The men’s and women’s European Championships will start on Friday (18.08.23) in the Mönchengladbach Hockey Park. In the largest hockey stadium in Europe, not only top-class sports but also concerts can be seen during the ten-day tournament.
When on Friday (08/18/2023) the European Field Hockey Championships in Hockeypark Moenchengladbach starts, many German national players have a pleasantly short journey. In the two 18-man squads, four of the women play for Düsseldorf or Cologne. The dominance of the NRW clubs from Cologne, Mülheim and Krefeld is even greater among men. The DHB men count eleven players who play for one of these clubs.
But the fact that many world-class hockey players are at home in NRW is no reason for the hockey park in Mönchengladbach to be the heart of German hockey. After all, the local club, Gladbacher HTC, will only play top-class again in the coming season after nine years. Meanwhile, there is also a real hockey hotspot in the north with the Hamburg clubs.
“Holtgrewe: “The high stands are something special”
In any case, Nina Holtgrewe knows about the concrete advantages that speak for Mönchengladbach as the venue for EuroHockey 2023. As the event director of the DHB, she sits at her desk in the administration building of the hockey park. The association has been using the premises as its office since moving from Hürth to Gladbach in 2006 – “an outstanding place to work”, according to Holtgrewe.
“The stadium is bathed in blue again. The final preparations are still underway. Exhibitors are arriving and taking up their seats, and we currently have a lot of shuttle trips between Düsseldorf Airport and Mönchengladbach,” said Holtgrewe in an interview with WDR. You are well positioned and organized so that no major stress has arisen so far.
In 2006, Germany became world champions in Gladbach.
The EM is the first major field hockey event in Germany for twelve years and the third in the Gladbach Hockey Park. This is in the immediate vicinity of the footballers’ Borussia Park, holds 9,500 spectators and is the largest hockey stadium in Europe. The venue is a good omen: in 2006 the DHB men became world champions here and in 2011 European champions. “We haven’t had a big hockey event at the park in a while, but it’s a venue with a great vibe,” said Holtgrewe. “Everyone who comes in here and sees the high stands – that’s something special.”
Combination of sports and concerts
To make the atmosphere even better, there are also various concerts in the “Sparkassenpark” during the European Championships – for example, the well-known musician Clueso will perform on the specially designed stage for the women’s opening game on Friday. “We combine hockey with music and want to put hockey in a different light again. There have never been concerts of this size in this context – that’s a milestone,” said Holtgrewe.
The concerts were chosen with care and a look at the schedule. For example, the Dutch Hermes House Band will be performing on Monday as part of the classic Germany vs. the Netherlands. “We hope that the mood will improve again,” said Holtgrewe. The park’s first major hockey event, the 2006 World Cup, attracted around 100,000 spectators during the tournament.
Women start against Ireland on Friday
The women’s preliminary round begins this Friday with the opening match between England and Ireland (5 p.m.), at 7.30 p.m. the German women start the tournament against Scotland. The men’s group games will follow on Saturday, with Germany meeting Wales first (6 p.m.).
The semi-finals will be held on April 24th and 25th. held Aug. The women’s final and the match for third place are scheduled for August 26th, the men will fight for the podium places on August 27th. A total of 40 games will be played over the ten days of the tournament.
