joost Bitterling        Video Technician  Joep van Nuland     

Official press release: https://www.knhb.nl/nieuws/bondscoach-delmee-maakt-selectie-ek-hockey-2023-bekend 

Wales  

• World ranking: 15th  

• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 11 
• Best finish: 6th – 2 times (1974, 1999, 2019)  

Overview: Wales will be competing in the EuroHockey Championship in Germany for a third successive edition of the Euros off the back of their 11th place finish at their debut World Cup in January.   Luke Hawker and Rupert Shipperly have been named as captains while Ben Francis is in line to receive his 100th cap at the competition. Gareth Furlong – with 95 goals in 143 games – is there sharp-shooter while star-man Jacob Draper recently signed for Dutch champions Pinoké.   

Wales celebrate a Gareth Furlong goal in 2021. Pic: Koen Suyk/World Sport Pics

Head Coach Danny Newcombe said: “The opportunity to compete in our third EuroHockey Championships in succession and continue to compete with the European elite is one that we will relish and lean into as a group. There is always something special about a EuroHockey tournament and I am excited to see us continue to set the bar. The squad has a wealth of tournament experience and ready to put another marker down.” 

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  2  Dewi Roblin (GK)  10  0  Surbiton (ENG)  3  Daniel Kyriakides  126 (GBR 11, WAL 115)  4 (GBR 0, WAL 4)   Der Club an der Alster (GER)  6  Jacob Draper  113 (GBR 37, WAL 76)  3 (GBR 0, WAL 3)   Pinoke (NED)  9  Rupert Shipperley (c)  134 (GBR 33, WAL 101)  25 (GBR 8, WAL 17)  Hampstead & Westminster (ENG)  10  Rhodri Furlong  77  2  Holcombe (ENG)  12  Stephen Kelly  80  5  Hampstead & Westminster (ENG)  13  Dale Hutchinson  104  10  Hampstead & Westminster (ENG)  15  Rhys Bradshaw  51  4  Wimbledon (ENG)  18  Gareth Furlong  143  95  Surbiton (ENG)  19  Owain Dolan-Gray  138  22*  Cardiff & Met  20  Jolyon Morgan  29  6  Hampstead & Westminster (ENG)  23  Jack Pritchard  16  2  Cardiff & Met  24  Hywel Jones  55  1  Hampstead & Westminster (ENG)  25  Benjamin Francis  97  20  Wimbledon (ENG)  26  Luke Hawker (c)  121  25*  Cardiff & Met  31  Gareth Griffiths  22  2  Beeston (ENG)  35  Fred Newbold  15  2  Der Club an der Alster (GER)  50  Toby Reynolds-Cotterill (GK)  24 (GBR 4, WAL 20)  0  Hampstead & Westminster (ENG) 

 

Team Manager  Will Packer        Head Coach  Daniel Newcombe        Assistant Coach  Martin Schouten        Assistant Coach  Ian Haley        Physiotherapist  Thomas Jenkins        Physiotherapist  Osian Merfyn        Video Technician  Sam Rowe     

 Official press release: https://www.hockeywales.org.uk/post/hockey-wales-announce-senior-men-s-squad-for-upcoming-european-tournament  

The post EHC 2023 – Germany and Netherlands set for battle royale in men’s Pool B appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

Men’s Pool A features a wealth of medalists on the highest level with reigning Olympic champions Belgium, Indoor World Cup winners Austria, 2019 Euro silver medalists and 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medal winners England in the mix. Here’s a look at their line-ups for the EuroHockey Championship in Mönchengladbach

Men’s Pool A  

Austria 

• World ranking: 18th 
• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 5 
• Best finish: 7th (2009, 2017) 

Overview: Austria are the one side not to have played in the 2021 edition of the competition, earning their place via the qualifiers route with victory in Vienna last summer. They are lowest ranked side but do have a wealth of know-how in the panel with many indoor World Cup winners in the line-up. 

Goal machine Michael Körper (pictured above) has over 200 international goals between indoor and outdoor fixtures and is their big threat. He added three more to that total at the end of July in a series win over Chile. Körper is one of six Hamburg-based players in the line-up with Xaver Hasun his captain at club and Austria level. 

Benjamin Stanzl returned to the international scene in January following a three-year break. Along with Körper, Oliver Binder, Leon Thörnblom, Hasun, goalkeeper Mateusz Szymczyk, Alexander Bele and Fabian Unterkircher, they all played in the 2017 Euros when the side finished in seventh place.  

On the flip side, Moritz Zotter and Jakob Kastner are the freshest faces while Mateusz Nyckowiak and Fülöp Losonci were members of the Under-21 Euro indoor winning side in Nymburk. 

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  3  Oliver Binder  63  9  Hamburger Polo Club (GER)  4  Fülöp Losonci  22  7  Harvestehuder THC (GER)  5  Peter Kaltenböck  25  1  Post SV  8  Alexander Bele  104  21  SV Arminen  9  Michael Körper  168  92  Harvestehuder THC (GER)  11  Nikolas Wellan  27  6  HC Wien  12  Josef Winkler  9  1  HC Wien  13  Benjamin Stanzl  160  18  Post SV  19  Moritz Zotter  3  0  HC Wien  20  Franz Lindengrun  47  8  HC Wien  21  Benjamin Kölbl  26  1  Hamburger Polo Club (GER)  23  Fabian Unterkircher  54  7  Den Bosch (NL)  24  Leon Thörnblom  88  12  Hamburger Polo Club (GER)  27  Xaver Hasun  129  4  Harvestehuder THC (GER)  29  Oliver Kern  40  0  AHTC  30  Mateusz Nyckowiak  8  0  Post SV  32  Mateusz Szymczyk  108  0  SV Arminen  33  Jakob Kastner  2  0  Post SV 

 Belgium  

• World ranking: 2nd  

• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 18 
• Best finish: Winners (2019)  

Overview: National coach Michel van den Heuvel has given a trio of young stars their opening to make their mark in Mönchengladbach: Arno Van Dessel in midfield and Nelson Onana and William Ghislain in attack. They have their chance while long-term regulars Tom Boon, Sebastien Dockier and Tanguy Cosyns will not be there this time around. 

 Van den Heuvel explains: “We saw during the Pro League that the enthusiasm, intensity and athletic ability of our young players had a huge positive influence on the way we play. We’re also noticing a shift in the game, where fast players who have the ability to keep running for an entire match are now the norm. Nelson, Arno and William can bring that to our team.” 

Belgium’s Loick Luypaert. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics

There is still an abundance of star quality with John-John Dohmen set to break the world caps record while Vincent Vanasch and Loic Van Doren jostling for the goalkeeper duties. Arther van Doren, Felix Denayer, Florent van Aubel, Gauthier Boccard and Loïck Luypaert have over 200 caps. Emmanuel Stockbroekx is back with the Red Lions after a head injury kept him out since 2022. 

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  2  Loic Van Doren  50  0  KHC Dragons  4  Arthur Van Doren  227  10  HC Bloemendaal (NL)  7  John-John Dohmen  453  34  Orée  8  Florent van Aubel  279  57  Pinoké (NL)  10  Cédric Charlier  365  65  Royal Racing Club de Bruxelles  12  Gauthier Boccard  276  13  Royal Léopold  13  Nicolas De Kerpel  107  26  Herakles  15  Emmanuel Stockbroekx  188  9  Orée  16  Alexander Hendrickx  170  95  Pinoké (NL)  19  Felix Denayer  375  21  KHC Dragons  20  William Ghislain  24  2  Waterloo Ducks  21  Vincent Vanasch  269  0  Orée  23  Arthur De Sloover  142  4  Oranje-Rood (NL)  24  Antoine Kina  105  7  Gantoise  25  Loïck Luypaert  289  52  Braxgata  26  Victor Wegnez  147  15  Royal Racing Club de Bruxelles  30  Nelson Onana  15  4  Braxgata  31  Arno Van Dessel  18  1  Herakles              Team Manager  Eric Pirenne        Stand-In Manager  Mick Beunen        Head Coach  Michel van den Heuvel        Assistant Coach  Xavier Reckinger        Assistant Coach  Shane McLeod        Assistant Coach  Steve Bayer        Medical Doctor  Katja van Oostveldt        Physiotherapist  Julien Rysman        Physiotherapist  Lars Poppe        Video Technician  Emily Calderon     

Official press release: https://hockey.be/fr/red-lions-trois-jeunes-talents-dans-la-selection-pour-le-championnat-deurope-2023/ 

England  

• World ranking: 3rd   

• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 19 
• Best finish: Winners (2009)  

Overview: England are a side on the up since Paul Revington took on the head coach role, winning bronze at the Commonwealth Games while they led the FIH Pro League until just a couple of weeks before the end of the competition. They have risen from sixth to third in the world rankings 

Revington, said: “I’m pleased to announce such a strong England team for the EuroHockey Championships. We’ve had some really promising performances over the last 12 months and I want to see the team continue that form and momentum in Germany. 

England celebrate in 2021. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics

“We will face top quality opposition again throughout the event, and I know this team will be excited to deal with each challenge they encounter throughout the tournament.” 

A key feature is Nick Bandurak who has scored 37 times across 44 England and Great Britain matches.  He adds to the shooting prowess of Sam Ward who has 107 goals on his ledger. Conor Williamson is the bolter in the panel with the new Surbiton signing playing in his debut tournament. 

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  2  Nicholas Park  22 (ENG 16, GBR 6)  1  Surbiton  3  Jack Waller  92 (ENG 38, GBR 54)  4 GBR  Wimbledon  5  David Ames  188 (ENG 59, GBR 66, IRL 63)  3 ENG / 1 GBR  Holcombe  7  Zachary Wallace  96 (ENG 43, GBR 53)  9 ENG / 5 GBR  HC Bloemendaal (NL)  13  Sam Ward  185 (ENG 92, GBR 93)  64 ENG / 43 GBR  Old Georgians  14  James Albery  52 (ENG 35, GBR 17)  1  Old Georgians  15  Phillip Roper  194 (ENG 114, GBR 80)  28 ENG / 24 GBR  Holcombe  16  James Mazarelo  19 (ENG 6, GBR 13)  0  Surbiton  18  Brendan Creed  125 (ENG 68, GBR 57)  1 GBR  Surbiton  19  David Goodfield  96 (ENG 72, GBR 24)  11 ENG / 4 GBR  Surbiton  20  Oliver Payne  53 (ENG 30, GBR 23)  0  Holcombe  23  Nicholas Bandurak  44 (ENG 28, GBR 16)  25 ENG / 12 GBR  Holcombe  24  James Oates  22 (ENG 13, GBR 9)  1 ENG / 1 GBR  Hampstead & Westminster  26  James Gall  112 (ENG 63, GBR 49)  4 ENG / 1 GBR  Surbiton  29  Thomas Sorsby  83 (ENG 37, GBR 46)  1 GBR  Surbiton  30  Conor Williamson  2  0  Surbiton  31  Will Calnan  80 (ENG 44, GBR 36)  7 ENG / 3 GBR  Hampstead & Westminster  33  Timothy Nurse  21 (ENG 10, GBR 11)  2 GBR  Surbiton              Team Manager  Paul Gannon        Head Coach  Paul Revington        Assistant Coach  Zak Jones        Assistant Coach  Mark Hickman        Assistant Coach  Kwandwane Browne        Physiotherapist  Matt Davies        Physical Trainer  Murray Barratt        Psychologist  Katie Mobed        Video Technician  Amber Luzar        Video Technician  Danny Crowther     

Official press release: https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/media/news/england-hockey-announce-mens-and-womens-squad-for-eurohockey-championships 

Spain  

• World ranking: 7th  
• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 19  

• Best finish: Winners – 2 times (1974, 2005)  

Overview: The two-time champions are hoping to hit the ground running after a strong preparation phase in which they won the centenary tournament in Barcelona, beating India and drawing with the Netherlands before winning the final against England in a shoot-out. 

They followed up with two heavy wins over Austria in uncapped games and they are a side that looks to be maturing well. They have stepped up in the last two years after Quico Cortes, Miguel Delas, Marc Salles, Pau Quemada, David Alegre, Xavi Lleonart, Josep Romeu and Vincent Ruiz – who all played in 2021 – stepped away after earning almost 2,000 caps between them. 

Quique Gonzalez (right) will be a key feature for Spain. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics

Marc Miralles captains the side ahead of a new move to HC Bloemendaal in the Netherlands while they have Joaquin Menini – an Olympic champion with Argentina before switching to Spain – in the panel to bring big game know-how. 

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  2  Alejandro Alonso  74  3  RS Tenis  6  Xavier Gispert  55  7  Club Egara  7  Enrique Gonzalez  184  22  Club de Campo  8  Marc Recasens  69  8  Real Club de Polo  9  Alvaro Iglesias  211  50  Club de Campo  10  José Basterra  52  15  Club de Campo  12  Marc Reyne  44  16  Real Club de Polo  14  Marc Miralles  93  24  HC Bloemendaal (NL)  15  Jordi Bonastre  50  4  Atlètic Terrassa  17  Pepe Cunill  35  1  Atlètic Terrassa  18  Joaquin Menini  153 (ARG 110, ESP 43)  11 ESP /29 ARG  HC Rotterdam (NL)  20  Pau Cunill  36  13  Atlètic Terrassa  24  Ignacio Rodriguez  98  4  Club de Campo  29  Gerard Clapes  47  5  Oranje Rood  42  Luis Calzado  18  0  Real Club de Polo  90  Borja Lacalle  35  5  Club de Campo  99  Rafael Vilallonga  27  2  Club de Campo              Team Manager  Cesar Hernandez        Head Coach  Max Caldas        Assistant Coach  Aleix Sagrera        Assistant Coach  Xavier Ribas        Assistant Coach  Borja Movellan        Assistant Coach  Alejandro Iglesias        Assistant Coach  Bernar Herrera        Assistant Coach  Juan Escarre        Medical Doctor  Rafael Gonzalez        Physiotherapist  XAVI BOSCH        Physiotherapist  Jordi Borras        Physical Trainer  Jordi Lazaro        Psychologist  Jesus Portillo        Video Technician  Diego Gavilan        Video Technician  Andrew Wilson     

Official press release: https://www.rfeh.es/lista-la-convocatoria-de-la-absoluta-masculina-para-el-eurohockey-2023/ 

The post EHC 2023 – Belgium, England, Spain and Austria contest men’s Pool A appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

Women’s Pool B features a series of rematches from the 2021 edition with England losing to Germany before beating both Scotland and Ireland. As such, it makes for plenty of revenge missions in what promises to be a tight group which gets under way to much fanfare on Friday evening at the SparkassenPark. Here’s a look at each of the teams:

Women’s Pool B 

England  

• World ranking: 6th  
• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 16 

• Best finish: Winners (1991, 2015) 

 Overview: England will be looking to bounce back from 2021. when they missed out on the semi-finals for the first time in European history, eventually ending up in fifth place.  

It is their first Europeans since the retirement of Maddie Hinch but there is still plenty of connections to their 2015 championship winning side. Laura Roper (née Unsworth), Lily Owsley, Sabbie Heesh, Giselle Ansley and Holly Pearne-Webb combine for over a thousand caps. 

In terms of results, they had a tricky lead-in tournament at the Four Nations Invitational tournament in Spain with losses to the home team and India in their first games in England mode since 2022. Back then, though, they were Commonwealth Games champions and if they find that form, they will be contenders. 

Women’s Head Coach, David Ralph, said: “We’re all excited to get started at the EuroHockey Championships. We’ve had some good early seasons tests which I believe has been good preparation for the level of competition we’ll face in Germany.   

“We’ve got a good mix of youth and experience in the team who is full of talent but there’s no denying this is the biggest competition of the year, and we will focus on executing our plans and going one match at a time.” 

Name  Caps  Goals  Club  3  Amy Tennant  30 (ENG 13, GBR 17)  0  Reading  4  Laura Roper  330 (ENG 180, GBR 150)  8 ENG / 4 GBR  East Grinstead  7  Hannah Martin  128 (ENG 67, GBR 61)  23 ENG / 14 GBR  Surbiton  11  Holly Hunt  32 (ENG 30, GBR 2)  4  Hampstead & Westminster  13  Elena Rayer  101 (ENG 66, GBR 35)  9 ENG / 5 GBR  East Grinstead  14  Tessa Howard  71 (ENG 31, GBR 40)  13 ENG / 4 GBR  East Grinstead  16  Isabelle Petter  86 (ENG 40, GBR 46)  4 ENG / 4 GBR  Surbiton  18  Giselle Ansley  212 (ENG 119, GBR 93)  23 ENG / 13 GBR  Surbiton  20  Hollie Pearne-Webb  247 (ENG 135, GBR 112)  8 ENG / 4 GBR  Wimbledon  21  Fiona Crackles  67 (ENG 37, GBR 30)  1 ENG / 1 GBR  Wimbledon  22  Elizabeth Neal  47 (ENG 16, GBR 31)  0  Loughborough Students  23  Sophie Hamilton  50 (ENG 30, GBR 20)  4 ENG / 2 GBR  Surbiton  25  Sabbie Heesh  43 (ENG 16, GBR 27)  0  Surbiton  26  Lily Owsley  214 (ENG 116, GBR 98)  24 ENG / 21 GBR  Hampstead & Westminster  28  Flora Peel  40 (ENG 25, GBR 15)  1  Wimbledon  31  Grace Balsdon  130 (ENG 71, GBR 59)  19 ENG / 9 GBR  Hampstead & Westminster  41  Lily Walker  36 (ENG 25, GBR 11)  0  University of Birmingham  42  Alexandra Malzer  25 (ENG 15, GBR 10)  0  East Grinstead              Team Manager  Samantha Beveridge        Head Coach  David Ralph        Assistant Coach  Jody Paul        Assistant Coach  Mark Hickman        Assistant Coach  Katie Glynn        Physiotherapist  Emma Spong        Physiotherapist  Celia Young        Physical Trainer  Thomas Batchelor        Psychologist  Bex Levett        Video Technician  Amber Luzar        Video Technician  Danny Crowther     

 Official press release: https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/media/news/england-hockey-announce-mens-and-womens-squad-for-eurohockey-championships 

 Germany 

• World ranking: 4th  
• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 16 

• Best finish: Winners (2013, 2017) 

 Overview: Speaking about his selection, German coach Valentin Altenburg says: “At the end of a very intensive and successful preparation, I’m very satisfied with the performance development of all players in the last few weeks. 

 “If it were up to me, I would like to make the adventure of the European Championship possible for all players. No matter where we have played as DANAS in the last few weeks, whether in Wiesbaden, Limburg or Rüsselsheim, it was always sold out. The spark jumped from the field to the spectators and from the spectators to the players. That makes an incredible amount of anticipation for a sold-out house at the European Championship in our living room. In every game of the EuroHockey Championships 2023 we will look for our chance.” 

Germany celebrate during the 2021 EuroHockey Championships. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics

The side is captained by Nike Lorenz who heads an experienced group alongside Anne Schröder, Cecile Pieper and Charlotte Stapenhorst who is two games short of her 150th cap. Viki Huse will earn her 100th cap on opening night when she takes the field. They come into the competition following a fifth place finish in the FIH Pro League and a couple of big wins this week against Chile in uncapped warm-up fixtures.  

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  1  Noelle Rother (GK)  20  0  UHC Hamburg  2  Kira Horn  68  2  Der Club an der Alster  3  Amelie Wortmann  96  4  UHC Hamburg  4  Nike Lorenz (c)  159  40  Rot-Weiss Köln  5  Selin Oruz  139  3  Düsseldorfer HC  8  Anne Schröder  190  20  Der Club an der Alster  10  Lisa Nolte  13  1  Düsseldorfer HC  11  Lena Micheel  85  8  UHC Hamburg  12  Charlotte Stapenhorst  148  46  Zehlendorfer Wespen  16  Sonja Zimmermann  77  12  AH&BC Amsterdam (NL)  17  Pauline Heinz  39  6  Mannheimer HC  20  Julia Sonntag (GK)  80  0  Rot-Weiss Köln  22  Cecile Pieper  167  20  HGC (NL)  25  Viktoria Huse  99  10  Der Club an der Alster  27  Stine Kurz  18  1  Mannheimer HC  28  Jette Fleschütz  41  7  Großflottbeker THGC  30  Hanna Granitzki  94  4  Der Club an der Alster  31  Linnea Weidemann  23  0  Berliner HC              Team Manager  Fabian Schuler        Head Coach  Valentin Altenburg        Assistant Coach  Jimi Lewis        Assistant Coach  Cedric Wehmeier        Assistant Coach  Mirko Stenzel        Assistant Coach  Johannes Schmitz        Medical Doctor  Boris Mandryka        Physiotherapist  Lisa Rupp        Physiotherapist  Benjamin Kühn        Physical Trainer  Janosch Emonts        Video Technician  Michael Soff        Video Technician  Gero Leichenich     

Official press release: https://magazin.hockey.de/articles/em-kader-danas-1  

 Ireland  

• World ranking: 13th  
• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 15 
• Best finish: 5th (1984, 2005, 2009, 2019) 

Overview: Irish coach Sean Dancer said of his side they “have made fantastic improvements over the last 12 months on and off the field, and we have high ambitions, knowing the tough challenge of a very competitive European Championship. 

“This year’s Europeans also doubles as the first step of the Olympic qualification process, adding extra pressure on all those involved. We will need to stay focused on ourselves and playing our attacking style of play.” 

2018 World Goalkeeper of the Year nominee Ayeisha McFerran returns to the line-up having missed last December’s FIH Nations Cup where Liz Murphy shone in her absence. 

Ireland’s Róisín Upton. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics

 “We are excited to have Ayeisha back with us, after extended time away for her heavy club season,” Dancer said. “Lizzy Murphy has taken this as an opportunity to play and develop her game further and we are now in a position of having two strong international keepers, leading into this tournament.” 

McFerran is one of the World Cup silver medalists from 2018 alongside captain Katie Mullan, Lena Tice, Deirdre Duke and Róisín Upton. Otherwise, there is a dozen of their Olympic travelling panel of 2021 while the only player who did not play in the World Cup last summer is Caitlin Sherin who made her debut against Chile last month. 

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  1  Ayeisha McFerran  121  0  Tilburg  2  Elizabeth Murphy  21  0  Loreto  3  Sarah McAuley  24  0  UCD  5  Michelle Carey  25  2  UCD  6  Roisin Upton  104  24  Catholic Institute  7  Niamh Carey  13  5  UCD  8  Sarah Hawkshaw  61  3  Railway Union  9  Kathryn Mullan  221  42  Railway Union  10  Hannah McLoughlin  41  2  UCD  11  Sarah Torrans  47  1  Loreto  12  Elena Neill  137  13  Old Alex  13  Naomi Carroll  135  29  Catholic Institute  14  Ellen Curran  42  0  Pembroke  15  Caoimhe Perdue  14  0  UCC  16  Charlotte Beggs  14  0  Ulster Elks  17  Christina Hamill  15  0  Loreto  18  Caitlin Sherin  1  0  Loreto  21  Katie McKee  9  1  Pegasus  25  Siofra O Brien  7  0  Loreto  28  Deirdre Duke  163  24  UCD              Team Manager  Christine O’Shea        Head Coach  Sean Dancer        Assistant Coach  Nigel Henderson        Assistant Coach  Facundo Quiroga        Assistant Coach  Sarah Kelleher        Physiotherapist  Bebhinn Flaherty        Physiotherapist  Ciara McCallion        Physical Trainer  Cliodhna O’Connor        Psychologist  Margaret McCarthy        Video Technician  Brian McClelland     

Official press release: https://hockey.ie/ireland-senior-women-squad-for-the-europeans-announced/ 

 Scotland  

• World ranking: 18th  
• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 13 
• Best finish: 5th (1991) 

 Overview: Scotland qualified after winning the qualifiers in Dunkirk in 2022, with three wins from three to set up a 13th appearance on this stage. 

 Katie Robertson will captain the squad which will see eight players compete at the EuroHockey Championships for the first time. Sarah Robertson misses the tournament through injury, while Amy Gibson takes on the vice-captain role. 

In the build-up, the Scots impressed in a series against England and recorded two wins over the Czech Republic in Edinburgh. It follows earlier prep games against Australia, Ireland, France and Wales. 

Head Coach Chris Duncan said, “We have made enormous strides as a group in the last 18 months, both on and off the pitch, and our performances last summer were testament to the style of play and approach we want to be known for moving forward.  

Scotland’s Bronwyn Shields. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek

The work done since securing our place from the European Qualifier last August has allowed us to go into greater depth of detail on the technical elements of our game, and skillset to try and make further strides in our ability to perform consistently against top sides. 

“Most important to us, is staying committed to our philosophy, and how we can cause problems for the excellent sides that we will play. 

“This is very much a team selection that can compete here and now, but also a nod to the future. Eight players will experience the EuroHockey Championships for the first time, and with 11 players 25-years-old or younger, there is great longevity in this group. We are naturally disappointed to not be able to include our captain Sarah Robertson, who is recovering from injury; she will be an enormous loss 

“We will be going out with optimism, knowing that we have nothing to lose, and will play with freedom as we try to further foster our attacking style.” 

Name  Caps  Goals  Club  1  Jennifer Eadie  85 (GBR 4, SCO 81)  5  Wimbledon (ENG)  4  Eve Pearson  11  0  University of Edinburgh  5  Laura Swanson  21  1  Der Club an der Alster (GER)  6  Sophie Hinds  3  1  University of Edinburgh  8  Amy Costello  113 (GBR 43, SCO 70)  SCO 9 / GBR 1  Surbiton (ENG)  9  Katie Robertson  59  5  University of Edinburgh  11  Katie Birch  3  0  Durham University (ENG)  12  Charlotte Watson  100 (GBR 14, SCO 86)  SCO 13 / GBR 4  Beeston (ENG)  13  Ruth Blaikie  5  0  AMVJ (NL)  14  Elizabeth Wilson  15  0  Watsonians  15  Heather McEwan  11  3  Royal Victory (BEL)  17  Sarah Jamieson  78  5  Watsonians  18  Millie Steiger  32  1  Clydesdale Western  20  Bronwyn Shields  19  3  Clydesdale Western  21  Jessica Ross  18  0  University of Edinburgh  23  Jessica Buchanan  8  0  Sevenoaks (ENG)  27  Fiona Burnet  87 (GBR 3, SCO 84)  17  Wimbledon (ENG)  29  Amy Gibson  129 (GBR 2, SCO 127)  0  Grove Menzieshill              Team Manager  Elsie Walker        Stand-In Manager  Kurt Rumley        Head Coach  Chris Duncan        Assistant Coach  Jimmy Culnane        Assistant Coach  Neil Menzies        Physiotherapist  Andrew Cunningham        Physical Trainer  Ailsa Maguire        Video Technician  Gareth Ikin     

Official press release: https://scottish-hockey.org.uk/scotland-womens-squad-selected-for-eurohockey-championships-2/ 

The post EHC 2023 – Rematches galore in Women’s Pool B appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

In the first of our group-by-group previews, we look at Pool A of the women’s EuroHockey Championship where world number one side the Netherlands are the side to beat.

Spain and Belgium reprise their 2021 bronze medal showdown in which the Belgians took the laurels while Italy will be looking to cause a shock along the way.

Pool A  

Belgium 

• World ranking: 5th  
• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 12 
• Best finish: 2nd (2017) 

Overview: Raoul Ehren’s rising squad are going for a third medal in four European attempts. It follows a strong run in the FIH Pro League when they ended in fourth place, winning half of their games and losing just four in 16 outings.  

In goal, the national coach’s choice fell on Elena Sotgiu and Aisling D’Hooghe with Elodie Picard missing out. The “little youngsters” Vanessa Blockmans (defence), Camille Belis (midfielder), Emily White and Delphine Mariën (attack) saw their excellent performances in recent Pro League matches rewarded with selection for a first major tournament.  

In addition, the Panthers also have Abigail Raye back after her injury suffered during the Belgian finals. Lien Hillewaert, Ambre Ballenghien and Picard (GK) are not included this time. 

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  3  Justine Rasir  49  4  Royal Racing Club de Bruxelles  4  Delphine Marien  16  5  KHC Dragons  5  Abi Raye  201 (BEL 46, CAN 155)  10 BEL / 10 CAN  HC Tilburg  6  Charlotte Englebert  53  11  Den Bosch (NL)  7  Judith Vandermeiren  216  6  Braxgata  8  Emma Puvrez  181  11  HC Tilburg  9  Emily White  14  7  Waterloo Ducks  10  Louise Versavel  234  39  HC Tilburg  13  Alix Gerniers  248  27  Gantoise  15  Vanessa Blockmans  22  1  Waterloo Ducks  17  Michelle Struijk  107  3  Gantoise  19  Barbara Nelen  303  22  Gantoise  21  Aisling D’Hooghe  214  0  Waterloo Ducks  22  Stephanie Vanden Borre  166  43  Braxgata  23  Elena Sotgiu  77  0  Braxgata  31  Lucie Breyne  44  2  Waterloo Ducks  36  Hélène Brasseur  45  0  Gantoise  40  Camille Belis  12  0  Braxgata              Team Manager  Muriel Peche        Stand-In Manager  Hannes Agache        Head Coach  Raoul Ehren        Assistant Coach  Tim White        Medical Doctor  Katja van Oostveldt        Physiotherapist  Valentine Smidt        Physiotherapist  Ellen Jacobs        Physical Trainer  Glenn Faveyts        Video Technician  Michael Cosma     

 Official press release: https://hockey.be/fr/red-panthers-melange-de-jeunesse-et-dexperience-dans-la-selection-pour-le-championnat-deurope-2023/ 

 Italy 

• World ranking: 17th   
• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 10 
• Best finish: 7th (2007, 2013) 

Overview: Italy qualified for a second successive appearance in the top tier following their victory in Vilnius last summer, getting the best of Lithuania and Ukraine. Since then, they grabbed a fifth place finish in the FIH Nations Cup in December, going unbeaten throughout – they drew group matches against higher ranked Korea, Ireland and Spain before beating South Africa 2-0 and Korea in a shoot-out. 

Italy’s Lara Oviedo. Picture: Koen Suyk/World Sport Pics

The side is well travelled with nine players based in Belgium, four in Spain and captain Sara Puglisi played with promoted Dutch side Oranje Rood. There is also a trio of ex-Argentina internationals: the vastly experienced Lara Oviedo along with Ivanna Pessina and Camila Machin.  

Federica Carta is the main goalscoring option while there is set to be debuts for Antonella Rinaldi and Chiara di Bella. They do have a late change to their line-up with goalkeeper Sofia Monserrat missing out through injury with Under-21 international Giulia Bianchini getting the call-up. 

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  1  Giulia Bianchini (GK)  0  0  Butterfly Roma ACC  3  Teresa Dalla Vittoria  34  0  White Star (BEL)  5  Ailin Oviedo  18  1  Real Sociedad (ESP)  7  Elettra Bormida  14  0  White Star (BEL)  9  Emilia Munitis  35  0  Real Sociedad (ESP)  10  Dalila Mirabella  111  4  Polisportiva Valverde  11  Antonella Rinaldi  0  0  Atlètic Terrassa (ESP)  12  Lucia Caruso (GK)  12  0  Sanse Complutense (ESP)  14  Antonella Bruni  13  0  Royal Victory (BEL)  18  Federica Carta (c)  52  17  Real Sociedad (ESP)  19  Candela Carosso  6  0  SG Amsicora  21  Sara Puglisi (c)  35  0  Oranje Rood (NL)  25  Mercedes Pastor  13  1  Herakles (BEL)  26  Sofia Laurito  31  4  Waterloo Ducks (BEL)  27  Lara Oviedo  60 (ARG 4, ITA 56)  19  Gantoise (BEL)  28  Ivanna Pessina  53 (ARG 10, ITA 43)  4  KHC Leuven (BEL)  30  Camila Machin  12 (ARG 2, ITA 10)  3  Royal Victory (BEL)  44  Chiara Di Bella  0  0  CUS Torino              Team Manager  Ivonne Allers        Head Coach  Robert Justus        Assistant Coach  Andrés Mondo        Medical Doctor  Elisa Checchi        Physiotherapist  Giovanni Monachesi        Physical Trainer  Sandro Bartolomei        Video Technician  Lucas vanden Bossche     

 Official press release: https://www.federhockey.it/home/fih/comunicati-stampa/comunicati-stampa-blog/12835-azzurre-le-convocate-per-il-championship-di-moenchengladbach-torneo-al-via-il-18-agosto.html  

 Netherlands  

• World ranking: 1st   
• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 16 
• Best finish: Winners – 11 times (1984, 1987, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2017,  2019, 2021)  

Overview: The Netherlands are going for a fourth successive title having gone unbeaten in the EuroHockey Championships since the 2015 final shoot-out against England. There remain a couple of links to that event with Laura Nunnink, Margot van Geffen, Maria Verschoor and Anne Veenendaal linking the generations. 

2021 champions The Netherlands. Pic: Koen Suyk/World Sport Pics

It has something of a new look with experienced players from last year’s World Cup gold like Eva de Goede and Lidewij Welten not included while Sabine Plönissen stepped back from the panel in recent weeks. With Marloes Keetels and Laurien Leurink retiring, it means a bit of a shake-up to their line-up but they swept to Pro League glory this season with Yibbi Jansen scoring a goal a game.  

Felice Albers is the current world player of the year and Frédérique Matla is another goal machine in a hugely exciting line-up. 

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  1  Anne Veenendaal (GK)  103  0  AH&BC Amsterdam  2  Luna Fokke  14  2  SV Kampong  3  Rosa Fernig  6  0  Den Bosch  4  Freeke Moes  41  9  AH&BC Amsterdam  5  Lisa Post  25  0  SCHC  7  Xan de Waard  196  19  SCHC  8  Yibbi Jansen  52  28  SCHC  9  Renee van Laarhoven  45  3  SCHC  10  Felice Albers  47  15  AH&BC Amsterdam  11  Maria Verschoor  184  28  AH&BC Amsterdam  14  Sanne Koolen  89  0  Den Bosch  15  Frédérique Matla  114  83  Den Bosch  16  Joosje Burg  22  13  Den Bosch  18  Pien Sanders  101  3  Den Bosch  19  Marijn Veen  36  16  AH&BC Amsterdam  20  Laura Nunnink  172  2  Den Bosch  21  Pien Dicke  27  9  SCHC  22  Josine Koning (GK)  113  0  Den Bosch  23  Margot Van Geffen  252  17  Den Bosch  26  Elzemiek Zandee  11  2  SCHC              Team Manager  Wietske de Ruiter        Head Coach  Paul van Ass        Assistant Coach  Thomas Tichelman        Medical Doctor  Jolanda Heere        Physiotherapist  Sacha van Lith        Physiotherapist  Jan van ‘t Land        Video Technician  Shaffy Cohen     

Spain 

• World ranking: 7th  
• EuroHockey Championship appearances: 16 
• Best finish: 2nd (1995, 2003) 

Overview: Spain enter the competition looking to win a medal for the fourth time in the Europeans following a pair of silvers and a third place in 2019 in Antwerp. It is a squad transitioning with a number of big guns not involved for this tournament like Gigi Oliva, Carlota Petchamé and Lola Riera. 

Spanish captain Maria Lopez. Pic: World Sport Pics

It has brought in a number of new faces into the mix but there is still plenty of experience. Captain Maria Lopez is in her sixth European campaign while goalkeeper Maria Ruiz is back involved having given birth to her first child last year. There twins in the panel with Club de Campo sisters Sara (after a spell with SV Kampong) and Laura Barrios. 

Lucia Jimenez – whose father was a 3,000m European champion in 1996 – was named the MVP in the German Bundesliga for champions Mannheimer HC. 

#  Name  Caps  Goals  Club  1  Maria Ruiz (GK)  171  0  Club de Campo  2  Laura Barrios  39  4  Club de Campo  4  Sara Barrios  27  3  Club de Campo  7  Júlia Strappato  26  0  Junior FC  8  Lucia Jimenez  164  12  Mannheimer HC (GER)  9  Maria Lopez (c)  234  22  Club de Campo  10  Belén Iglesias  90  4  Großflottbeker THGC (GER)  11  Marta Segu  100  20  Real Club de Polo  15  Maialen Garcia  123  8  Club Egara  16  Candela Mejias  60  1  Club de Campo  17  Clara Ycart  81  2  Düsseldorfer HC (GER)  20  Xantal Gine  188  12  Real Club de Polo  21  Beatriz Perez  246  27  Club de Campo  22  Laia Vidosa  22  1  Junior FC  24  Alejandra Torres-Quevedo  78  1  Club de Campo  26  Clara Perez (GK)  10  0  Atlètic Terrassa  30  Patricia Alvarez  24  2  Real Club de Polo              Team Manager  Raul Gomez        Stand-In Manager  Alberto Ruiz        Head Coach  Adrian Lock        Assistant Coach  Carlos Garcia Cuenca        Assistant Coach  Eduardo Aguilar        Medical Doctor  Rafael Gonzalez        Physiotherapist  Mariona Ramos        Physiotherapist  Berta Moreno        Physical Trainer  Lorena Gutierrez        Video Technician  Andrew Wilson     

 Official press release: https://www.rfeh.es/convocatoria-de-la-absoluta-femenina-para-el-eurohockey-2023/  

The post EHC2023 – Netherlands the side to beat in Women’s Pool A appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

As the EuroHockey Championship brings together so many of the world’s best players, the same is true for the officials with an all-star line-up of officials assembled for the event in Mönchengladbach from August 18 to 27. 

All told in senior outdoor international fixtures, the umpires have stood in 1,717 matches, 55 previous European top tier tournaments, 23 World Cups and 12 Olympic Games. 

Laurine Delforge (BEL), Ben Goentgen (GER) and Michelle Meister (GER) are all set for their sixth Euros while Sarah Wilson has officiated in the women’s final for the past four editions. 

To further illustrate the calibre, Dutchman Coen van Bunge whistled at the men’s Olympic Games final in Tokyo while Delforge and Wilson were on the women’s final, a role the former also did in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Jakub Mejzlík (CZE) umpired the men’s World Cup final earlier this year. 

They will be guided by a team of umpire managers packed with top class know-how while the tournament’s technical delegates are Chris Brewer (WAL) and Magda Nazaret (POL) who will ensure each facet runs to order. 

TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS 

Name  Nationality  Role  Chris Brewer  WAL  Technical Delegate  Magda Nazaret  POL  Technical Delegate  Udo Rolle  GER  Medical Officer  Marijke Fleuren  NED  EHF Representative  Alison Keogh  IRL  Umpire  Ben Goentgen  GER  Umpire  Céline Martin-Schmets  BEL  Umpire  Coen Van Bunge  NED  Umpire  Dan Barstow  ENG  Umpire  Gema Calderon  ESP  Umpire  Hannah Harrison  ENG  Umpire  Ivona Makar  CRO  Umpire  Jakub Mejzlik  CZE  Umpire  Jonas Van’t Hek  NED  Umpire  Laurine Delforge  BEL  Umpire  Lisette Baljon  NED  Umpire  Martin Madden  SCO  Umpire  Michael Dutrieux  BEL  Umpire  Michael Gholami-Eilmer  AUT  Umpire  Michelle Meister  GER  Umpire  Rachel Williams  ENG  Umpire  Sarah Wilson  SCO  Umpire  Sean Edwards  ENG  Umpire  Vincenzo Antonio Ilgrande  ITA  Umpire  Hamish Jamson  ENG  Umpires Manager  Rob ten Cate  NED  Umpires Manager  Louise Knipe  ENG  Umpires Manager  Fanneke Alkemade  NED  Umpires Manager  Gregory Maya-Perez  FRA  Assistant Umpires Manager  Gabriele Schmitz  GER  Assistant Umpires Manager  Ulrike Schmidt  GER  Judge  Michiel Christiaanse  NED  Judge  Jan Lehejcek  CZE  Judge  Lorna Eadie  SCO  Judge  Richard Chere  ENG  Judge  Erica Porter  IRL  Judge  Sonja Schwede  GER  Judge  Daniel Gass  GER  Judge  Martin Monaghan  SCO  Technical Officer  Jolanta Liskauskiene  LTU  Technical Officer  David Voskamp  NED  Tournament Administrator  Stephen Findlater  IRL  Media Officer 

 

The post All-star officials to blow the whistle at EHC2023 appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

France won the women’s EuroHockey Championship II in Prague as two early goals saw them defeat the Czech Republic hosts, completing a great week’s work.

The Czechs, though, were able to celebrate a ticket to the Olympic qualifiers along with fourth place finishers Ukraine, coming in just behind bronze medal winners Wales.

In the final, the French got off to a dream start when Alice Lesgourgues scored a corner drag-flick and that was back up by a clever deflection move from Tessa-Margot Schubert in the seventh minute for 2-0.

The French dominated those early phases and went close to a third with a strong reverse-stick shot before the Czechs settled. 

They were unable to make full use of three corners before the end of the first quarter and another batch in the closing quarter when Kamila Kopecká was on the charge.

Lucie Ehrmann also made some brilliant stops to keep a clean sheet for the French and add to a hugely positive summer for their female teams. This was their best result in Europe for 18 years.

Indeed, player of the tournament Philippine Delemazure traversed both their Under-18 side’s retention of top division status in Crefeld last month and then shone in this tournament.

She was one of the award winners along with Czech goalkeeper Barbora Ćecháková while Ukraine’s Karyna Leonova top scored with five strikes.

Ukraine, though, were denied a medal by Wales who produced a great comeback in normal time and then won a shoot-out to finish on the podium.

Veronika Movchan and Yevheniia Moroz built a 2-0 half-time lead but that was wiped out in the third quarter via Elisabeth Bingham and Isabelle Howell for 2-2.

Then Ella Jackson kept out all three Ukranian shoot-outs while Phoebe Richards, Isobel Webb and Millie Holme all scored for a 3-0 success. It was their best performance since 2009 while it was Ukraine’s highest placing in Europe since 2007.

In Pool C, Poland defeated seventh placed Lithuania 3-0 to claim fifth spot; Austria were too strong for eighth finishers Slovakia and so took sixth place.

 

The post France continue excellent summer with women’s Championship II gold appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

Men’s EuroHockey Championship II (Dublin, Ireland)

Pool A

Portugal 1 Türkiye 2

A close game to open the day here in Dublin. Portugal led by one going into half time, but Türkiye pulled two back in a five-minute period to claim the win.

Goalscorers
Portugal- FOURIE Aidan
Türkiye- ELAGÖZ Müslüm, EKINCI Müslüm

 Czech 2 Switzerland 2

This draw means both teams moved above Türkiye in Pool C, with Switzerland on top of the group.

Goalscorers
Czech- PLOCHÝ Lukas (2)
Switzerland – STOMPS Boris,HUG Yannick

 Semi-Final 1

Italy 3 Ukraine 3 (SO Italy 3 Ukraine 4)

Ukraine secured their place in the Olympic Qualifiers with this win over Italy. It was a lively game- Italy taking the lead early but Ukraine responding two minutes later. Through a field goal in the second quarter Ukraine led going into the break. Two goals from Davide Arosio looked to have given the win to Italy, but they could only enjoy it for a minute before Maksym Onofriiuk sent the game to shoutout.

Goalscorers
Italy- MONDO Manuel, AROSIO Davide (2)
Ukraine- PAZIUK Viacheslav, KOSHELENKO Andrii, ONOFRIIUK Maksym

Goalscorers Shootout
Italy- KEENAN Thomas, BROCCO Claudio, AMOROSINI Mattia
Ukraine- ONOFRIIUK Maksym, SHEVCHUK Vitalii, KOVALENKO Bohdan, KOSHELENKO Andrii

 Semi-Final 2

Ireland 4 Scotland 1

Hosts Ireland secured their place in both the final and the Olympic Qualifiers with this comprehensive win over Scotland.

The game was close and scoreless going into halftime, but two in the third and two in the final quarter sealed it. Alan Forsyth got Scotland on the scoreboard two minutes to the end.

Goalscorers
Ireland – DUNCAN Jeremy, JOHNSON Ben, COLE Lee (2)
Scotland- FORSYTH Alan

 

Men’s EuroHockey Championship III (Skierniewice, Poland)

Lithuania 8 Serbia 2

A lively game and a comfortable win for Lithuania. Serbia will be pleased with their performance though, and scored their first goals of the event here.

Goalscorers
Lithuania -BALBATUNOVAS Ignas (2), SINKEVIČIUS Povilas (2), ALEKNAVIČIUS Laimonas, POCEVICIUS Mantvydas, RIDLAUSKAS Arnas, STANKEVIČ Rafal
Serbia- LOSONCI Adam, MARJANUŠIĆ Darko

 Malta 2 Croatia 5

Malta defended well for the first quarter, maintaining the same spread and keeping their opponents out. However Croatia proved too strong, and a flurry of goals in the third quarter secured the win.

Goalscorers
Malta – CHIRCOP Karl, CALLEJA Keith
Croatia – KRAJINOVIĆ David, ĆAĆIĆ Marko, FUJS Gregor, SLUGA Noa, MESARIĆ Luka

 Gibraltar 0 Poland 6

A big home crowd saw Poland secure a comfortable win in the last game of the day. Gibraltar had some moments to score in the first half, but failed to convert. Poland were much more clinical, upping the energy after the first quarter and taking their chances.

Goalscorers
Poland – RUTKOWSKI Wojciech (4), BEMBENEK Eryk, MAŁECKI Dominik

 

Women’s EuroHockey Championship III (Zagreb, Croatia)

After Match Day 3 here in Zagreb, Türkiye and Switzerland top the Pool and will meet in tomorrow’s final.

Türkiye 6 Gibraltar 0

A hattrick from Fatma Songül Gültekin helped Türkiye to a comfortable win against Gibraltar.

Goalscorers
Türkiye- GÜLTEKIN Fatma Songül (3), TAŞKIRAN İlayda, KENDIR Zeliha, PAKSOY Gülcan

Croatia 0 Switzerland 0

Maintaining this draw secured Switzerland’s position above Croatia in the standings, sending them to the final.



The post Ukraine and Ireland secure Olympic Qualifier places, Serbia up their game in Skierniewice, Türkiye and Switzerland advance to final appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

 

EuroHockey mourns the death of Aoife Langan (Dublin, Ireland/ Ghent, Belgium).

We send our deep condolences to all Aoife’s loved ones.

Aoife was the loving partner of Irish hockey player Luke Madeley, son of our EHF Communications Manager Siobhán Madeley.

The EHF Board and Staff join Luke, his family, and Aoife’s familes, in mourning the loss.

Paying tribute to Aoife, Marijke Fleuren said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of Aoife’s passing after such a tragic accident. Our heart goes out to her parents Martin and Sandra and to her families. We offer our deepest sympathies to Aoife’s partner Luke, our colleague Siobhán and to his brother Shane. We wish them strength for now and for a long time after”.

Angus Kirkland said: “We offer our full support to our colleague and her family, and hope they know our thoughts are with them in this terrible time”.

A minute’s silence in respect of Aoife was held ahead of the Ireland v Ukraine match at the EuroHockey Championship II.

EuroHockey wants to thank La Gantoise HC for the incredible support they have given to the families.

The post EuroHockey mourns the passing of Aoife Langan appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

The EuroHockey roadshow moves to Prague on Sunday for the women’s Championship II where eight teams will be looking for glory.

There are two Olympic qualifier tickets on offer for the best two placed sides other than France (already qualified as Paris 2024 hosts) and Wales who come under the Great Britain banner for Olympic consideration.

Pool A features the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine while Pool B has Austria, France, Lithuania and Wales with the top two advancing to the semi-finals.

** All games from the event in Prague will be live-streamed on www.eurohockeytv.org

Women’s EuroHockey Championship II (Prague, Czech Republic)

Pool A

Czech Republic (WR: 23)

Hosts Czech Republic come into the competition as the highest ranked side on the world list but know how tough the tournament is having finished in sixth place in Prague in 2021.

It is something of a new era for the side with Tereza Mejzlíková, Jindriška Neusser and Veronika Nováková retiring from the national team after long stints. It is a side with plenty of rising talent with Kamila Kopecká, Katerina Topinkova, Natalie Hajková and Lucie Ducková part of their excellent Under-21 indoor side that won Euro silver in January.

Czech Republic celebrate a goal in Dublin last year. Picture: Evan Treacy/World Sport Pics

Katerina Lacina, Adela Lehovcova and goalkeeper Barbora Ćecháková bring the experience. They qualified as second placed finishers in 2022’s qualifiers with wins over Poland and Türkiye.

Their preparations hit a stumbling block when their luggage was en route to Scotland for a series where they lost their one capped match of 2023 4-0.

Poland (WR: 27)

Fresh from their excellent silver medal at the Hockey5s, many of Norbert Nederlof’s charges have already had an excellent summer. Marlena Rybacha is one of the team’s leading lights having helped Tilburg enjoy a fine season in the Dutch Hoofdklasse while Amelia Katerla plays in the second Dutch tier with MOP.

There is also a quintet of German-based players while four of the panel comes from national champions KS Hokej Start Brzeziny. Maria Drozda steps up from the Under-18 side who she captained to the Championship II in Swansea a couple of weeks ago.

They finished in third place in both 2019 and 2021 before finishing in third place in their qualifier last summer in Dublin, losing to group rivals Czech Republic 1-0. 

Poland’s Marlena Rybacha. Picture: Evan Treacy/World Sport Pics

Slovakia (WR: 63)

Slovakia come into the competition as the lowest ranked side at 63rd on the FIH list but are looking forward to their first shot at competing in Championship II.

Previously, their best outing was a third place in the third division which occurred at this same venue in 2005 while they were in sixth place in 2021 and fifth in 2019.

They qualified when they edged out Croatia to claim third place last summer in Durham. They will look to the likes of Dominika Chebenova and captain Natalia Fondrkova to lead their challenge. 

Slovakia. Picture: Will Palmer/World Sport Pics

Ukraine (WR: 28)

Ukraine are back in Championship II after a four-year break having won Championship III in Lipovci two years ago. Before that, they gravitated between fifth and eighth in the second division between 2009 and 2019. 

This year, though, they can build on an upbeat time within the hockey field and courts – in contrast to away from it – notably with a European bronze medal indoors in Hamburg last December and then again this summer in the Hockey5s in Walcz to qualify for the World Cup.

They qualified courtesy of a strong 3-0 win over Lithuania a year ago with Karyna Leonova, Oksana Ponomarenko and the vastly experienced Yevheniia Moroz scoring. They pushed top-tier bound Italy to the limit in the final of their qualifiers, falling 1-0.

Ukraine. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics

Pool B

Austria (WR: 31)

Austria will hope to push toward the semi-final spots again having done so in 2019 when they ended in fourth place, coming in between a run of three seventh placed finishes in 2015, 2017 and 2021.

It is a largely homebased side with several players from WAC while Katharina Bauer (Harvestehuder THC) and Fiona Felber (Mannheimer HC) play in the German leagues. There are 11 players in the panel that reached the indoor World Cup final earlier this year while Katharina Proksch captained Austria’s Under-18s two weeks ago in Krefeld in their debut in the top division.

The competition will be Corinna Zerbs last one as head coach as she will move on to work with the German federation in August. 

Austria. Picture: Rodrigo Jaramillo/World Sport Pics

France (WR: 26)

With a place at the Paris Olympics assured, the French side can use this competition to help develop their credentials which appear to be on the rise.

France shone last week with two wins over top tier Scotland during which Yohanna Lhopital, Marie Simon and Delfina Gaspari all made their 50th international appearances. Philippine Delemazure stepped up from her starring role with the Under-18s to score twice in a 4-2 victory. 

Prior to that, they were also highly competitive against Japan. The side has a breadth of experience with players in the Dutch, German, Belgian and Spanish leagues in their panel. They were second two years ago in Prague and will hope to be in the mix for gold again.

France captain Emma Ponthieu last summer. Pic: Rodrigo Jaramillo/World Sport Pics

Lithuania (WR: 58)

Lithuania come into the competition in search of their first win on the international stage for the first time since 2019 following a couple of tricky years. Their third place finish in Vilnius last year in the qualifiers, though, was enough to get a place in Championship II.

The side is led by captain Donata Grigiene and they face a number of rematches from the 2021 competition where they met Austria and the Czech Republic, both of whom are group stage rivals this time around.

Lithuania. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics

Wales (WR: 24)

Wales are facing into the competition off the back of a Tri-Nations Series in Uruguay and will certainly be looking to build upon those performances in Prague. Sarah Jones and Izzie Howell have recently been appointed Vice-Captains of the squad, supporting Captain Beth Bingham.

Bethan Thomas is selected in her first major senior tournament since receiving her 1st cap in June in Uruguay. Izzie Howell – who plays in Germany with Zehlendorfer Wespen – and Izzy Webb are both in line to receive their 50th cap for Wales during the Euros. The squad consists of 12 members who competed at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Head Coach Kevin Johnson said: “I’m really looking forward to seeing this team perform in Prague at the Euros. The selected group has a decent balance to it in a number of different ways and is capable of producing moments of high quality so we need to make sure we get off to a positive start and then remain consistent with our approach and execution in our bid for success.”

Welsh coach Kevin Johnson. Pic: Will Palmer/World Sport Pics

The post Prague the next stop on EuroHockey Championship roadshow for women’s second tier appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

Ireland became the first side to advance to the semi-finals in the men’s Championship II in Dublin with a second big win while Gibraltar, Croatia and Poland all have perfect records in Skierniewice.

In Zagreb, Gibraltar created history when they played their first women’s international match; they were undone by Switzerland whose 4-0 win was matched by Türkiye’s win over hosts Croatia.

Men’s EuroHockey Championship II (Dublin, Ireland)

Pool A

Czech Republic 4 Portugal 3

Lukas Plóchy scored a 58th minute winner to ignite the Czech Republic’s chances of reaching the semi-finals, winning a cracker against Portugal.

Rodrigo Castro had Portugal in front in Q1 before the towering Ondrej Hes equalised in the second quarter. The Czechs took the lead for the first time in the second half through Jakub Klaban amid a helter-skelter phase.

Vasco Ribeiro equalised at 2-2 but Plóchy made it 3-2 within a couple of minutes. Tiago Ventosa levelled for a third time with the game’s fourth goal in an 11-minute spell but Plóchy eventually settled it.

Ukraine 0 Ireland 7

Ireland confirmed their semi-final spot as their set piece power earned them a second comfortable win of the week. Penalty corner strikes from Shane O’Donoghue and Lee Cole made it 2-0 at half-time and the same pair scored in Q3, the former from a corner, the latter from a stroke, for a 4-0 advantage.

They added three more in the last four minutes to strengthen their place at the top of the table, Ben Walker, Conor Empey and another Cole stroke making it seven. They are now three points clear of the Czechs and Ukraine who meet on Wednesday.

 

Men’s EuroHockey Championship III (Skierniewice, Poland)

Gibraltar 7 Lithuania 2

Gibraltar became the first side to make it six points from the first two days of the competition as they had too much in the tank for Lithuania. Julian Lopez scored from a stroke in the second minute; Lithuania levelled from a corner deflection goal via Algirdas Jackevicius but Gibraltar never looked back once they hit the front again before the end of the first quarter from Julian Hernandez’s close range goal.

A lovely Ethan Balban first-time goal stretched the lead to 3-1 and Joseph Caetano slapped in a fourth in the third quarter. Craig Bossano-Anes got the fifth after a flowing team move. Arnas Ridlauskas got one back but one more from Hernandez and Caetano closed out the win.

Serbia 0 Croatia 7

Croatia are up to two wins from two thanks to their seven goal win over neighbours Serbia. Teenager Noa Sluga set the ball rolling before Josip Krleža took over with four goals in four minutes in the second quarter including a delicious behind-the-back tap and a reverse-stick rocket.

Gregor Fujs added two more in the second half to continue their confident start to the tournament.

Poland 6 Malta 0

Poland made it two big wins from two as they got the best of Malta. Eryk Bembenek emphatically hit the top of the net in the 15th minute and they were 2-0 up from a Jacek Kurowski corner before half-time.

Mateusz Nowakowski weaved a gap down the left baseline for the third in the second half and they finished with a flourish with Bembenek adding two more either side of a Robert Pawlak goal.

Croatia and Poland put their 100% records to the test on Wednesday on day three of the competition while Gibraltar meet Serbia and Lithuania face Malta.

Women’s EuroHockey Championship III (Zagreb, Croatia)

Switzerland 4 Gibraltar 0

Switzerland showed their know-how to get the win on what was an historic day for Gibraltar, playing in their first ever women’s international fixture. They were under pressure from the start but defended well until Nathanja Verburg broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute when she followed up an initial block.

And the Swiss picked up the pieces again in the first 45 seconds of the second half from a loose clearance, Sarah Zepf cashing in. Sofie Stomps got the third from a swift right-wing attack and Nadine Pfister completed the win.

Türkiye 4 Croatia 0

Türkiye began their competition in upbeat mood with a 4-0 win over hosts Croatia to share top spot after day one in Zagreb. Corner injector Tugçe Sahiner started it off in the third minute before a run of three goals in four minutes before the end of the third quarter settled matters.

A driving run from Perihan Çinar set up Zeliha Kendir for a great goal to start that run. Fatma Songül Gültekin roofed the next on the dive and, from the next attack, Çinar was on the end of a smooth move.

The Turks meet Switzerland on day two in a battle to see who will take top spot at this early stage of the competition and put themselves in pole position for a top-two spot.

 



The post Gibraltar make international debut in Zagreb as Ireland shine in Dublin and three sides are 100% in Poland appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

Men’s EuroHockey Championship II (Dublin, Ireland)

Pool C

Czech 7 Türkiye 1

Czech finished the event in Dublin with a dominant display to secure the top place in Pool C. Lukas Plochy was in flying form, with a goal in every quarter to help his team to the easy win.

Goalscorers
Czech-  TOMEŠ Denis, PLOCHÝ Lukas (4), UHLÍŘ Adam (2)
Türkiye- EKINCI Müslüm

 

Switzerland 4 Portugal 6

It was goals aplenty in this second Pool C game, with Portugal converting more of their chances to seal the victory.

Goalscorers
Switzerland-HUG Yannick, STOMPS Boris (2), HENGARTNER Lukas
Portugal-FRANCO David (2), CASTRO Rodrigo (2), CARAMALHO Afonso, FOURIE Aidan

 

3/4th playoff

Italy 1 Scotland 4

Italy got the better start to this bronze medal game, with Davide Arosio giving his team the narrow lead going into half time. Scotland found their feet after the break to see the game out comfortably.

Goalscorers
Italy- AROSIO Davide
Scotland- MORAN Fraser, GOLDEN Jamie (2), LOCHRIN Andrew

Final

Ukraine 2 Ireland 5

Reaching the final meant an Olympic Qualifier spot was already secure for both teams, though there was no drop in intensity from either team in this match.

Ireland got the better start through Shane O Donoghue, but Paziuk and Boiko made it 2-1 to see out the first quarter. Four in quick succession from Ireland (including 2 in 2 minutes from Captain Seán Murray) sealed the win for the Irish.

Goalscorers
Ukraine- PAZIUK Viacheslav, BOIKO Oleksandr
Ireland- O’DONOGHUE Shane, MURRAY Sean (2), WALKER Benjamin, COLE Lee

 

Final Standing:

1. Ireland
2. Ukraine
3. Scotland
4. Italy
5. Czech Republic
6. Switzerland
7. Portugal
8. Türkiye

Top Scorer: Lee Cole (IRL)
Best Goalkeeper: David Harte (IRL)
Best Player: Sean Murray (IRL)

Men’s EuroHockey Championship III (Skierniewice, Poland)

Malta 8 Serbia 0

A high-scoring game to start the day in Skierniewice as Malta aimed to finish above Lithuania in the standings. It was sufficient in the end, as Lithuania’s scoreless result against Poland meant Malta place above them on goal difference.

Goalscorers
Malta-DEGIOVANNI Tom (3), CALLEJA Keith, AGIUS Christ, DEGIOVANNI Zak, BAJADA Luke, ZAHRA Julian

 

Croatia 6 Gibraltar 1

A high-intensity game as this was essentially to decide second place (unless there was a surprise loss for Poland later in the day). Gibraltar got the better start but couldn’t hold out against a stronger Croatian side.

Goalscorers
Gibraltar- HERNANDEZ Julian
Croatia- KRLEŽA Josip (2), FUJS Gregor, GRGUREV Ivan, ĆAĆIĆ Marko, ZLATAR Fran

 

Poland 4 Lithuania 0

A great finish from Poland to see out the event and secure top spot. Lithuania will be pleased at their strong showing against the tournament’s dominant side- indeed this was the closest scoreline an opponent of Poland managed.

Goalscorers
Poland- RUTKOWSKI Wojciech, MAŁECKI Dominik, PAWLAK Robert,  BEMBENEK Eryk

 

Final standing:

1. Poland
2. Croatia
3. Gibraltar
4. Malta
5. Lithuania
6. Serbia

Top scorer: Eryk Bembenek (POL)
Best Goalkeeper: Joseph Borg (GIB)
Best Player: Mateusz Nowakowski (POL)

Women’s EuroHockey Championship III (Zagreb, Croatia)

Croatia 1 Gibraltar 2

A fantastic result in Zagreb for Gibraltar- a bronze medal and their first-ever win. First-half goals from Reighann Olivero and Tara Bossano-Annes put them in front and Gibraltar held on to get the medal.

Goalscorers
Croatia- ČEPO Lucija
Gibraltar- OLIVERO Reighann, BOSSANO-ANNES Tara

 

Türkiye 3 Switzerland 1

The final in Zagreb was close-fought, with Türkiye in front through tournament topscorer Fatma Songül GÜLTEKIN Fatma Songül. The leaders pulled away in the final minutes, with two more to see it out. Sarah ZEPF pulled one back in the final minutes for the Swiss, but it could only be a consolation.

Goalscorers
Türkiye- GÜLTEKIN Fatma Songül (2), ÇINAR Perihan
Switzerland- ZEPF Sarah

 

Final standing:

1. Türkiye
2. Switzerland
3. Gibraltar
4. Croatia

Top scorer: GÜLTEKIN Fatma Songül (TUR)



The post Gold for Ireland, Türkiye and Poland at the EHC II and III appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

The EuroHockey Digital Transformation project, which is co-funded by the European Union, held a full partner meeting at the head office of digital partners Skylark Creative in Shoreditch in London, England last week.

EuroHockey staff were present and – together with member national associations from Poland, France and Czech Republic – reviewed the past six months of work across the digital product.

They analysed the new portal that is being built for all member nations to communicate and work with EuroHockey in the future.

An important element included Skylark’s Creative and Technical Directors showcasing new design work, supported by CZYK Design, which will support all the new digital transformations which will make EuroHockey more fluid across each department and will improve the communications between its members.

On the 17th August at the EuroHockey General Assembly, member nations present will be the first to be shown the next dynamic and bold steps the organisation is taking, with the final parts released up to June 2024.

“The momentum is building and I can’t wait to show our members what we have been working on. A massive thanks to all the partners for a exciting meeting, with lots of positivity on show,” said Tom Pedersen-Smith, Head of National Associations.

The post EuroHockey Digital Transformation project holds full partner meeting appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

Italy picked up a big win in Dublin over Scotland to make it two wins from two while Switzerland got off the mark in men’s championship II.

In Skierniewice, there were opening wins for Croatia, Gibraltar and Poland on the first day in Championship III.

Men’s EuroHockey Championship II (Dublin Ireland)
Pool B
Switzerland 5 Türkiye 2
Switzerland got off the mark as they battle back twice to overcome Türkiye 5-2 and move up to three points.

Türkiye went in front in Q2 from a Müslüm Ekinci stroke after a long overhead wreaked havoc; Mika Conrad made it 1-1 at half-time when a defensive error opened the door and he swept home a rebound off goalkeeper Mehmet Ceyhan.

Omer Karakus smashed in another just after half-time after an innovative through the legs pass; Loris Grandchamp equalised from a low corner drag for 2-2. He repeated the trick in the 43rd minute to put the Swiss in front for the first time and Sandro Reinhard added a fourth when a set piece broke his way at the injector’s spot. Yannick Hug got the fifth with the last play of the game.

Italy 3 Scotland 2
Italy made it two wins from two as they added to their opening win over Türkiye to beat Scotland 3-2. For a second successive game, Italy took the lead inside 45 seconds, Francois Sior robbing the ball and setting up Davide Giuliani for 1-0. Jamie Golden levelled from a corner rocket from a clever change of angle at the top of the D.

Kyle White put Scotland in front in the first minute of the second half with a brilliant reverse-stick shot but it was level once again in the 37th minute. Juan Munafo’ picked up a half-cleared ball which he fired into the danger zone for Davide Arosio to touch in.

And Thomas Keenan won it with a vicious corner drive that broke through the Scottish defences for 3-2.

Men’s EuroHockey Championship III (Skierniewice, Poland)
Croatia 3 Lithuania 1
Croatia came back from a goal down to start their tournament on the right note. Arnas Ridlauskas calmly flicked the ball home in the 14th minute before the Croats fought back with Josip Jazbec’s drag-flick equalising before half-time.

And the game was decided in the 37th minute when Croatia scored twice with captain Filip Žlimen putting his side in front and, within seconds, Gergor Fujs added another corner goal.

Gibraltar 3 Malta 2
Gibraltar held off a final quarter comeback from Malta to win their opening tie in Poland in a 3-2 result having led 3-0 at one stage. Craig Bossano-Ames’s sharp rebound from a corner put his side in front and then captain Julian Lopez’s direct corner shot made it two at half-time.

A deflection from Ethan Balban put Gibraltar seemingly in the clear but Malta fought back and were on the board in the 50th minute when Zak Degiovanni cleaned up a chance. Silas Plaehn got another back late on when he slid onto a great run and pass from Luke Bajada but they ran out of time to snatch a draw.

Poland 23 Serbia 0
Poland proved far too strong for an inexperienced Serbia; Gracjan Jarzyński scored eight times in the win.

The post Switzerland off mark in Dublin as Skierniewice gets up and running appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

The senior EuroHockey Championship summer got under way in Dublin with the men’s second tier seeing Ukraine, Ireland, Italy and Scotland all winning well. Here’s a round-up of the action:

Men’s EuroHockey Championship II (Dublin Ireland)

Pool A

Ukraine 6 Portugal 3

Three Andrii Koshelenko strokes underpinned a lively 6-3 win for Ukraine over Portugal to get them started in great style. Koshelenko’s first of four goals in the game was from a corner before his first stroke made it 2-0.

Bohdan Kovalenko extended the lead to three before Portugal fought back via José Santos and Vasco Ribeiro, reducing it to 3-2 but Maksym Onofriiuk put daylight between the sides at half-time and Koshelenko’s second stroke stretched out a 5-2 lead.

David Franco replied once again but Koshelenko’s third stroke and fourth goal completed the victory.

Ireland 9 Czech Republic 0

The hosts served notice of their intent with a comprehensive 9-0 win over the Czech Republic with six different goalscorers.

After a scoreless first quarter, captain Sean Murray finished off a great team move to get the ball rolling. Ben Walker cracked in a reverse for the second and then Murray added one more before half-time.

John McKee and Jeremy Duncan also weighed in before two set piece goals from Lee Cole extended the lead. McKee and Ben Johnson completed the rout.

Pool B

Italy 4 Türkiye 0

Italy got the tournament up and running with a comfortable 4-0 win over Türkiye. It took just 19 seconds for them to register a goal as they profited from some loose passing in the teeming rain to set up Francois Sior for 1-0.

Juan Munafo’s spectacular deflection made it 2-0 just before half-time and then Felix Dionisi Vici stretched the lead to three with a cool finish after a long overhead into the circle. Manuel Mondo’s corner added the confidence of a good result.

Scotland 3 Switzerland 0

The new look Scotland fielded five debutants and got off to a great start with one of those newcomers, Keir Robb, scoring amid a scramble for 1-0, 16 minutes after he made his entrance into the game.

And they had a healthy half-time lead with a brilliant counter goal. Turning over possession, an overhead pass found Alan Forsyth through on goal – the striker selflessly laid off for Jamie Golden to sweep home. Struan Walker got the third in the third quarter.

** All games are being broadcast on www.eurohockeytv.org

The post Ukraine, Ireland, Italy and Scotland off to strong start in Dublin appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

Zagreb is set to host European competition for the second time in as many weeks with four teams battling it out for the EuroHockey Championship III title.

It will have a piece of history attached with Gibraltar playing in a women’s Euros for the first time, going up against the hosts, Switzerland and Türkiye. They will play an initial round-robin group before the top two go into the final and the bottom two contest the bronze match.

Below is a look at the teams in action.

** All games will be broadcast on www.eurohockeytv.org

EuroHockey Championship III Women

Croatia (WR: 45)

Croatia come into the competition off the back of two wins over Hungary with goals spread between Dora Jelcic, Lucija Nizek, Martina Petretić, Ana Čolić and Lucija Čepo.

Čepo was in outstanding form for HAHK Mladost in club action, top scoring with eight goals in Porto in the Club Challenge III.

Croatia. Picture: Will Palmer/World Sport Pics

16-year-old goalkeeper Tea Andrčić was one of the stars of the Under-21 EuroHockey Indoor Championship in January and she is growing in experience and shares the pad-duties with Nicole Stėpić. 

Their wider of panel of 20 players had eight teenagers in it, a number of whom were in action last week in the Under-18 championships. 

A top three finish would mark their best ever finish in EuroHockey Championship action having finished fourth at this level in 2005, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021.

Gibraltar (no ranking)

Gibraltar will make history when they hit the turf on Tuesday to take on Switzerland as they play in their first ever women’s fixtures in the EuroHockey Championships with every player making their debut for the country.

It is a side with a youthful profile with 15-year-old Ella Byrne the youngest of three teenagers in their line-up and 15 players 25 or younger. Alison Jessen captains the side.

The side is coached by Christian Zammit who also coached Europa in the Club Challenge III in June and he has Eva Silva, Ashley Garcia, Cara Macleod, Lorena Garcia, Emma and Louise Flower, Alexandra Casciaro and Nadya Riley from that side to call on for this competition.

Switzerland (WR: 44)

While the Swiss side have not played a senior outdoor international in 2023, it has still been a busy year on the international circuit for many of their players with a strong portion of their Hockey5s panel who finished fourth two weeks ago back again.

The likes of new Kampong signing Sofie Stomps (moving from UHC Hamburg), Carina Zimmerman, Sarah Zepf and Ursina Fazis are included in their long list from that event in Walcz. Under-21 rising stars like Paulina Appel, Charlene Heselhaus and Nele Pöhler.

Switzerland have been in the top three of this competition for the past three editons, taking silver in both 2017 and 2021, beating Croatia 4-0 and Türkiye 2-1 in the latter run. 

Switzerland. Picture: Rodrigo Jaramillo/World Sport Pics

Türkiye (WR: 36)

Türkiye are the highest ranked side and, perhaps, the most experienced of the line-ups in Zagreb and keen to emulate their gold medal from the last time they visited Croatia in 2017 for a Championship III tournament.

Perihan Çinar captains the side, as she does in both indoors and Hockey5s as well. She was the top scorer in the latter format in Walcz a fortnight ago with 22 goals in six games. Along with defender Sinem Yalçin, the strong running Fatma Songül Gültekin, they have a number of strong performers keen to make their mark.

They got the best of Croatia in three previous meetings on this stage but did fall to the Swiss two years ago in Lipovci. 

Türkiye. Picture: Ryan Treacy/World Sport Pics

The post Gibraltar set to make history in Zagreb for women’s Championship III appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

Poland is ready to host another event in a busy summer with Skierniewice the venue for the men’s EuroHockey Championship III following hot on the heels of the women’s Hockey5s in Walcz.

The event features six teams with the hosts facing Gibraltar, Croatia, Lithuania and Serbia in a single, round-robin group which gets under way on Monday.

Here’s the background on this week’s teams.

** All games will be shown live on www.eurohockeytv.org

Poland (WR: 28)

Hosts Poland are competing in the third tier for the first time and, based on world rankings and prior events, will be one of the main challengers having finished fourth in the second tier in both 2019 and 2021 in Gniezno.

The squad features a quarter from WKS Grunwald Poznan and the Wojciech Rutkowski and Marcin Szczęsny from new national champions KS Pomorzanin Torun. 

Poland’s Tomasz Bembenek. Picture: Rodrigo Jaramillo/World Sport Pics

Otherwise, they have a smattering of players based elsewhere. There is a trio from Belgian club Pingouin – Jakub Chucmencxuk, Tomasz and Eryk Bembenek – while Robert Pawlak is with Indiana. In Germany, Jacek Kurowski is with TSV Mannheim and Maksymilian Koperski plays for GTHGC Hamburg.

Recently, they have shown up well to beat second tier sides Ukraine 3-2 and the Czech Republic 1-0

Gibraltar (WR: 50)

Gibraltar return to European Championship III action having and will be looking to emulate their run to the semi-finals in 2019 when they edged out Portugal in a shoot-out for bronze in the end.

The side is much changed since then; indeed, there is a changing of the guard from their 2022 qualifiers campaign in Scotland and they have a side with a range of experiences with four teenagers in the line-up while 49-year-old Adrian Bado is also included. 

Julian Lopez captains the side and will be a key man in front of goal; he has scored 14 times in 21 internationals while Kayron Stagno, Julian Hernandez and goalkeeper Joseph Borg are the experienced heads in the side.

Gibraltar’s Julian Lopez. Picture: Ady Kerry/World Sport Pics

Croatia (WR: 53)

Croatia will be looking to repeat their 2019 heroics when they landed gold in Championship III in Gibraltar when they got the best of Switzerland in the final. 

In preparation, they won a tri-nations series with a 3-2 victory over Hungary and a 7-3 success against this week’s rivals Serbia. Josip Krleža was among the goals with a hat trick against the Hungarians while Josip Jazbec and Mario Illinović got two each against the Serbs. 

In last year’s qualifiers, they were more than competitive against the likes of Ukraine and Italy while their club sides HAHK Mladost (third in Trophy II) and SK Zelina (third in Challenge I) doing well in their European club competitions to give them confidence for the week ahead.

Croatia. Picture: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics

Lithuania (70)

Lithuania are playing their first capped matches since last summer when they had a tough time in their qualifiers in Calais, falling to France, Ireland and Türkiye. In 2021, they ended in sixth place in Lousada in Championships III.

Their wider panel does have plenty of young guns in it, including a quartet of those who lined out for the Under-18s in Wales last week. Algirda Jackevicius and Matvydas Pocevicius are experienced heads in the squad.

They meet Malta for the sixth time in eight years, winning four of those encountered but they did fall 1-0 the last time they played in 2021. 

Lithuania Picture: Stanislas Brochier/World Sport Pics

Malta (WR: 73)

Malta will be competing in Championship III for the fourth successive edition having ended in fifth in 2017, eighth in 2019 and seventh in 2021. They will be coached this time by the recently appointed head coach Chris Attard who was assistant in 2019 and 2021.

They will look to the experience of English-based Tom Degiovanni and his brother Zak along with Shaun Grima and captain Joseph Cuschieiri who are all playing in their fifth European competition.

These fixtures will be their first on the international stage since 2021 but their club sides Qormi Daikin (winners in Challenge III) and Sliema Hostsicks (third in Challenge II) did enjoy strong European club campaigns. 

Malta in 2021 in Portugal

Serbia (WR: 94)

Serbia are taking part in just their second ever European competition outdoors with the previous being a third place in Championship IV in 2007 in Predanovci. As such, it is uncharted territory for the squad who have played just four international fixtures in the past few years.

The first couple in June 2022 against Croatia and Hungary while last month they played the same opposition in Zagreb to help their preparations. 

The team is captained by Michae Dorgan who is a dual cricket and hockey international for his adopted country having grown up in South Africa. At 94th, they are the third lowest ranked side in the FIH rankings but a couple of wins could soon see them move up the list.

Serbia

The post Poland welcomes men’s EuroHockey Championship III from Monday appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

The 2024 EuroHockey U21 Championships (Men and Women) will take place on the following dates at the venues stated. Participating nations have qualified for each division based on their final ranking from the 2022 competition.

The format change now means that there is no U21 Championship II with 8 teams and a U21 Championship III with the remaining teams anymore.

These 2 events are combined into a U21 Championship II-A and II-B which are played at the same level. From both events, the winner will be promoted to the 2026 U21 Championships.

Men’s U21 Championship

Teams: BEL, ENG, ESP, FRA, GER, IRL, NED, TUR

Venue: Terrassa (ESP)

Dates: 14-20 July 2024

Men’s U21 Championship II-A

Teams: AUT, POL, ITA, RUS*, LTU, BLR*, LUX (*both RUS & BLR are excluded for the foreseeable future)

Venue: Walcz (POL)

Dates: 14-20 July 2024

Men’s U21 Championship II-B

Teams: SCO, WAL, CZE, SUI, UKR, FIN, SVK

Venue: Cardiff (WAL)

Dates: 14-20 July 2024

Women’s U21 Championship

Teams: AUT, BEL, ENG, ESP, FRA, GER, IRL, NED

Venue: Terrassa (ESP)

Dates: 14-20 July 2024

Women’s U21 Championship II-A

Teams: WAL, ITA, CZE, RUS*, BLR* (*both RUS & BLR are excluded for the foreseeable future)

Venue: Rakovnik (CZE)

Dates: 15-20 July 2024

** Venue changed from Prague to Rakovník

Women’s U21 Championship II-B

Teams: SCO, POL, UKR, TUR, LTU

Venue: Konya (TUR)

Dates: 15-20 July 2024

Notes:

In early 2024 the EHF will look to see if teams need to swap events as by then the withdrawal deadline has passed. We want fo to avoid (for example) having a 7-team and a 4-team event per gender when more teams from 1 event withdraw.

For the U21 Championships tournaments, the composition of the pools will be the responsibility of the EHF and will be based upon the World Ranking of the participants’ senior teams (at the moment the match schedules are prepared).

The withdrawal date for all tournaments in these competitions is 15 January 2024. Any National Association withdrawing after that date may be subject to a fine.

The age eligibility of players can be found here.

The post EuroHockey U21 Championships 2024 – UPDATED appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

Dublin’s National Sports Campus is the venue from Sunday, July 23rd to Saturday, July 29th for the men’s EuroHockey Championship II, offering a route to next January’s Olympic qualifiers for two sides.

It features eight nations playing two pools with the Irish hosts meeting Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Portugal in Pool A while Scotland, Italy, Switzerland and Türkiye compete in Pool B. 

The sides all qualified for the event by virtue of their positions in last summer’s four EuroHockey qualifier tournaments, finishing in either second or third place in those respective events.

The top two from each group will advance to the semi-finals and subsequent final and bronze medal matches while the bottom two go into Pool C which will determine the positions between fifth and eighth place.

High on the mind of most will be staking a claim for one of the two potential Olympic qualifier spots. Those will go to the two highest finishers other than Scotland. This is because, in an Olympic context, Scotland falls under the auspices of Great Britain. As such, should Scotland reach the final, the third place finisher will get the ticket to the qualifiers. 

Below, you can read a full team-by-team preview!

The Dublin event ushers in a month of continental international hockey on the continental stage. It starts on Saturday and runs until July 29th with men’s Championship III starting a day later in Skierniewice in Poland. 

On the women’s side, action begins on Monday in Zagreb for Championship III and then Prague is the venue for Championship II from July 30th to August 5th.

** All four events will be live-streamed on www.eurohockeytv.org. The stream from Dublin will cost €19.99 for an event pass or €8.99 per game. **

Pool A

Ireland (World ranked 13)

Hosts Ireland are the top ranked side coming into the competition and will be looking to make that advantage count as they pursue a potential Olympic qualifier spot. 

Two-time FIH World Goalkeeper of the Year David Harte returned to the side in June and played against Wales in his first international appearance for 1,355 days, dating back to October 2019 and he adds to a high class goalkeeping options. Jaime Carr has recently signed with Belgian champions Gantoise.

Shane O’Donoghue took a work-break for the European qualifiers last summer but returned in some style in December for the FIH Nations Cup where he scored five times, bringing his goalscoring tally to 113 for Ireland.

Ben Johnson is the one man to make his major tournament debut; he missed out last summer due to a knee injury sustained against Austria but the Waterford man gets his chance this time. 

Form of late has been strong, winning four of their last five fixtures: two against Wales, two against Austria, both of whom are playing in the top division this summer. 

Ireland, Picture: Adrian Boehm

Ukraine (WR: 31)

Ukraine will be looking to break into the top four for the first time, following a number of close run things in the past decade. They have been competing at this level for the past six editions of the competition, finishing fifth on three occasions and sixth on three occasions. 

They do have to make a late change with Oleksandr Solomianyi sustaining a broken collarbone in test matches in Prague. He will be replaced in the playing staff by Oleksandr Diachenko who was initially scheduled to manage the side.

Ukraine have been unable to play any capped matches in 2023 to date but they did play an uncapped fixture against group rivals Czech Republic which ended in a 5-4 defeat.

And there has been some success for their players this season; 14 of their wider panel played with national champions OKS SHVSM Vinnitsa. Dmytro Luppa won the Polish league with KS Pomorzanin Torun; Bohdan Kovalenko was instrumental in Post SV winning in Austria and Vitalii Kalinchuk won the Croatian title with HAHK Mladost.

Czech Republic (WR: 32)

A new look Czech Republic side will look to build their new identity following a number of injuries and retirements. Leading the new generation is Adam Uhlíř who also captained his club TJ Plzen Litice to a breakthrough league success this season.

Lukáš Plochý is the star man with 39 goals in 67 internationals – more than the rest of the current squad put together – while Štěpán Klaban will look to put what he has learned playing in the Netherlands with Klein Zwitserland into action here. He is among seven Under-21 players included. 

In the tournament build-up, the Czechs did lose three times to the USA in uncapped games and once to Poland but did finish on a high in an uncapped match, 5-4 against Ukraine.

Coach Miroslav Ludvík says the side is shaping up well despite slightly low-key results: “If I compare the current team with the one we had two years back in Lousada [in Championship III], it has definitely moved forward. 

“It is more hockey-like, more advanced, but we still need to work on efficiency in the shooting circle. That is something that has weighed on our hockey for the last few years. 

“It’s perhaps just a shame that we don’t have more competition in the team due to several injuries. Even so, the team is very interesting and we can look forward to what this young generation will bring us not only now, but also in the future.”

Portugal (WR: 42)

Portugal are competing in Championship II for just the third time having finished in seventh place in Lisbon in 2007 and eighth in 2017 in Glasgow. 

Their side features a quartet of players who shone in the EuroHockey Club Challenge I in Zelina, winning gold, while there is a smattering of experience from around the continent. David Franco and Rodrigo Castro aided Gladbacher’s promotion to the top division Germany.

Other players ply their trade in England, the Netherlands, Spain and Belgium. Among them, Canterbury’s Aidan Fourie is set to make his debut as is CF Benfica’s Cantiago Ferreira who will become the third 15-year-old ever to line out for Portugal.

In 2021, they ended up fourth in Championship III, missing out on the bronze at the hands of Türkiye in a shoot-out.

Portugal during last summer’s EuroHockey qualifiers. Picture: Rodrigo Jaramillo/World Sport Pics

 

Pool B

Scotland (WR: 20)

Scotland men build up to the tournament with confidence after recently enjoying a successful three-match uncapped series against Wales in Cardiff. The Scots won the final game of the series 4-1, after 0-0 and 3-3 draws. The matches saw a number of young players emerge into the squad, with five – Alistair Douglas, AJ Lochrin, Fraser Moran, Tommy Austin and James Drummond – set to earn their first caps in Dublin.

The side has a coaching setup who know the Irish scene well. Head Coach Jonny Caren was the assistant coach during the golden period for the Green Machine between 2013 and 2018 and he is assisted by ex-Irish international David Hobbs and John Bessell who also worked with Ireland before.

“The greater squad made my first selection for a major tournament a very difficult task,” Caren said of the event. “Everyone has been working hard, and pushing each other week-by-week, to bring the best out of this group.

“With five athletes receiving their first caps at the Europeans, this brings a fresh approach to the team that is also perfectly balanced with the experience of players such as Alan Forsyth, Lee Morton, Duncan Riddell and Tommy Alexander. The games against Wales showed that as a new group, when we connect well, we are hard to beat and exciting going forward.”

The tournament will be a poignant one for the Scottish Hockey family as the first event for the team since the passing of Alan’s father Derek, a long-time coach of the side and then being the High Performance Director. Alan is the team’s star turn with 90 goals in 206 matches between Scotland and GB fixtures.

Switzerland’s Loris Grandchamp and Scotland’s Struan Walker. Picture: Ady Kerry/World Sport Pics

Italy (WR: 26)

Italy are looking to make the breakthrough and finish in the top four of the competition following for the first time since this second tier competition was introduced. 

In Championship II, they finished in fifth place in 2005, 2019 and 2021 but they are coming into the competition in good form. Recently, they defeated Switzerland twice as well as USA and pushed top division side Austria close in a 3-1 defeat, too.

The side is coached by Gilles van Hesteren, another who knows Dublin reasonably well having coached both Genesis and Dublin University as well as the Leinster Under-21 women. He also coached Irish player Conor Empey at SCHC in the Netherlands.

His panel hails from a diverse range of clubs with eight of the panel based in Italy, six in Belgium, three in Spain and one in the Netherlands. The most experienced of them is Thomas Keenan who plays with San Sebastian in Spain and he will captain the side; he has 29 goals in his 70 caps.

Another to look out for is Francois Sior who will play with Oree in the Belgian league next season. Manuel Mondo has scored three times in his last four international outings.

Switzerland (WR: 36)

Switzerland will be looking to building on a number of positive performances in recent times to inspire their outdoor credentials

Of late, Switzerland has been shining in the short-forms of the game. In December, they reached the bronze medal match in the European indoors in Hamburg while they were in fourth in a Hockey5s showcase event in Lausanne. An Under-21 indoor silver in January added to the mood.

Eight of the side picked up Euro Hockey League experience this season with Rotweiss Wettingen with Jonas Winkler’s dazzling skills producing one of the goals of the KO16 last October. 

Boris Stomps has been the key man in recent preparation games, scoring three times in games this summer. He plays in the Dutch Hoofdklasse, moving this summer from Klein Zwitserland to HGC. He is joined in the panel by his younger brother Lars who was a key figure with their Under-21 indoor side who took silver in January in Nymburk.

Another Under-21 stars Loris Grandchamp and Yannick Hug are among a quartet who play in the German leagues. Warm-up games have been a mixed bag with two losses to Italy as well as a loss and a draw against the Czechs.

Türkiye (WR: 39)

Türkiye will play in the EuroHockey Championship II for the very first time having debuted in men’s competitions back in 2013. Since then, they have slowly risen through the rankings in Championship III, starting off seventh before a best ever finish in 2021 in Lousada of third.

That included a win over Malta, a draw with Belarus and a shoot-out victory over Portugal. Their issue since then, however, is a lack of international fixtures in comparison to their rivals.

They have yet to play a capped match in 2023 while they only had three games in 2022, all of them in Calais in the EuroHockey qualifiers where they suffered heavy defeats to Ireland and France either side of a win over Lithuania.

Nonetheless, club champions Nizip Zeugma provide eight players to their wider panel following an exceptional season in which they also won promotion from EuroHockey Club Challenge II. Omer Karakus is key for them and he captains his country while Müslüm Elagöz is a crucial striker for them.

Türkiye at last year’s EuroHockey qualifiers in Calais. Picture: Stanislas Brochier/World Sport Pics

 

The post Two Olympic qualifier spots on the line at men’s Championship II in Dublin appeared first on European Hockey Federation.