Swiss Hockey: Sofie, Raffaela – first of all, our warmest congratulations on your 50 caps. That’s an absolutely fantastic achievement at such a young age. Can we start by asking you: How did you get into field hockey in the first place?

Sofie: Through my family, my parents played field hockey for Basler HC and then my brothers and I were practically born into it.

Raffaela: I first came into contact with field hockey through my older sister and the Schneider family next door.

Swiss Hockey: So it’s all a “family affair” … And what fascinates you about field hockey?

Raffaela: What fascinates me most about field hockey is the high level of dynamism, the technical demands and the strong team spirit. This combination makes the sport unique for me.

Sofie: What appeals to me most about field hockey is the variety, the combination of tactics, technique, athleticism and team dynamics. You can develop and improve endlessly and every game is different from the last.

Swiss Hockey: And how many caps do you want to achieve (Swiss Hockey benchmark: 140 caps from Stefan Bircher)?

Sofie: To be honest, I’ve never really thought about that. But I have the ambition to be part of the national team for a few more years. Although reaching a round number like 150 or so is tempting, I’m more interested in the experiences with the team and reaching the A division as a goal, then the final number of caps is secondary.

Raffaela: To be honest, I’ve never really thought about it. The most important thing for me is to enjoy every game in the Swiss jersey, gain as much experience as possible and do my best for the team. In the end, we’ll see how many caps it was enough for.

Swiss Hockey: Giving your best for the team is a good keyword: What is your plan for Chile?

Raffaela: The preparation for Chile didn’t go perfectly, but our squad has a lot of potential. We want to approach every game with focus, have fun and hold our own against our opponents for as long as possible. It’s okay to dream, and if we manage to qualify for the World Cup, that would of course be a great experience for the whole team.

Sofie: We haven’t had the ideal preparation for Chile, but I think we’ll have a strong squad with which we can put in a solid performance. We simply have to enjoy a game like the one against Australia. But the other two teams (France and Chile) are also challenging opponents. That means we’ll have to come up with something good to annoy them as much as possible and of course our aim is to qualify for the World Cup!

Swiss Hockey: Apart from field hockey, what else do you do? Work / studies / apprenticeship other

Hobbies …

Sofie: Besides field hockey, I started my PhD at the beginning of this year at the University of Utrecht in the field of the role of Arctic sea ice in the climate system, so I’m continuing to immerse myself in the world of research. There’s not much time left for anything else, although I like to take the opportunity to do other sporting activities, cook or be outdoors.

Raffaela: Professionally, I work full-time in a day care center as a childcare specialist. If there’s any time left after field hockey and work, I like to spend it with my family, go out into nature, try out creative things or simply enjoy some peace and quiet.

Swiss Hockey: Thank you both and we keep our fingers crossed for your adventure in Chile