“We are very satisfied that eleven teams are playing in the European Championship, but we are aware that is not good that returning teams suffer heavy results: it’ no good neither for the teams themselves nor for the rink hockey. That’s why we are going to change the competition model starting from 2020”, Fernando Graça, president of the World Skate Europe Rink Hockey Commission said in an interview with Cers-RH TV.
“In the next Male Senior European Championship, scheduled in 2020, we expect to have 12 teams, including Israel which was not present in A Coruña for a temporary problem. We will follow the competition model used in the World Roller Games, putting the best six teams in the “European Championship” group and the others in the “European Challengers” group; in this way, all the teams will compete with other teams at the same level”, President Graça explained.
In the meantime, the WS Europe Rink Hockey Commission will help the weakest Federation to improve their level: “When a Federation ask for our help, as Belgium and Netherlands did, we support them in creating minihockey schools and sending the members of our technical commission to teach their coaches”, Fernando Graça stated.
