BENALMÁDENA – The largest hockey club in southern Spain, CHP Benalmádena, welcomed the complete training group of Dutch hockey women to the recently renovated installations on Tuesday, January 16.
The training group led by national coach Paul van Ass consists of 26 players and three goalkeepers. They will focus on training sessions on the Costa del Sol for a week aimed at developing the team.
The club and fields are open, so hockey fans in the area can watch the ladies prepare for upcoming sporting challenges. The group will train daily on January 17, 18, 19, 21, and 22 from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. Saturday, January 20 is a rest day.
Hockey club CHP Benalmádena is easily accessible from exit 1008 of the A7 that connects Málaga and Marbella. You will find the field next to the famous butterfly garden Mariposario de Benalmádena and the ‘Stupa’, the Buddha temple.
Preview of Pro League in India
In two weeks, Van Ass’ team will fly abroad again, this time to India. The second Pro League block starts there, taking place in Bhubaneswar from February 3 to 9 and in Rourkela from February 12 to 14. The opponents are America, India, China, and Australia. The training week in Benalmádena will be decisive for which players will travel to Asia for this important competition.
Attractive location of the hockey club
The club’s location in the centre of the southern Spanish Costa del Sol with a mild and sunny climate in winter and an extensive choice of facilities such as hotels and leisure activities has ensured that numerous high-level teams from abroad and mainly from the colder north of Europe travel to Benalmádena for training camps in preparation for European Championships, World Cups, Olympic Games, and competitions.
“Honor to welcome world champion team”
J. Ramón López, chairman of CHP Benalmádena, is pleased with the arrival of the Dutch hockey women. He says: “It is an honour for our modest club to welcome a real-world champion team. In addition, we have a new field that is identical to that of Paris where the Olympic Games will take place. In February, the national women’s teams of Spain and Scotland will visit our club for training sessions and friendlies.”
CHP Benalmádena
The Club Hockey Polideportivo Benalmádena has been around for almost forty years and has youth teams (m/f) that participate in Andalucian competitions from the Benjamines category (8-9 years) to veterans. For the little ones, there is the ‘Escuela de Hockey’ (hockey school) where children from the age of 4 can get playfully acquainted with this sport. Due to its location on the international coast, many members of nationalities other than Spanish also play, including Dutch, Belgians, Argentinians, Irish, and British. Want to know more or register? Then click here.
