Women’s EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy (Lambersart, France)
Lambersart hosts a EuroHockey indoor tournament for the first time having previously welcomed an outdoor Challenge II in 2014, making for a special event this weekend with Indoor Club Trophy arriving in the north-west of Lille.
It is a high quality line-up featuring eight teams, divided into two groups of four, all aiming to make it into the top in the initial pool to reach the promotion group where first and second will earn a place for their country in the Club Cup 2027.
There are plenty of stars on show from the international scene with AHTC packed with players from Austria’s bronze medal winning side from January.
Here’s a team by team overview of the event.
Pool A
Watsonians HC (SCO)
Watsonians only picked up their first national indoor title in 2022-23 season, but have dominated the domestic scene since, securing their fourth consecutive championship with an 8-1 victory over rivals Clydesdale Western at the end of January.
Having narrowly missed out on a medal at last year’s Trophy event in Porto on goal difference, the Edinburgh-based side will be hoping to go one better this time around. Iona Colquhoun, who won the Best Goalkeeper award at that tournament, returns alongside former Scotland international keeper Lucy Camlin, who rejoins the squad having missed that tournament due to work commitments.
Watsonians have named an experienced panel, with 10 of the 12-strong squad having played previously at this level. Emily Dark and captain Ellie Wilson will be taking part in their sixth and fpurth EuroHockey indoor club event respectively, having also appeared previously for Dundee Wanderers.
Milly Berndes-Cade and teenager Tabitha Peck both make their European indoor debuts, but neither are strangers to European club competition, having being part of the Watsonians team that won silver outdoor in last season’s Club Trophy event in Rakovnik.
Captain Ellie Wilson said: “We’re really looking forward to the heading out to Lille, off the back of a successful campaign in Scotland. We’re heading into the tournament in a really strong position because of that, and we’re excited to test ourselves against some of the best in Europe. Our first goal is to retain our place in the Trophy for next year, but we also believe we’re capable of pushing for promotion, even though it will be a tough challenge.”
Railway Union HC (IRL)
Railway Union are sending a squad combining youth and experience to Lambersart. The squad contains three current Irish international indoor players, and three previous senior internationals.
Indoor captain Sarah Patton has 46 indoor caps while her sister Orla has 51. Railway’s young goalkeeper Chloe Hiles was a late call-up for the Euro indoors in January and shone on debut.
Three previous internationals Amy Benson (29 caps), Erin Getty (10 caps) and Holly Jenkinson (5 caps) also bring experience to the squad. Coach Gareth Myburgh has also managed and coached at Irish indoor level. Orla Fox is the assistant coach; she is the highest capped women’s international indoor player in Ireland with 52 but unfortunately has a hand injury sustained in Prague.
This is Railway Union’s 7th participation in the Eurohockey indoor club competition – winning gold at the Challenge event in Bratislava in 2011; silver in Porto in 2020, taking silver at the Trophy in Cambrai in 2023 and participating in the Cup in Alanya, Turkey in 2024 among the highlights.
In preparation for this event Railway Union won their provincial indoor tournament and were runners up in the national indoor competition.
Captain Sarah Patton said ‘we are really looking forward to playing in Lambersart, building on our play at provincial and national level. We have a nice blend of youth and experience on the squad and are keen to test ourselves against European opposition. We hope we can represent Ireland well at the tournament.”
Iris Hockey Lambersart (FRA)
The French side (pictured above) this week are excited to host the competition for the first time having won promotion to the second tier a year ago with a second place finish in Vienna.
The club have won the French national indoor championship four times (2014–2015, 2019–2020, 2023–2024, 2024–2025) and are set to play in the Trophy for the second time, their last appearance at this level being in 2016 in Dundee when they finished fourth.
Among their players who have performed at the international level is captain Julie Martinot who was selected for the French national team for many years and has taken part in two EuroHockey Club Challenge competitions (I and II).
Furthermore, many of the team are returning from last year’s promotion side during which goalkeeper Juliette Chevalier was named best goalkeeper. Inès Lardeur, Philippine Delamazure and Eve Verzura all participated in the Paris 2024 Olympic Gamesn while several others have represented France at U21 or senior level.
Coach Marie Billoré says: “On behalf of Iris and Lambersart , we are truly excited to host the European Cup at home. It is a great honour for our team and our club to welcome such a prestigious competition.
“We are really looking forward to playing in front of our home crowd and sharing this special moment with our supporters. The atmosphere promises to be amazing, and our team is highly motivated to give its best on the field. We can’t wait to welcome all the teams and officials and to live this great European hockey experience together.”
Gaziantep Doruk SK (TUR)
Gaziantep Doruk will make their debut in European indoor competition having lined out outdoors in Vienna in 2023 in Challenge II, making this a special occarsion for the Turkish outfit.
Their domestic league saw them finish the Super League stage in second place, thereby qualifying for the Super Final (Final Four) which eventually ended in a fourth place finish.
They are powered by internationals like Nurhan Gul, Yeter Okumuş and Nur Baran who were part of the Türkiye side who finished who won Championship II in January, earning promotion to the top division in 2028. Okumuş scored seven times in six games at that competition.
Rabia Uysal is listed as captain, a role she held with the Turkish Under-21 indoor side in 2023 when her side won bronze in Lucerne. She is recovering from a long-term injury.
Pool B
SG Amsicora (ITA)
SG Amsicora ended a 35-year wait for Italian national glory last season, winning their third scudetto in February 2025; they are one of the oldest sports clubs in Italy with nearly 130 years behind it.
Giulia Stagno is the team captain and a true symbol of the club having grown up in Amsicora since she was a child. She was chosen as a torchbearer for the Olympic flame in Cagliari on its way to Milano-Cortina, a testament to her lifelong dedication and leadership both on and off the pitch.
Maryna Vynohradova is another icon of the sport with extensive international experience. She was awarded “Player of the Tournament” during the 2024/25 Indoor season and remains a tactical pillar. Maryna Khilko balances roles as a top scorer and technical guide; she was a chief protagonist in the recent championship-winning run.
As defending Italian champions, the team participated in the Elite Indoor League 2025/26, reaching the Final Four in February 2026, ending with silver – they missed out on gold at the hands of HF Lorenzoni in a shoot-out.
“Winning the title last year gave us the confidence we needed to compete at the European level. Our goal is to represent Cagliari and Italian hockey with the same grit that has defined Amsicora for over a century,” said player-coach Maryna Khilko of their chances.
AHTC Wien (AUT)
AHTC Wien are the reigning Austrian champions for the past three years and arrive in Lambersart thanks to their victory in Challenge I a year ago.
They have a star-packed side with Laura Kern, Johanna Czech, Katharina Proksch and Helene Herzog still young but have already played several European Championships, including January’s bronze medal run with Austria. They are part of the club’s family for many years.
“I am looking forward to competing in this tournament!” says team captain Kern. “The team is still young but has already gained some experience in recent years. With the national championship title behind us, we are traveling to France highly motivated. Let’s see what‘s possible here.“
She has been with AHTC since she was a child, playing all the way up the youth teams and in the first team since she was 15. She also enjoys passing on her skills and experience and is the coach of AHTC’s girls’ teams.
HC Olten (SUI)
HC Olten are back in European indoor action for the first time since 2007 when they came fourth in the Trophy in Prague having ended a nearly 20-year wait for Swiss success last year.
Two key players of the championship team have left the club to continue their career abroad: Dunja Härtsch, Uhlenhorster HC and Stéphanie Weber, KHC Leuven; both appeared at the EuroHockey Indoor Championship Women 2026 in Prague.
Of the current squad, Ursina Fazis (GK) and Maya Flury also appeared at the EuroHockey Indoor Championship Women 2026 in Prague.
The current squad is a young team with an average age of 20 with four players under 18. Fazis is most experienced with 20 international indoor matches on senior level.
According to the coach Jasper Härtsch, the tournament is essential for young key players for their development. The team qualified for the Swiss national final four and finished the national indoor league in the fourth place this season.
Šiauliai Ginstrektė-Akademija (LTU)
The sports club has been around for 33 years with the team’s long-time head coach being Vaidotas Vaičeliūnas and the team manager is Joana Gaidamavičienė. The girls on the team all grew up in Šiauliai and played at the Šiauliai Hockey Academy. Field hockey is one of the most popular team sports in the city.
Ginstrekte is the dominant force in Lithuania with 25 indoor championships while they will be looking to use the experience of histing the Club Cup a year ago to full effect as well as their country’s experience at the EuroHockey Indoor Championship in Prague in January.
The team captain is Karolina Raulinaityte while the most experienced players Dovile Kukliene and Raminta Peskove while the youngest player is Vakare Kaltanaite.
