Širvintos Hockey Club “INTA” in Lithuania has won the 2023 EuroHockey Club of the Year award in recognition of the range of initiatives used to develop the sport.
Based 50km north of Lithuanian capital Vilnius, the club boasts the “vast majority” of people living in the town of 5,500 people has held a stick at some stage in their lives.
For 40 years, the club has been working to gather their community together in physical activity.
This stepped up a notch in recent years. For the past eight years, they have organised the “Experience and Youth” event and, since 2022, they have added three more projects to activate players.
Experience and Youth welcomes hockey enthusiasts of all ages for a two-day camp; the “We all play field hockey” is a festival which welcome newcomers and beginners to try out the sport; the third project is the INTA Cup, focusing on veterans; fourth, they run a camp for children to nurture their love of the game.
Club President Zivile Dabrickaite explains: “All events are organised by club members on a voluntary basis and free of charge. Projects are written, funding is obtained, then events and expenses are planned also on voluntary basis.
“The priority is to include groups of all ages, share good experiences, set an example for the younger generation and cooperate with members of other Lithuanian field hockey clubs.
“Every year, the events surprise us with an increasing number of participants; in the town, they are traditional, well-known and welcoming.
“Hockey enthusiasts from other Lithuanian clubs always take a part in our events. Considering the club mission, we will continue the projects and we have ideas and plans to continue this activity in the future!”
Dabrickaite points to the camaraderie around the club, the range of interesting activities they put together and the opportunity to spend time among like-minded people as highlights of INTA club life.
And they had an extra-special celebration on November 11th 2023 to commemorate the 40th anniversary since hockey was first played in Širvintos. It was attended not only by all generations of Širvintos but also representatives from all Lithuanian HC clubs, the Širvintos municipality and Lithuania HF President Leonardas Čaiskauskas.
Their efforts have also been featured on national television and INTA received an award from their own federation for their efforts in popularising hockey.
“We consider the greatest success of the club’s activities to be the fact that our activities and projects are continuous, attracting more and more participants every year,” Dabrickaite adds.
“Our events are open to everyone, encourage interest in hockey to try this sport, unite people of different generations, encourage parents of children to be interested in their children’s activities.
“The vast majority of Širvintos people have tried to hold a stick in their hands, having participated in at least one training session. The town has teams that play in Lithuanian championships and other competitions of various age groups.
“The gratitude, smiles, and support of those around us are our biggest engine.”
As winners of the 2023 EuroHockey Club of the Year, Širvintos Hockey Club will receive a €1,000 cash prize along with an upcoming visit from a EuroHockey ambassador.
