There we filled the streetcar with all 36 kids and 4 supervisors. After a short walk we finally reached the club grounds of Schwarz-Weiss Köln. The facilities were very impressive for everyone. In addition to the two artificial turf pitches, there were also 19 tennis courts and two padel courts. Everyone set up their tents and settled in. Afterwards, the young talents enjoyed a delicious pizza in the restaurant on the club grounds. Tired from the day’s travel, we all fell asleep. After a rainy night, the boys woke up surprisingly early. So we went for a short walk before getting down to breakfast. Gradually, other teams arrived and the anticipation for the tournament grew.

We kicked off against Düsseldorfer SC 99. We started the game full of pressure and scored the first goal early on. This obviously did the boys good and we were ultimately able to win the game 3:0. We started the second game against the hosts from Cologne with a lot of self-confidence . After a controlled first 15 minutes , however, you could tell the difference to German field hockey and in the end it was efficiency in front of goal that decided the game in favor of Schwarz-Weiss Köln. Unfortunately, the game was lost 0:3 , which dampened the mood somewhat. In the last game of the day against Braunschweiger THC , we wanted to defend better and take our chances more efficiently. Unfortunately , the plan didn’t quite work out. Despite good defensive play, we had to settle for a narrow 1-0 defeat. After a short period of disappointment, we analyzed our game and enjoyed a fun evening at the Players Night. Exhausted from the first day of the tournament, all the boys fell asleep early.

On the second day, two more group games were on the agenda. After the morning activation and good preparation, we faced Nürnberger HTC. This time, the boys did a better job of building up against a man-to-man defense and we created a few good opportunities. The balanced game was decided 5 minutes before the end by the technically strong players from Nuremberg. After conceding two unfortunate goals, we lost our composure and ultimately conceded a 0:3 defeat. In the last group match against Rotation Prenzlauer Berg from Berlin, we wanted to reach the match for third place, for which we needed a win. Everyone fought passionately and the defense held tight for a long time. Unfortunately, we again failed to make the most of our chances and another 1:0 defeat meant we had to settle for 5th place in the group stage. The barbecue in the evening lifted the mood a little and we grew closer as a teamwith a joint team evening.

On Whit Monday, we had another clash with Düsseldorfer SC 99 in the 5th place play-off . We put together a good plan to end the tournament on a positive note. The boys gave their all again. Everyone fought passionately and played their best game of the weekend. With a lot of possession and good pressure, we controlled the game and found the opening goal after 15 minutes. The end of the goal drought spurred everyone on and in the end we won 2:0 to take 5th place.

The girls also put in a strong performance and, like the boys, finished the tournament with a win in the match for 5th place. Tired and full of impressions, everyone set off on the return journey by train. After the five-hour journey, everyone arrived back in Baselexhausted but overjoyed .