After the first joint measures and the U14 Regio Cup, the Whitsun tournaments offered the next important development step within the Swiss Hockey Pathway. The young talents were able to demonstrate their skills against strong opponents from Germany, France and the Netherlands and gain valuable experience at international level.

Cologne: U14 Girls East and U14 Boys East with strong tournament performances

The U14 Girls East and the U14 Boys East traveled to Germany for the traditional Whitsun tournament of Schwarz-Weiss Köln. Both regional teams had already taken part in this prestigious tournament in previous years and were familiar with the special conditions and the high level of competition.

This experience was evident throughout the weekend. Both teams were focused right from the start, appeared confident and were able to successfully implement the content from previous training sessions and competitions on the pitch. The players put in attractive performances against the German club teams and continued to develop over the course of the tournament. The weekend was particularly successful for the U14 Girls East. With a series of convincing performances, they fought their way through to the final, impressively underlining their development during the season. Even though they were unable to win the final, second place can be considered an excellent result.

The U14 Boys East also confirmed their strong form and achieved an excellent fourth place after several convincing performances.

This placed them in the top ranks in a strong field of participants and allowed them to end the season with another sense of achievement.

Frankfurt: Boys Central gain valuable tournament experience

The U14 Boys Central were guests at the SC80 Frankfurt tournament over Whitsun. The team faced numerous German teams in a strong field of participants. While the U14 Regio Central already had experience from previous participations in Frankfurt, many of the players were taking part in an international tournament with a selection team for the first time. In a total of seven matches, the team achieved a balanced record with two wins, three draws and two defeats. The results reflect the competitiveness of the team, but only tell part of the story. Throughout the weekend, the players were not only challenged on the pitch, but also experienced the challenges of a multi-day tournament. Several matches in a short space of time, different opponents and the physical and mental strain demanded a lot from the team. This was a particular added value of the weekend. The players learned that it is not always possible to maintain a consistently high level of performance over the course of a tournament and that successful teams have to learn to deal with such fluctuations. The team showed character time and again, fought their way back after difficult phases and gained important insights for the coming years. The tournament in Frankfurt was therefore far more than just a collection of results. It offered the players valuable experience that will accompany them in their further development and represent an important step on the way to higher standards in junior field hockey.

Paris: Instructive experience for the western teams

The U14 Boys West and U14 Girls West teams took part in the Challenge Verrier Tournament in Paris, where they faced teams from France, the Netherlands and Germany. Although results were not the main focus for the U14 Girls West, the team proved to be extremely competitive throughout the tournament. Seven of the eight games were lost by just one goal difference. The development of this regional selection in recent months is particularly remarkable: After the region still had a comparatively small number of players in recent years, a much broader base has been built up this season. This has made regular training sessions, matches and participation in international tournaments possible in the first place. The positive effects of this development are already visible. The players presented themselves as a cohesive unit, held their own against strong international competition and were able to gain valuable experience at a high level. The final 0-0 draw against Aura, which was only decided in a shootout, impressively underlined the team’s progress and is encouraging for the further development of girls’ field hockey in western Switzerland. The tournament was also a valuable test for the U14 Boys West. Although the results were not as successful as last year’s participation in Paris, they provide only limited information about the performances shown. The team played well for long stretches against several renowned clubs from the European field hockey strongholds and showed that the gap to the international competition is smaller than the results would suggest at first glance. Individual key players in particular repeatedly took on responsibility and made important contributions to the game. The tournament made it clear that the team has a lot of potential and was able to gain important experience in order to take the next step in its development in the future.

End of the season and outlook

The 2025/26 season for the U14 regional teams is drawing to a close with the Whitsun tournaments. After last summer’s trials, the U14 Regio Cup and numerous training and competition days, the international outings in Cologne, Frankfurt and Paris were a successful conclusion to an intensive and instructive season. For many players, this summer also marks the next step in their development. The older age groups are moving to the U16 level and will tackle their next challenges there. The younger athletes will have the opportunity to continue their development in the regional teams and take on additional responsibility in the coming season. It is precisely these transitions that are a central component of the Swiss Hockey Pathway: young talents are gradually introduced to higher demands and are given the opportunity to develop both athletically and personally at each level.

On June 20 and 21, 2026, the focus will turn back to the future. The trials for the U14 regional teams for the 2026/27 season will take place at various locations in Switzerland. For many young players, this marks the start of the opportunity to become part of a regional selection and gain their first experience at supra-regional level. A big thank you to the coaching and staff teams as well as the host clubs in Cologne, Frankfurt and Paris for their commitment and the excellent conditions. We would also like to thank all the players for their commitment, team spirit and positive representation of Swiss Hockey on and off the pitch. We wish the older age groups every success in their future careers and look forward to getting to know the next generation of talented youngsters at the upcoming trials.