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England Roller Hockey Female Premier League title winners Ely & Chesterton United set for WSE European Champions League qualifier against Uttigen from Switzerland

07:00, 28 October 2024

Ely & Chesterton United’s senior women’s team are preparing to take another unprecedented step in the world of roller hockey.

A journey that started eight years ago when many of the players were aged between seven and nine, the side has enjoyed a whole host of regional and national success.

Most of them formed the backbone of the England Under-17 squad that won an historic silver medal at the recent European Championships, while last year saw Ely & Chesterton crowned champions of the reformed England Roller Hockey Female Premier League.

The senior women’s team will play in the Champions League qualifiers
The senior women’s team will play in the Champions League qualifiers

And that success has seen the team accepted into the qualifiers for the WSE European Champions League, making them the first English club to feature in the competition in its current format.

They will take on Swiss outfit Uttigen in a two-legged affair next month, with the winners advancing through to the knockout stages.

Meanwhile, the losing side will still have European hockey to look forward to in the World Skate Cup.

Coach Roger Courtenay-Barrow said: “It’s amazing. This group have stayed friends for such a long time and the core have been there from the start.

“I think in sport that’s an unusual thing because kids move on and try different sports.

“It’s still a young group but they have plenty of international experience and we also have a couple of experienced players as well.

“When you look back on old photos you have to pinch yourself that the team is now in a place where it’s competing in the Champions League.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover the costs of their upcoming European campaign which can be accessed via the club’s social media channels.

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