FIELD hockey athletes from Germany met with the Philippine men’s and women’s indoor hockey teams from Larong Hockey ng Pilipinas Inc. on November 23 at the Emilio Aguinaldo College to promote and support the sport in the country.
It aimed to boost the morale of the Philippine team for future endeavors and to further the interest of Filipinos in field hockey.
Field hockey as a sport is fairly new and recent in the country, as the local team was formed just this year. Nevertheless, the Philippine team managed to compete in the recently held 2017 Southeast Asian Games.
An opportunity to learn more about the sport and strengthen Philippine-German relations was made possible through master classes and friendly matches provided by visiting athletes Laura Stelter and Stefanie Wendt.
The two top female hockey players from Berlin currently play for Berliner Hockey Club (BHC). While Wendt started her career there, Stelter spent her early years at rival team Sport Club Charlottenburg. Both have been playing hockey for more than 15 years and are currently members of the BHC’s top ladies team, one of the strongest in the Germany-wide first league or Bundesliga.
Wendt herself was a member of the German Youth champion teams of 2012 (outdoor) and 2013 (indoor), as well as of the German ladies’ champion squad of 2013 (outdoor). She played with her team in the 2014 European Champions Trophy (hockey’s equivalent to football’s Champions League, played by leading teams from all European countries) and was drafted by the German Hockey Federation’s national team into training camps for prospective new team members from 2010.
With her youth team, Stelter played regularly in German Championships (indoor) and was elected as a member of the 2012 German ladies’ all-star team.
Both joined the RP indoor hockey team on December 3 for another round of master classes and friendly matches on outdoor field hockey at the British School Manila in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The session was made possible through the cooperation of Larong Hockey ng Pilipinas Inc., the designated hockey association in the Philippines recognized and accredited by the Philippine Olympic Committee.
Image credits: Embassy of Germany in the Philippines