Three Dutch women's teams and six players on European hunt
The Champions League qualifying matches will be played from tomorrow to next Sunday. Last season, current GZC Donk players Sabrina van der Sloot and Maartje Keuning, then still playing for CN Sabadell, won the largest water polo tournament for clubs. To qualify for the tournament with the best European women's teams, the women of GZC Donk, Polar Bears and ZV De Zaan play in a pool of five teams, four matches. Polar Bears is the host in Ede for the qualifying tournament.
Dutch players
International Nina ten Broek plays with her Spanish team CN Terrassa in group D. Kitty Lynn Joustra and Lola Moolhuijzen, who swapped Polar Bears for the Greek Vouliagmeni NC this summer, play in group E for the club from Athens where they meet GZC Donk.
Maxine Schaap plays in group C with Padova. Roline Schuijt (San Andreu) and Noa de Vries (FTC-Telekom) play in group A against ZV De Zaan. Simone van der Kraats and Laura Aarts made the transfer from CN Mataró to CN Sabadell (Spain) this summer. They are exempt from the qualifying round with their new club.
The other wildcards have been given to Olympiacos Piraeus (Greece), Ekipe Orizzonte (Italy), CN Sabadell (Spain) and UVSE (Hungary).
Group matches Dutch teams
ZV De Zaan won bronze in the Euro Cup last June and has now been placed in the tough Group A. In Athens they will face the home team Panionios, FTC-Telekom (Hungary), Sant Andreu (Spain) and Rapallo Pallanuoto (Italy). The first match of Mick van de Bree's team is on Thursday at 17:30, Dutch time, against Rapallo Pallanuoto. The time difference in Greece is +1 hour with the Netherlands. Van den Bree is looking forward to playing the qualifying matches with the team.
“We are happy to be able to play the Champions League again, just like the past two seasons. Despite the very tough draw, we are really looking forward to the matches. I would advise all water polo fans to go to Ede to see the Champions League women's water polo in their own country. It is really cool for every water polo team in the Netherlands to experience. And for Polar Bears and the Dutch women's water polo it is also very important.”
For Polar Bears it is a special week as they organize the tournament and compete in Europe for the first time in 20 years. They start on Thursday at 20:30 against the French Nancy. The other teams in pool B are Dunaujvarus WPC (Hungary), Lille UC (France) and BVSC Zuglo (Hungary). Petros Doudesis is enthusiastic about the organization of the tournament and about the chances of the team.
‘’This is a great week for Polar Bears! I am very happy and grateful that so many committed people have taken on the organization of the qualifying tournament. It will be a wonderful moment for the women to measure themselves against European opponents. The fact that we are playing in Europe again after such a long period and that we are hosting is something special. Everyone within the club is ready and we are looking forward to great match days. They will be great and tough matches. I have confidence in the ladies, we will qualify!’’
Erik Brugue’s Gouda team will play in Berlin in group E against the home team Spandau '04, CN Catalunya (Spain), and the Greek clubs ANC Glyfada and Vouliagmeni NC, with Kitty Lynn Joustra and Lola Moolhuijzen. GZC Donk was last active in Europe in 2016 during the Euro League in Porto. They did not make it through the first round, which is realistic this time with the current selection. The team was strengthened this summer with internationals Vivian Sevenich, Sabrina van der Sloot, Brigitte Sleeking, Marit van der Weijden, Sarah Buis and Maartje Keuning.
According to Brugue, GZC Donk is ready for the qualifying matches.
"We had a good preparation in which, due to all the changes, the most important thing was to forge a team. We have grown in many areas and we are relying on our own strength. There is only one goal and that is to finish in the top two of the group and go to the next round. We have a completely new team, with many internationals who are looking forward to playing in Europe. In the coming matches we will see how the cooperation goes in the water.’’
The best two teams from each group will advance to the Champions League group stage that starts at the end of October. The best team in third place from all groups (based on points, goal difference and goals scored) will also advance. Eliminated teams will go on to the Euro Cup.
The full programme, live streams and results are available via this link.
