Porto is the destination for the women’s EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy, the second tier of competition for the champion clubs from around the continent.
It promises to be a high quality event with a group of Indoor World Cup gold medalists from Poland among the star attractions for KS Start Brzeziny. They are in Pool A along with hosts Grupo Deportivo do Viso, Switzerland’s Rotweiss Wettingen and Ireland’s Railway Union.
Pool B features more World Cup players in the HAHK Mladost line-up along with England’s East Grinstead, Scotland’s Watsonians and Italian newcomers Milano Prato Hockey.
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Pool A
Grupo Deportivo do Viso (Portugal)
GD do Viso are back in European indoor after a five-year break as they host the tournament in Porto on a high. Last weekend, they retained Portugal’s national title when they won the final 3-1 over Lisbon Casuals and they aim to build on that success.
Five of the side that played in 2020 – also in Porto – are able to return including Carla Ferreira who was named goalkeeper of the tournament at that event. Captain Ana Nogueira, Joana Santos, Sónia Santos and Flávia Oliveira are the other players who are once more in the mix.
That side finished eighth in Challenge I but a strong run from Lisbon Casuals in the past year has helped them rise back up the ranks.
Beyond the returning players, there is a Latin-American influence with three players originally hailing from Argentina in their panel along with South African Cri-Zelda Brits.
HC Rotweiss Wettingen (Switzerland)
Rotweiss Wettingen will be looking to bounce back after their relegation from the top tier a year ago with a seventh place finish in Alanya. There, they did defeat Railway Union, England’s Buckingham and Belgium’s Racing Club de Bruxelles but the harsh lines of the tournament saw them just miss out on a spot at the top table once again.
Nonetheless, they have a side packed with experience in the likes of goalkeeper Flurina Steffen, sisters Elena and Tamara Trösch and Raffaela Triebold while Fiona Meier and Ria Muller are emerging talents who were part of the Swiss Under-21 panel this winter.
They were runners-up in the Swiss championship following a thrilling draw in the final against HC Olten, missing out in a shoot-out. Jessica Aebi was the star shooter in front of goal with 18 strikes to her name while Elena Trösch and Joanna Wenz were similarly influential with nine and eight goals, respectively.
The side is coached by Christoph Elste while In their support team will be Iain Delaney who was an analyst with the Czechia side who won bronze at the Indoor World Cup last weekend.
KS Hokej Start Brzeziny (Poland)
Hot on the heels of Indoor World Cup gold, Monika Chmiel, Anna Gabara and Magdalena Pabiniak will be looking to continue their special February as they make the quick switch from country to club action.
They are joined by fellow Poland panelist Oliwia Krychniak in a strong line-up, albeit one who relinquished their hold on the national title two weeks ago against UKS SP5 Swarek Swarzędz in the final.
Start Brzeziny finished in third place a year ago in Skierniewice with Dziyana Varanovich top scoring with 10 goals in five games. Their panel has a youthful look with Anastazja Szot, Krychniak and goalkeeper Justyna Ferdzyn all part of the Under-21 Poland side that won Euro silver in January.
Railway Union (Ireland)
This is the 6th year in a row Railway Union has won the National Indoor Trophy in Ireland and the seventh time in total since the event was re-established in 2010. The key players are captain Orla Fox who has 43 international indoor caps, with 14 international goals.
Orla Patton has 42 caps and eight goals, while her sister Sarah has 37 caps and 15 goals. Lily Lloyd has 22 caps and 5 goals, and goalkeeper Emma Maloney has 31 international indoor caps. The Railway Union indoor coach, Gareth Myburgh, is the Irish indoor manager and Irish indoor development squad coach.
As for their European history, it includes winning gold at the Challenge event in Bratislava in 2011, silver in Porto in 2020; playing in the Trophy in Alanya in 2022, winning silver a year later in Cambrai before debuting in the top tier in Alanya in 2024, becoming the first Irish club to do so for 30 years.
Fox and Jenny Long have played in all previous events with Lily Lloyd playing in four of the five events. Incredibly in 2022, the team played the entire tournament with only six players. As well as these players, Ailish Long is an experienced indoor player playing in the last two European events, and we have a number of up and coming starlets – Mati Errico, Maedbh le Roux, Isabella Willis and Nicole Barry.
Fox said of the tournament: “We are really looking forward to playing in Porto, and have great memories of playing in the Challenge tournament here in 2020. We have prepared well and feel we are continually developing as a squad. We are introducing young up and coming players to the squad and we hope to represent Ireland well at the tournament.”
Pool B
East Grinstead (England)
East Grinstead has a proud tradition in indoor hockey, with multiple national titles across both men’s and women’s teams and they were once again crowned English champions in January at the Derby Arena.
With the women winning the Euro Hockey Indoor Trophy in 2023, the latest side is powered by a mix of experienced internationals and emerging young talent.
Chloe Brown, who captains the side, brings a wealth of experience while goal-scoring standout Biba Milla playing a crucial role. She created history in the Euro Hockey League last Easter as the tournament’s youngest ever goalscorer.
Additionally, Carlota Gomez and Summer Knight-Thompson have been pivotal to EG’s attacking style. Impressively, five Under-18 players were key contributors throughout the domestic campaign, showcasing the bright future of the squad.
HAHK Mladost (Croatia)
HAHK Mladost are playing in the Trophy level of competition for the fifth time, their best result being their most recent – fourth place in 2019 in Vienna.
Despite the six-year gap since their last European indoor appearance, there are still plenty of links to Vienna, namely captain Martina Petretić, Saša Abramović, Monika Vajdić and Dora Jelčič.
They also have a World Cup vibe to build on. Nicole Stepić, Petretić, Luicja Čepo, Dora Čavrak. Abramović and Vajdić were all with the national team last week in Poreč when they made their debut on the elite stage. Čepo showed her goalscoring talent with five goals to her name.
Milano Hockey Prato (Italy)
Milano Hockey Prato are making their first European appearance having won the Italian title last year for the first time.
They will look to the likes of Chiara Mezzalira, Elettra Bormida, Giulia Galligani and Ginevra Totolo as crucial figures and they have trained hard all season to be able to give their best to their first EuroHockey Trophy.
Indeed, Bormida, Mezzalira, Galligani and goalkeeper Ester Benvenuti were all in the Italian national team who played in the 2024 EuroHockey Championship in Berlin.
“We are very proud to rapresent Italy in this trophy and I know for sure that me and the team are going to do our best and to enjoy our time here,” said coach Laura Rivero. Domestically, they finished in third place this season, losing the semi-final to the eventual winners.
Watsonians (Scotland)
Watsonians retained their first division title and their place in Europe with a 2-0 win over Clydesdale Western last month, meaning their performance here will have a direct effect on what tier they will play in 2026.
Nine of the side who played in the Club Cup last year in Alanya are back for another campaign while for Emily Dark, it is a return to the Porto venue she graced with Dundee Wanderers in 2020. She was named player of the tournament that year.
The Scottish international is among their most experienced players with four previous Euro indoor campaigns under her belt. Sarah Jamieson was a key member of the side last year but has been called into the Scotland outdoor panel who are en route to Chile next week for the FIH Nations Cup.
Goalkeeper Lucy Camlin is another Scottish indoor international. Last year in the Club Cup in Alanya, they showed their ability when drawing with Ukraine’s MSC Sumchanka and pushing Slavia Prague before defeating Railway Union 3-2 for a ninth place finish.
