09.11.2015: Motivational Monday – As the temperatures all over Europe dropped and the chill Northern wind started to take hold, there was a definite feeling of it’s time to go Indoors……
The EuroHockey Indoor Championships kick off in January with the Clubs in February, but there are many many Invitational events over European in the lead up and it is our pleasure to share with you a wonderful letter that we received from Ferdinand Veverka, President of the HC Bohemians Prague.
“Dear Hockey Friends,
It is our pleasure to inform all of you about upcoming 49th Annual Prague Indoor Hockey tournament. The Pragochema Cup 2015, as far as we know the oldest hockey tournament in Europe, is organized by HC Bohemians Praha and will take place November 13th – 15th, 2015 at the Sparta Hall – Podvinny Mlyn.
If anybody knows about any older European Indoor tournament let us kindly know, thanks in advance!
International Indoor Hockey tournament for both men’s and women’s teams from all over the Europe and beyond. The organizers have been able to attract several newcomers like the exotic Team of Qatar as well as strong teams from Poland and Croatia. There are also many traditional teams visiting Prague this year – Grasshoppers Zurich of Switzerland, Grove Menzieshill from Scotland, Austria’s AHTC Vienna, and HC Minsk from Belorussia to name just a few.
The organizers from HC Bohemians were pleased with the interest expressed by so many great International teams, but unfortunately they could not accommodate all of them as the entries greatly exceeded the capacity of the tournament.
For those who want to see more – look at the facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1678460769057278
The growing interest in the tournament can be partly explained by the tradition, fame, hospitality and guarantee of quality, but also by the success of HC Bohemians at the EuroHockey Indoor Club Champions Trophy in Copenhagen this spring. The team finished second and thus gained promotion for the Czech Champions to the elite group the next year. Unfortunately there will be no European Cup for the team this season as they missed out on qualifying by a small margin. They will concentrate on the domestic league, hoping to recapture the Czech title and thus be back in Europe next season.
As well as the normal day-to-day operations of running several youth and adults teams, the club is already starting its preparations for next year’s jubilee – the 50th edition of the Indoor tournament which will take place in the Autumn of 2016. “This tournament is closely linked with the history of our Club. Considering the challenges that have at times faced our sport and our club, it is a small miracle that we have not only been able to keep this tradition alive for so many years but also to expand the tournament. We have some ideas for the future of this event, but it is too early for details “, says Ferdinand Veverka, President of the HC Bohemians Prague.”
So for our Motivational Monday, we thank Ferdinand for his message to all of Europe and remind you that hockey events are so much more than the matches played on the pitch! They are your memories of the moments when you connected with the hockey family and we are sure that those memories last a lifetime of fun and fondness!
We are really enjoying sharing with you some Motivational stories on Mondays – keep them coming into communications@eurohockey.org