EuroHockey U18 Championship 2023 Girls – team by team preview
Pool A
Belgium
Belgium have been one of the strongest sides at this age group in recent years, making it to the final four for the last four editions and winning silver in 2018 in Santander.
The panel came together for the most part last summer in Terrassa at an eight-nations tournament with a follow-up selection camp for this campaign beginning in August 2022. They have since played two friend tournaments and then, since May, have followed a physical plan but also had to struggle with a stressful period of exams. They manage this time so well.
Belgium
Head coach Joy Jouret says the team motto is: “Courage and confidence are what decision making is all about”
The side features 16-year-old Louise van Hecke from Gantoise who is the youngest ever female to play in the Euro Hockey League. She played in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the famous club competition. There is also a pair of twins in the side: Lily and Zoe Damilot.
France
France won the second tier in Zurich in 2021 in the Covid-19 context and they will have six of the side who lined out in that competition returning for this year. They cite the main objective for them is to maintain their place in the top division for 2025.
They have competed in the top division in eight of the 11 previous editions with their best performance being a fourth place finish in 2013 in Dublin.
Axelle Wiart was part of the French Under-21 side last summer while they also have some experience from other environments with Maiwen Cadiou playing with Royal Léopold in Belgium and Béatrice Lovenich plays in Barcelona.
France
Germany (pictured above)
Home side Germany are the defending champions and looking to continue their superb record in the competition, taking a medal in 10 of the 11 editions of the competition, featuring three golds and seven silvers.
They impressed during a three-game series against France in June with a clean sweep of wins with Charlotte Hendrix among the goals, as was Carolin Seidel. They followed up with an unbeaten series against the Dutch, winning 2-1 and 3-2 in Duisburg and then beat England twice in Lilleshall
Coach Nicklas Benecke is keen not to draw too many conclusions from those ties, however, saying: “The Dutch women were missing several regular players in this measure because they were unable to play their games this weekend U18 state finals. So they will definitely be able to top it off in terms of quality at the European Championships. This is going to be exciting. I hope that we will meet them again in Krefeld, ideally in the European Championship final.
“I’m convinced we can put the performance on the pitch to beat anyone and on the other hand I don’t like playing a tournament just to reach the semifinals. Such tournaments are also there for Germany to win. Of course there are sometimes more and sometimes fewer chances, but in the end I definitely want to go this route.
“Since it’s my first European Championship at home, it’s also something special for me. We’ve already been to Spain and Ireland at the U18 European Championships. I’ve never been to Germany and I’m looking forward to it and it’s a nice change. I was all for it as soon as I heard about it and I thought it was great. I’m looking forward to a cool tournament in Krefeld, just like the girls.”
Ireland
The Irish side have been together since early February with the panel mostly made up of new players with only six girls from last year eligible at this age. It means a large group have come through from the U16 group and this year’s assessments.
At Easter, they travelled to the impressive Olympic facility in Walcz Poland for a three-match series against Poland, Poland HP and Austria. They followed up with games in Calais against Belgium, England, and the host country France. The girls have shown huge commitment to the program and have made great progress.
Ireland
Coach Rowland Rixon-Fuller said of those trips: “Our journey as a group has been one of learning and development. The build-up to the Europeans has given a broad panel of players exposure to international sport. This has allowed players to experience what the true commitment to high performance is. We aim to take the Europeans game by game and take no one for granted. We are excited to see what we can do at a major event.”
Of their panel, Sydney Weir McErlean’s brother is also part of the Under-20 Ireland rugby squad competing in South Africa. Milla Fulton plays in her first Europeans; her brother Jake is also part of the Irish Under-16 boys travelling to Granada. Both their parents are hockey Olympians with South Africa.
Scotland
Scotland have an exciting team who all have previous youth international experience with most also playing in the senior Premiership League. They have been in camp together for the last five weeks, training weekly and competing against the Scotland Under-21 side.
The preparation was slightly disrupted as the coaching team changed five weeks out from the competition but spirits are high as they approach the competition.
Head coach Kelly Fillingham says of the tournament: “We look forward to the opportunity ahead to take further steps in competing with the best youth hockey nations in Europe, our aim is to cement our place in the A division and bring our identity to the pitch during.
Scotland
“We have been working hard on our attacking and defensive identity and we are excited for that to be challenged during the games we have ahead. The squad are ready to get going and there is a lot of excitement to get over to Germany and into that first game against Belgium.”
This will be their first top tier campaign since 2015 in Santander; they won Championship II in 2018 but were not able to take up their spot in 2021 due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Pool B
Austria
Austria are playing with a mixed group of older and younger girls (ranging from 2005-2008). Some of the played 2021 in Zürich at the Under-19 Championship II where they earned promotion courtesy of their second place finish while there are also three girls who collected experiences with the Under-21 national team at the Junior World Cup in 2022 and the European Indoor Championship.
Chief among them is 17-year-old Katharina Proksch who won silver earlier this year at the Indoor World Cup and top scoring in the Under-21 indoors.
Austria
Captain Amelie Minar is another from the Junior World Cup and she says of the tournament: “We’re looking forward to playing against the best nations of Europe and representing our country for the first time in history as a girls Under-18 team from Austria.”
They started their prep in Türkiye in March with a training camp and have had further games in Poland, Vienna and Frankfurt but only recently have the full side in situ with some girls coming from Germany and the USA.
Head-coach Heinz Klausbruckner went to the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 with the Austrian Hockey5s team.
England
England have finished in third place for the past six editions that they have competed in, dating from 2009 to 2018 with the only break coming in 2021 when they were unable to travel due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Last week, they concluded their preparations with two close-run games against Germany, falling 4-2 and 4-3 in lively fixtures with Katie Alexander among the goals.
England
England U18 Head Coach, Lisa Letchford, reflected on the series: “It was disappointing that we allowed Germany to boss the early stages of the first game, and then allowed them to repeat the performance in match 2.
“Nevertheless, the girls showed real character by refusing to lie down, providing a robust response and demonstrating that they have the skills and character to compete well against very good teams. I was excited by some of the hockey we played and look forward to the challenges ahead in next week’s Euros.”
Netherlands
The Netherlands have won eight of the previous 11 editions of the Under-18 championship but will be looking to improve on their third place finish in 2021. That was the lowest finish for the side since the introduction of the tournament in 2002.
The side have had a short but good preparation due to national club championships and school exams and are ready and excited. Many played a European Six Nations tournament in Spain last summer.
Babs Reijnen played a full part for Den Bosch in their run to the Euro Hockey League title this season while her club mate Anouk Brouwer will captain the side.
Netherlands
Spain
Last time around, Spain produced their best ever performance with a silver medal in Valencia, winning their third European Under-18 medal after bronzes in 2002 and 2005.
There will be 11 different clubs represented in their line-up with CH Pozuelo in Madrid supplying a trio of representatives as will RS Tenis in Santander.
Spain
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Get your U18’s LIVESTREAM PASS HERE: https://www.eurohockeytv.org/en-int/page/event-pass-u18-championships
Girls’ match schedule here: https://eurohockey.altiusrt.com/competitions/317/matches
Boys’ match schedule here: https://eurohockey.altiusrt.com/competitions/316/matches
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