Following the completion of Rounds 1.1 and 1.2, The Euro Hockey League is delighted to announce that H.C. Rotterdam (NED) will be the host club for KO16 of the 2009/10 season.
KO16 - which takes place over Easter between Friday 2nd and Monday 5th April 2010 - is the jewel in the crown of the Euro Hockey League, being an event that witnesses sixteen of the finest club teams in Europe going head-to-head in knock-out action. Just four teams will remain in the competition at the end of the four day event, forming the line-up for May's grand finale: EHL Final Four.
H.C. Rotterdam has a fine tradition in hosting world level events, being the stage for a number of FIH Champions Trophy events (2001 & 2008) as well as the Men's Junior World Cup in 2005. Founded in 1925, H.C. Rotterdam is the biggest hockey club in the Netherlands with over 2.450 current members and an impressive venue that includes three water-based as well as four sand-filled full-size hockey fields. H.C. Rotterdam has two covered stands with a capacity of over 3,000 spectators, ensuring that there will be plenty of room for supporters from all 16 teams to enjoy the match action. The H.C. Rotterdam team always performs well in the EHL, having finished in third place in both previous editions of the tournament.
ÔÇ£We are extremely excited about returning once again to H.C. RotterdamÔÇØ, said Jan Verboom, Operational Manager of the Euro Hockey League. ÔÇ£They have an outstanding track record in hosting big hockey events, doing a superb job of hosting EHL Final Four both in 2008 and 2009. We are confident that this unique, four day event will be a great success at H.C. Rotterdam's world class facility.ÔÇØ
The first phase of KO16 sees Europe's top sixteen teams face each other in Round 2, to be played on Friday 2nd & Saturday 3rd April 2010. The draw for this Round will take place on Thursday 19th November 2009, with the results of the draw being announced on www.ehlhockey.tv - the official website of the Euro Hockey League. This will see the eight Pool winners drawn against the eight runners up from each Pool. The draw is completely open, meaning that teams from the same country or even the same Pool could once again have to face each other in the Knock-Out stages of the competition.
Round 1 Pool Winners: HC Bloemendaal (NED - Pool A), UHC Hamburg (GER - Pool H), RC Polo Barcelona (ESP - Pool E), Rot-Weiss K├Âln (GER - Pool D), Amsterdam H&BC (NED - Pool C), Beeston HC (ENG - Pool F), H.C. Rotterdam (NED - Pool G), Atletic Terrassa (ESP - Pool B)
Round 1 Pool Runners Up: Der Club an der Alster (GER - Pool A), Reading HC (ENG - Pool B), East Grinstead HC (ENG - Pool C), Club Egara (ESP - Pool D), Waterloo Ducks (BEL - Pool E), KHC Leuven (BEL - Pool F), Pembroke Wanderers (IRL - Pool G), WKS Grunwald Poznan (POL - Pool H)
The winners of the Round 2 knock-out matches will reach the Quarter Finals, with matches being played on the Sunday 4th & Monday 5th April 2010. Due to the structure of the draw, some potential fixtures include a re-match between reigning champions HC Bloemendaal and UHC Hamburg, winners in 2007-08. The last time these two European powerhouses met resulted in one of the most memorable Euro Hockey League matches ever played, with HC Bloemendaal running out 5-4 winners in the Final of the 2008-09 Season. Other possible match-ups include RC Polo Barcelona versus Christopher Zeller's brilliant Rot-Weiss K├Âln team as well as host club H.C. Rotterdam facing a mouth-watering clash against Atl├®tic Terrassa, should both teams get through their Round 2 matches. However, all of these teams will be challenged for Quarter Final places by tough opponents in Round 2. Regardless of the outcomes, KO16 will be an incredible four days of arguably the finest club hockey in the world.
For more information about the Euro Hockey League, please visit www.ehlhockey.tv.
