The biggest prize in European club hockey will be decided in Barcelona, Spain this weekend, as the Pau Negre Stadium prepares to host Euro Hockey League’s (EHL) thrilling FINAL4 event on Saturday and Sunday (14-15 May 2016).
Dutch duo AH&BC Amsterdam and SV Kampong are joined in Barcelona by Germany’s Harvestehuder THC and Spain’s Atlantic Terrassa, with all four sides vying for the chance to be crowned as Europe’s best club team.
It is the first time that the EHL Finals tournament has taken place outside of the Netherlands, ensuring that the winner of this year’s event will hold a unique place in the competition's history.
Only one of the FINAL4 qualifiers has claimed the title before, with Harvestehuder lifting the iconic Alain Danet Trophy two years ago in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Germany superstar Tobias Hauke and Austrian goal machine Michael Körper are the star men in this hard-working side, the latter already scoring 11 goals in just four EHL games this season.
Harvestehuder’s semi-final opponents are KO16/KO8 hosts Amsterdam, who overcame tough challenges from Wimbledon and Real Club de Polo in the previous rounds.
Amsterdam have won EHL medals on three previous occasions but have never climbed to the top step of the podium and would dearly likely to break that duck. With Dutch internationals Mirco Pruyser, Valentin Verga and Billy Bakker in their side, they certainly have the kind of firepower needed to lift the EHL title.
The second FINAL4 battle pairs Atlètic Terrassa – who take on the label of home favourites – with Dutch side SV Kampong. Neither club have reached this phase of the competition before but both richly deserve their places on this elevated stage despite very different journeys.
In KO16, Atlètic looked down and out against KHC Dragons until Marc Pujal conjured a last second equaliser before the exceptional goalkeeping of Marc Calzada earned victory in the shoot-out. Jan Malgosa then took on the hero’s role in the KO8 against KHC Leuven, scoring a sublime solo goal in a 3-2 win to book a ticket to FINAL4.
Kampong, meanwhile, were hugely impressive. They swept aside French champions Racing Club de France 6-1 before obliterating German giants Rot Weiss Köln 5-1 two days later in Amsterdam. Irish international shotstopper David Harte, the 2015 FIH Goalkeeper of the Year, sets the tone, while Netherlands trio Sander de Wijn, Robbert Kemperman and Constantijn Jonker are all key players in a well balanced, talented team.
The semi-finals take place on Saturday (14 May), with the final and third place play-off scheduled for Sunday (15 May).
Over the past nine years, the EHL has deservedly earned a reputation as being one of the most important hockey competitions in the world. As well as featuring many of the finest players on the planet, the competition has also been at the forefront of hockey’s willingness to embrace change.
With its innovation and increased levels of professionalism, the Euro Hockey League is very much in line with FIH’s Hockey Revolution Strategy creating a powerful image for hockey as the sport aims to become a global game that inspires the next generation.
The EHL is not the only significant club competition taking place over the coming days. In Bilthoven (Netherlands), eight of Europe’s finest women’s teams will be in action over four days of competition at the EuroHockey Club Champions Cup.
Reigning champions and hosts SCHC (Stichtse) will be looking to defend their title but will face a serious challenge from the likes of Club de Campo de Madrid (Spain), Surbiton, Canterbury (both England), UHC Hamburg (Germany), Pegasus (Ireland), CSP Krylatskoye (Russia) and Dutch rivals Den Bosch (s-Hertogenbosch), who have competed in the last 17 finals, winning the title on 14 occasions. More information about this and other European club competitions can be found on www.eurohockey.org.
You can keep track all the action from this weekend’s Euro Hockey League FINAL4 event in Barcelona via the EHL’s website and digital channels on the links below:
Website: www.ehlhockey.tv
Live streaming: www.youtube.com/user/fihockey
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EuroHockeyLeague/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/EHLHockeyTV
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ehlhockeytv/
Hashtags: #EHL #FINAL4 #ehlhockey
Note: Although the EHL website will also be live streaming every single match to a global audience, access will depend some on existing broadcast rights agreements within your territory. More information will be available on the Euro Hockey League website.
Photo: EHL / Frank Uijlenbroek
