Armenia’s Under-16 side held their first training camp in Kutaisi, Georgia in late October as they begin preparations for their maiden appearance in an international EuroHockey event.

The country is due to play in the boys EuroHockey 5s Championship II at the same venue next July, competing against sides from Bulgaria, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg and hosts Georgia.

The eight-day camp allowed the side to get better acquainted with the stadium as they took in several training matches against Georgian teams. This included a tournament dedicated to Termuraz Archa which they won first place.

They are doing it under the tutelage of Samvel Gevorgyan who brings vast experience, playing in the Euro Hockey League with Dinamo Kazan several times between 2007 and 2009.

The camp also allowed them to ramp up their preparations in an elevated environment with the Georgian venue providing a more modern setting than currently available in Armenia.

Their debut entry next summer is part of plans from the Hockey Federation of Armenia to develop the sport. 

As part of those ambitions, they have set a goal of developing girls hockey in Armenia as well with five teams formed but they currently struggle with the availability of modern equipment like balls and goalkeeping pads.