Boys EuroHockey U18 Championship (Lille, France)
Germany are on the hunt for a third successive boys EuroHockey U18 Championship title in Lille from July 13 to 19 as they look to continue their dominance over the age group.
Indeed, they have won four of the last five titles and they start off their campaign this week in a group featuring England, two-time winners Spain and promoted side Czechia.
In Pool B, Belgium will be keen to push for the top step of the podium having reach the 2023 final while the Netherlands are looking to end a 20-year wait for this trophy. They are grouped with hosts France and Scotland.
All group games played on Pitch 1 as well as the semi-finals and finals will be broadcast live on www.eurohockeytv.org
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Pool A: Czechia, England, Germany, Spain
England are keen to win their second medal at this level with their sole bronze coming 20 years ago in Gniezno.
Olly Bennett is one of three Oxted players in the panel and he lined out in the 2023 edition in Crefeld when England finished in fifth place and then played in the 2024 Under-21 Euros in Terrassa. The side has a three-pronged leadership team of Oliver Stone (Surbiton), Toby Day (Team Bath) and Marco Riley (Hampstead & Westminster).
German coach Paul Koch is direct about the intentions for his side: “We want to defend the title. We said that when training began in 2025”.
Last week, they had two high-scoring victories against their opening opponents, England, with scores of 6-4 and 6-2, to conclude their pre-season.
” We know what we’re capable of, but we also know our weaknesses ,” said Koch, who is convinced that consistent performance will be the “decisive factor.” “If we’re good at that,” Koch added, “anything is possible for us.”
Nine different clubs are represented in the team with Zehlendorfer Wespen, Uhlenhorst Mülheim and Mannheimer HC having the strongest representation. They are the reigning champions and are going for a third successive title and fifth in the last six editions.
Harvestehuder THC’s Vincent Scholz is their returnee from the 2023 edition when he helped the side win gold.
Spain have won the competition twice in 2013 and 2018 and have been part of the top tier for all but one edition. They have also won one silver and three bronze medals along the way.
The side features Arnau Vidosa and Mario Valles from the Junior FC side who won the Spanish Under-18 cup this season with a 5-3 final win over Sanse Complutense.
It will be Czechia’s second A division campaign, finishing in eighth place in Cork in 2016. They won Championship II-B in 2023 in Swansea to earn their spot in Lille.
František Toms was part of that team and he is available once again to try and make an impact on this stage though they know it will be a tough group. They concluded their preparations with two fixtures against Austria last week in Vienna.
Pool B: Belgium, France, Netherlands, Scotland
The Netherlands are looking to end a 20-year wait for success at this level with their last gold coming in Gniezno in 2005. They were third in 2023, ending a run of four successive silver medals.
Teun Hogenhout is one to watch – he was part of the Bloemendaal side who played in the EHL KO16 and FINALS this season, earning a silver medal on that stage. Rotterdam’s Floris Rap provides a healthy corner threat.
The 2009 and 2011 winners Belgium got back onto the podium in 2023 with a silver medal, ending a seven-year hiatus to the 2016 bronze.
Royal Léopold’s Félix Leeuw was part of his club’s famous EuroHockey Indoor Club Cup campaign in 2024 when they fielded just seven players for the whole tournament in Vienna but still avoided relegation.
Mathis Dewitte was part of the wider Gantoise squad who won both the EHL and Belgian titles this season. They also won an Easter tournament involving a number of the sides involved this week, beating Germany in the final 2-1.
Last time out Scotland finished in sixth spot after a narrow shootout defeat to England denied them fifth.
It’s been a busy summer for the Scots with series contests against Ulster and Ireland in preparation for the tournament.
Head Coach Mike Irving said, “This Euros selection has been one of the hardest I have had to make in my coaching career. The boys have worked so hard and have grown so much over this season and I think we are in a good place heading into the Euros.
“The challenge for spaces has been so high and the boys have still stuck together as a team the whole way through which has been amazing to witness and be a part of. We have a couple of last opportunities to prepare which will be invaluable for them. I’m excited to see what this group can do in Lille in July.”
Four of the panel hail from Grove Menzieshill with three from Inverleith.
France are back in the top division after a seven-year break after they stormed to a comprehensive gold at Championship II-A in 2023 in Alanya. There, they scored 65 goals without response in five games.
Aristide Michaelis scored nine of them and he is back to captain the team this year while team mate Malo Martinache also returns for a second campaign. Martinache hplds the record as the youngest player to ever play in the Euro Hockey League.
