France will be looking to add to the Olympic dividend as they take part in their first women’s EuroHockey Championship top tier since 2005.

They won their qualifier tournament a year ago in Douai and subsequently added gold at the FIH Nations Cup2 in Walcz this year with wins over Italy, France, Wales, Poland and Uruguay.

A win and a draw against Scotland in a recent series means they are unbeaten in all 12 of their matches since the Paris Olympic Games, giving a measure of a confidence ahead of this big event.

The team is coached by Gael Foulard, and captained by Emma Ponthieu and features 12 of the Olympic line-up. Yohanna Lhopital – with 35 goals in 82 caps – will be a crucial player from an attacking perspective as will 19-year-old Paola Le Nindre who has struck 15 times in her 35 internationals.

Albane Garot was part of the Harvestehuder THC side who won the German championship while Tessa-Margot Schubert has been part of the Düsseldorfer HC side at the forefront of the cclub game in Germany for the past few seasons.

Indeed, she is a former German indoor and Under-21 international who played in the EuroHockey Championships in the former code back in 2016.

On the goalkeeping front, Lucie Ehrmann will play next season with Oranje-Rood following spells at Antwerp and with Den Bosch where she was under-study to Josine Koning.

Violette Ferront is her back-up following the retirement of Mathilde Petriaux who is now working with the French federation as a vice president.

Other new faces forging their way in the panel are the likes of Noémie Mekki who has played in the US system with the California Golden Bears, Saint Germain’s Ella Dumont and Marie-Alice Pelletier Rimbert.

Cambrai’s Mickaela Lahlah was the player of the tournament at the EuroHockey Club Trophy I at Easter in Rakovnik.