Eagles prepare for Euro Hockey knowing they are once again League Champions

A two-all draw last weekend sealed it for Eagles HC as they succeeded in winning the Men’s First Divsion Title. A hard fought match against eternal rivals Grammarians exemplified how the season had transgressed. It had been head to head throughout with its upsets and twist and turns as the debutant third team in the division, Titans, made their mark. Eagles had been expected to win the league as they met Grammarians just a few weeks back however, Grammarians pulled it back and forced things to ensure that the final match of the division this season became a final in itself.
Eagles were to come out victorious and secure their place in European competitions next year as Gibraltar’s champions.
Their season however, does not come to an end as Eagles now prepare to host once again the Euro Hockey tournament in Gibraltar on consecutive seasons.
We had a chance to speak to Eagles head coach Stephen Valarino as he explains how the club, going through a transition as youth players go up through the ranks, now stamp their mark in the senior team. And Eagles as a club take on the massive task to host another international tournament on our shores.

First of all, congratulations on your success in the league. This success has come about at a time of transition for the club where you have seen some of your more senior players taking a step to the side and some of the youth coming through getting more of a chance. How significant has it been that at this transitional stage you have still managed to claim a league title?
Stephen Valarino - Our club places a lot of emphasis on Development and on our Youth Academy and this has helped to ensure that as some of our senior players start to take a step back, we always have eager youngsters willing & ready to take the place. Something which is critical to our continued existence and success. To then go and win trophies, whilst also ensuring the ‘recycling’ of the squad, is a credit to the amount of work that we do as a club, on and off the pitch.

Eagles are among the teams which is consistently building from grassroots. With the number of players which are coming through the ranks from youth into senior how optimistic are you about the future of the club?
Stephen Valarino - I had a five-year plan in place which would see us go from not competing in European competition at all, to returning to the European circuit and competing in a Challenge I; which I believe is where Gibraltar should be at club level. With the solid base provided by our more experienced players and the steady influx of youngsters from our development squad, we have a solid chance of achieving our aim this year. In fact, our achievements have actually surpassed my expectations and I know that if we continue on this path Eagles HC will be around for many years to come.

This season we saw how a third team joined the first division. How important was it for hockey’s future that this happened?
Stephen Valarino - It has been vital and I hope that they get all the support they require to ensure their continuity as Gibraltar’s third senior men’s team. From day one I instructed my team never to undermine Titans involvement in the league as they could have a ‘casting vote’ on who would be crowned this year’s winners. I was actually proved right, as it was their impressive league win over Grammarians by 7-6 in their third encounter which I believe helped to swing the title our way.

Going back to the young development of your team. Are you concerned that whilst your team is building from grassroots your work could come undone in the future if others do not follow as players will only really gain if they have someone to compete against?
Stephen Valarino - That is always a concern but anyone who comes down to the hockey pitch during the week will see that Eagles HC and in fact most clubs in Gibraltar are now working very hard with their juniors and it is this vital work being carried out which will no doubt see Gibraltar hockey prosper.

This season, once again you will be hosting yet another Euro Hockey event. Having set your own standards with three previous consecutive tournaments, how difficult is it to keep on doing it?
Stephen Valarino - It is always great to win tournaments and having won three European competitions consecutively is no mean feat. Yet, every time we win and we are promoted, the level of your opponents and of the competition in general increases, so through our success we are actually making it more difficult for ourselves every year. We have to ensure we keep or feet firmly on the ground and as mentioned earlier, I believe that if we could win this year’s tournament and get promoted to Challenge I, that would be a realistic and fantastic level for Gibraltar clubs to be playing at.

By earning the right to host the tournament again, Eagles have continued to place Gibraltar on the map once again. To keep this momentum going what do you hope to see happening in Gibraltar hockey which could see Gibraltar maintain the standards you have set yourselves?
Stephen Valarino - I believe the most important event that will impact hockey later this year is the laying of the new turf. Gibraltar’s hockey pitch is over twenty years old and badly in need of replacement. So, we have to be very grateful that the Government will be investing in a new pitch which will definitely go a long way to attract more competitions to Gibraltar.

As a small club, self-financed, and playing at an amateur level I am assuming that finances are difficult to come by, especially to host events such as this when European hockey unlike sports such as football have not themselves got the finances to step up further. How difficult is it to raise the funds and how do you manage producing results using volunteers as you do?
Stephen Valarino - Raising funds on an annual basis is always a mammoth task and we rely on a three-pronged approach. Government subsidy, commercial sponsorship & members fund raising. To be honest, we have been doing this for so many years now that players at the beginning of the season already know the work that will be required from them both on and off the pitch. It is a lot to ask for from players with full time jobs, families, studies, etc. but it is their hard work, loyalty and commitment that gets us to where we are now.

This season you enter the tournament knowing that if you succeed and obtain promotion and head one category up, as league champions you will play in a higher category the next season. Has this been one of those driving forces towards your league title considering that in the past you have won your tournaments but the actions of others have impeded you from playing at a higher category?
Stephen Valarino - As mentioned earlier, competing in Challenge I in Europe has been my primary target since day one and will continue working towards that aim until we achieve it. After that, we’ll regroup and set new targets for the team and for the club.

We have seen in the past few years how hockey rankings were impacted by Covid and there was somewhat of an imbalance on which category teams were playing. In some instances, teams who would have been in a higher category having dropped significantly. Do you expect the rankings to have now started to return to what they should be giving you a more realistic category?
Stephen Valarino - Definitely, group compositions seem to have balanced out again after the Pandemic although this might again be unsettled if in the near future Russian & Belorussian teams return to the competition and have to start at the lowest tier.

On a personal level, since your arrival as head coach of Eagles we have seen some dramatic changes which has seen the team overall grow across all categories and building a side which as we have seen this season can transition from having been heavily loaded with veterans and now turning into a youthful side looking into the next four to five years if not more. How difficult has it been to achieve this, especially considering that hockey is not your fulltime job but you could say just an afterhours ‘pastime’ of sorts?
Stephen Valarino - I have to reiterate that although I may be the front man of the club, the work we do as a club is handled by large group of volunteers and members who all come together and who work tirelessly for our colours. We have a solid committee in place and have done wonders with our men’s and development squads, with our Youth Academy and in European competitions. This summer we will put on our ‘thinking caps’ and try to emulate our success with our women’s team, who we also plan to reinvent and invest in.

To maintain this momentum at club level, considering that you are human, what do you hope to see happening so that Eagles can keeping on growing during the next decade?
Stephen Valarino - I think it is vital that any retiring senior player does not move away from the sport and that he or she comes back in a volunteer/coach capacity and helps the club in whatever way they can. I believe we all have a responsibility and even an obligation to give something back to the sport that has given so much to us, this way we can ensure the cycle continues and Eagles HC and Gibraltar hockey can continue to flourish.