FIH Junior Males’s Hockey World Cup | Regardless of structural challenges, a gritty Spain eyes its maiden title

Virtually each second youngster in Terrassa, located within the autonomous area of Catalonia in northeastern Spain, performs hockey in class with utmost ardour. It’s that standard.

Terrassa is house to just about 10 hockey golf equipment, probably the most distinguished being Membership Egara, Atlètic Terrassa, and CD Terrassa Hockey.

Talking on the game’s deep-rooted reputation, Spain’s head coach, Oriol Puig Torras, in the course of the ongoing FIH Junior Males’s hockey World Cup, mentioned: “Terrassa is 20 minutes by automotive from Barcelona. Once you stroll on the streets in Terrassa, you’ll be able to see youngsters with a stick of their hand contained in the bus. And virtually all the time it’s hockey.”

Regardless of a hockey tradition that spans greater than a century, Spain has struggled to transform this reputation into international success. Puig attributed the shortage of consistency to Spain’s hockey ecosystem which stays constrained by funds.

“It’s tough as a result of in our nation, the funds for hockey is restricted, as it isn’t a totally skilled sport. It’s not a interest both, however it’s greater than a interest. I’d name it semi-professional as a result of gamers don’t earn a wage enjoying the game. Perhaps two or three gamers earn,” he mentioned.

Puig additionally pointed to structural challenges. In contrast to European rivals, Spain lacks common, high-intensity competitors.

“Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands play one another all yr, virtually each month. The distances are fairly brief. However for us to go to Belgium for one weekend, iis too costly,” he defined.

Spain is thought for his or her possession-based hockey constructed on brief, slick passing and technical excellence moderately than physicality. Looking forward to the summit conflict in opposition to Germany within the junior males’s World Cup on the SDAT–Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium right here on Sunday, Puig — in his second World Cup stint as head coach — admitted that it was a problem.

“It’s 60–40 in favour of Germany. Furthermore, we have now 15 Catalans in our crew, who aren’t very tall or bodily of their sport. Germany, after all, is extra bodily than us. I believe all of it boils right down to the feelings. We’re trying ahead to play in our maiden ultimate,” he mentioned.