The ParaHockey European Championship finals were played out in front of an enthusiastic and knowledgeable crowd at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park earlier this week.
The opening matches of the event had been played at one of the EuroHockey satellite pitches in Essex, but the medal matches were played on the main stage - England Hockey’s pitch, after the Scotland v Italy women's Pool A Unibet EuroHockey Championships match.
The ParaHockey Championship was part of the Flyerz Hockey ‘Festival of hockey’. Flyerz Hockey is the name given to disability hockey in England – part of the push for inclusivity that both England Hockey and the European Hockey Federation (EHF) are firmly behind.
Norman Hughes, EHF Education and Development Manager said: "We wanted to create a pathway for ParaHockey players. There is a good club versus club set-up, but we wanted to give the players an inspirational event to show just what they could achieve. ParaHockey is about participation, but this event lends an element of performance to it as well."
The target for the ParaHockey movement, says Hughes, is for the tournament to reach 10 teams when the next EuroHockey Championship comes around in two years time. Many more European nations have been challenged to enter teams into the event.
For this year's three-day competition, seven teams from six nations participated – Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands and England.
The opening matches were played at Old Loughtonians Hockey Club in Essex. On the final day, the finalists and their supporters made their way to Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, but not before dropping into the iconic Copper Box Arena – home to Handball and Volleyball during the London 2012 Olympics – to join in some of the fun activities that were taking place as part of the Flyerz Festival
The finals provided two tense and highly competitive games. Italy faced Germany in the bronze medal match while Netherlands were playing against Portugal in the European ParaHockey Championship final.
Four mixed teams, with seven players per side were playing on half the pitch at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in front of a packed stand. For those involved, hockey doesn't get much more inclusive than this.
Portugal picked up the gold medals – the winning goal scored by Portugal's only female player Patricia Saraiva. That meant the Netherlands picked up silver while Italy and Germany shared the bronze medals after they drew.
Speaking after the game, Portugal coach Hugo Santos said: “My players have never played on a pitch like this before, they feel like true Olympians, which they all are. They are very emotional and they did a great job. They have challenges in their everyday lives and this will give them huge self-confidence.
"The organisers and the volunteers must be very proud with all that has been achieved here today, they have truly made a difference to these players' lives."
That was a point that Hughes agreed with. He said: "The EHF Youth Panel was fantastic; nine young leaders who between them ran the social media, they were liaison officers for the teams, they were umpire managers. Without them we could never have handled it."
The ParaHockey European Championship was run at the same time as the Unibet EuroHockey Championships 2015 that have been taking place at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. For more information about the event, and to buy tickets, visit: http://eurohockey2015.co.uk
Discover more about European Hockey Federation via their website: http://www.eurohockey.org
Photo: Chris Lee, England Hockey
