Ely & Chesterton United take the challenge to Europe’s best at Eurockey Cup Fem15
Ely & Chesterton United will be flying the flag for the country when they take part in the Eurockey Cup Fem15 in Spain this week.
The eight-strong team of girls, aged between 12 and 14, will head to Lloret de Mar, Catalonia to take on teams from Barcelona, Lisbon, Porto, Paris, Geneva and others in rink hockey.
The sport originated in England more than 100 years ago, but these days is most prominent in continental Europe and South America at a professional level.
It is a non-contact game and is fast-paced, played by two teams on
roller skates.
ECU has boys, girls, men and women of all ages playing the game, including in mixed gender teams, and it is the under-15s that will be taking part in the Eurockey Fem15 Cup, with the aim to promote values of friendship, respect and passion to youth players. It is an initiative of Eurockey.com and supported by the CERH, the Royal Spanish Roller Skating Federation and the Catalonia Roller Skating Federation.
ECU will be making their third appearance at the competition and will be represented by Farnham’s Dottie Thorogood, Fordham’s Sarah Figredo, Newmarket’s Scarlett Courtenay-Barrow, Cambridge’s Izzy Jansen, Gemma Cannizzo and Emily Bolt, King’s Lynn’s Nancy Rutty and Letchworth’s Lily Rose Chandler.
ECU head coach Luis Gomes said: “Eurockey Fem15 is a great experience for this group of girls, it is considered to be the ‘Champions League for Rink Hockey’ in the young categories.
“We are really happy and excited to participate. We will be the only English club participating in this competition which makes us feel very proud.
“Our main target is being competitive and do the best we can. Other nations/clubs are more experienced, professional and have better conditions than us but we had a good preparation and we are confident that we can surprise them.
“We have been training three times a week and we have also done fitness sessions, around eight hours a week of training, which is very good for the English rink hockey environment we are in.
“A huge thanks to all the parents and players for their commitment and passion for the club and the sport. Now it is time to get ready and play – let’s go ECU!”
Malak Nasir was captain of the ECU team at Fem17 and said: “Eurockey Fem17 2021 was a once-in-a-lifetime experience as the competitive hockey and atmosphere was unmatched. Playing with this team was an honour and I would do anything to do it
all again.”
ECU is one of the biggest rink hockey clubs in the country, with mixed boys and girls teams in all age groups from under-11 to under-20 in the youth section, and a team in the England Premier League.
They train at Ross Peers Sports Centre in Soham on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (under-15s and above), Netherhall Sports Centre in Cambridge on Thursdays (under-11s and under-13s) and Chesterton Sports Centre in Cambridge on Saturdays (beginners to under-13s).
For more information visit elyrsc.co.uk/hockey.html.
