When UKS Swarek Swarzędz step onto the court this weekend for the women’s EuroHockey Indoor Club Cup, it will mark a unique moment in an incredible journey for both the club and Polish hockey in general.
Remarkably, the country of the reigning Indoor World Cup gold medalists has never had a side compete at the highest level of competitions.
Moreso, for UKS Swarek Swarzędz it is barely 20 years since the club’s formation and less than a decade since they have had girls hockey. As such, they have never played in an indoor club competition before having only won their first national championship last year.
To be on this stage was scarcely imaginable even a decade ago but the family lines are intrinsic to their rise of the club on the outskirts of Poznań.
Few embody the journey more vividly than Julia Rymer who has lived the club’s story from its humble beginnings.
Julia, now 19, laughs when she recalls what her father – and former club president – Robert Rymer, told her about the early days of the club formed originally in 2003.
Julia Rymer shoots during the recent Polish women’s indoor final
“He said it was like a small club… I don’t even know if we can call it a club because it had like 11 people and one coach. It was only one group of children playing in their free time.”
They entered their first youth competition in 2006 which is effectively their year zero, primarily focusing on boys. Robert originally brought Julia’s older brother to training but six‑year‑old Julia had to come along too.
“He couldn’t leave me at home alone but I was a kind of pain to look after… he got super sick of taking care of me there.”
His solution? Create a girls team simply to keep Julia occupied.
“That’s how the girls team started,” Julia grins. “He was just looking for other girls to play with me. And people started coming and having fun. I just think it’s amazing.”
What began as a practical fix soon became the foundation of one of the most successful youth systems in Poland. Most of today’s senior squad grew up together and many were part of that very first girls team to formally compete in national tournaments in 2019.
“Our senior team right now is the first ever girls team here,” Julia explains proudly. “I remember all of them being with me as kids, fighting over who gets to use the pink stick. I want to cry when I think of it.”
Those early years were full of growing pains.
“We were losing everything at the beginning. We’d go there and get four‑nil, four‑nil, four‑nil.”
But everything changed when the club made one of its most important decisions: hiring former national team player Oriana Bratkowska (then Walasek) as coach.
“She created our team. My father didn’t know much about hockey; he was focused on making the club exist. But he found Oriana, and she’s been amazing since then.”
She has stepped back temporarily after having a baby, with her husband Paweł Bratkowski – a vastly experienced player with WKS Grunwald Poznan and Poland – taking on the side
“He has a very big experience, and he’s amazing too,” Julia says. “Because he’s a man he has a different view on our team, a fresh outlook.
“At first we didn’t like him,” she laughs. “He was screaming at us, making us do push‑ups. We were like: ‘Oh, again him.’ But now he’s lovely.”
Last year, the group achieved what they had been building toward since the days of pink sticks and children’s tournaments: their first Polish indoor championship title.
Winning the adults’ category, Julia says: “was the biggest goal for us.”
“It was so unexpected. We weren’t the favourites. The team we played in the final had been winning since I don’t know when. But it was a good year; we were training really hard, we had our new gym, we were training twice as much. And we got the title. That was amazing.”
With their ticket to the EuroHockey Indoor Club Cup secured, the club soon realised that hosting was a possibility. Money was an obstacle but the decision was quick.
“The second they got the idea of hosting, they were like, yes, of course,” Julia says. “It opens a lot of doors. We are fighting for building our own pitch here. Hosting shows everybody that field hockey counts, even in Poland.”
Her father kept her updated on every step of the process. The community rallied behind the idea. Volunteers poured in. Sponsors came on board. And in the past week, the excitement has surged to new levels.
“We’ve had media days, people recording us, making reels and TikToks,” she says. “Everybody is talking about it. Everybody is aware. I’ve never seen that before.”
Even training sessions have an audience. “Yesterday we had training and I saw 40 or 50 people working, preparing everything. That just warms my heart.”
The club’s current president Renata Solnica has played a huge role.
“She is like a star of our club,” Julia says. “She organises every single thing. She’s very stressed, but she keeps going. And the parents, without them, nothing like this could happen.”
The competition itself will be a steep climb. Germany, the Netherlands, Ukraine – these are indoor hockey’s giants.
“It’s amazing that we can play against them,” Julia says. “We watch them online every year and now we get to play them. Our goal is to stay in Division A.”
But belief is growing, especially after Poland’s sensational women’s national team won the Indoor World Cup in 2025.
“That was huge,” Julia says. “And we have two players who were in Poreč. We are very proud of them.”
Looking back at how far the club has come, Julia allows herself a moment of reflection.
“In the beginning, we were losing against Polish teams that don’t even exist anymore. And we never thought of something like this in the future.
“In the future, our goal is to compete on the same level as the big teams. Maybe someday we can win something like this.”
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The women’s EuroHockey Indoor Club Cup takes place in Swarzędz from Friday, February 20th to Sunday, February 22nd.
Click here to find out more about the competition: https://eurohockey.altiusrt.com/competitions/393
Full preview articles introducing the teams will be posted over the coming days on this website.
