The U14 Regio Cup is not a classic tournament with cups and medals, but rather a development event that gives players their first experience on the big field. For many of them, it was their first time on such a large field. “A day full of new learning moments – from joy to disappointment, from great saves to magnificent goals,” sums up one of the coaches involved.

The tournament gave the youngsters the opportunity to make their own decisions, take responsibility on the pitch and learn from their mistakes – in a safe and supportive environment, where the emphasis was clearly on personal development.

Both Saturday and Sunday were all about development – sporting, social and mental. “It’s not about winning, it’s about learning, taking responsibility and team spirit,” stressed tournament management. All participating teams had plenty of playing time and were encouraged to show initiative, try new things and exchange ideas with other field hockey enthusiasts.

Despite the clear focus on development, there was also room for special appreciation on Sunday: the coaches carefully observed play throughout the weekend and selected the most outstanding players by line of play. At Sunday’s awards ceremony, Head of Competitive Sport Jaïr Levie presented the awards to the following winners:

Boys
🏑 Best goalkeeper: Emil Kolly
🏑 Best defender: Lukas Heidemann
🏑 Best midfielder: William Valentin
🏑 Best striker: Laurenz van Gelderen

Girl
🏑 Best goalkeeper: Pippa Heyworth
🏑 Best defender: Sophia Fehlmann
🏑 Best midfielder: Matilda Sgier
🏑 Best striker: Ciara O’Reilly

The winners received a luxury field hockey bag, sponsored by TK, and the awarded goalkeepers had the pleasure of receiving an autographed goalkeeper’s jersey from national team goalkeepers Dorine von Overbeck and Timo Bütler.

On the last day of the tournament, Petra Wagner also took some fantastic photos, immortalizing many special moments. Selected photos are presented in this article – you can find the complete gallery by clicking on the following link.

The success of the Regio Cup is due to the excellent collaboration between coaches, managers, parents and volunteers. Our special thanks go to Ralph Heidemann and Christine Römer who, together with the team managers and Head of Youth Sports Mathias Schaeben, organized the event in an outstanding manner. It was thanks to their commitment that almost a hundred young players were able to experience a valuable and joyful weekend.