Because HC Ladies Lugano is voluntarily relegated, the EVZ Women’s Team has been promoted to the PostFinance Women’s League without qualifying for the league. Reto Kläy would have preferred to achieve promotion through sporting means. But of course the EVZ General Manager is happy to accept the success. “It’s great that we’ve been promoted. The team earned it by always going full throttle, even if the results were sometimes high.” He emphasises the enthusiasm that the players have aroused with their performances in Zug. “We made hockey appealing to many people who may not have had much to do with it before. Thanks to the sometimes early kick-off times, we were able to attract families to attend matches, for example.” One indication of this is the almost 1,500 fans at the last final match against Bassersdorf on a Wednesday evening. It is the second largest crowd ever for a women’s match in this country.
EVZ has been promoted to the PostFinance Women’s League. GM Reto Kläy and Head Coach Daniela Diaz look back on an inspiring few months.
The reactions to the women’s team that EVZ built up within a few months last year were largely positive, says Reto Kläy. “Of course, there are always envious people with such dominance. But above all, we were able to gain many more followers for our path. We have proven that we are serious about promoting women’s hockey.” Reto Kläy has also received consistently positive feedback from sponsors. “They have committed to our path and given us great support.” The squad for the coming season in the Women’s League has been finalised with the exception of a few positions. The majority of the team will remain together. Moreover, thanks to the Young Bulls girls’ hockey school, home-grown players will also find their way into the women’s team one day.
“We don’t see women’s hockey as a popular sport, but as a competitive sport. With the end of the season, we have proven that we mean it.”
Head coach Daniela Diaz is looking forward to tackling the next challenges with the existing team. “The players have worked extremely hard and deserve to prove themselves in the top league. I am convinced that we will be competitive,” she says. The Zug native feels a sense of pride and gratitude for the past weeks and months. “It’s been an incredible journey, it’s just been great to be part of it.”
Daniela Diaz looks back on a perfect season for her team, with 25 wins in 25 games. The Zug team scored a total of 445 goals and only conceded 9, while captain Lara Stalder is the Women’s Team’s top scorer with 185 points (91 goals and 94 assists) – that’s almost 8 points per game. She and her team-mates repeatedly spoke of always going full throttle. This could hardly be more impressively realised than in the season that just ended. This attitude does not end with the achievement of promotion: training sessions are scheduled for Thursday and Friday. A get-together is on the programme for Saturday. Afterwards, the team gets together for dinner and to celebrate. There are plenty of reasons for this.
We will honor the team in a fitting manner at the end of the event and toast the successful start of the EVZ Women & Girls program together.
Date: Saturday, 23 March 2024
Time: 4.00 pm
Where: Legends Club, BOSSARD Arena
If you want to watch the away game of the men’s team afterwards, you can do so in the 67 Sportsbar.
