Things couldn’t be much better for Braxgata than they were in the 2024-25 season: the women’s team won their first national championship since 2017, and the men will soon play in the Euro Hockey League for the first time.
As such, it is exciting times for the club although not without a little bit of transition ahead of their return to league action on Sunday with both men and women facing Waterloo Ducks at home.
For the women, Brax will have to get used to being without Judith Vandermeiren with the Boom icon soon to wear Dragons colours for the first time.
Stephanie Vanden Borre is also returning to Gantoise while Sanne Caarls –a key player last season – will be joining Hurley.
“We’d been preparing for Stephanie’s departure for some time; it was a given that she’d return to Gantoise,” says the club’s Erik Gysels.
“Judith’s decision came later in the season. We’re incredibly grateful for what she’s meant to the club all these years. Last season, things didn’t really take off for us until after the winter break. With so many new players, the same scenario isn’t impossible.
“Braxgata players are a big part of the national youth teams,” he adds. “Don’t forget that Camille Belis and Louise Dewaet will be playing in the U21 World Cup at the end of this year.
“Among the newcomers, Marthe-Marie Geers (from Herakles) and Margaux Coudron (from White Star) are also part of the Young Red Panthers. Geers replaces Caarls, and we’ve chosen the Irish experience of Roison Upton and Sarah Hawkshaw to fill the positions of Vanden Borre and Vandermeiren.
“Finally, Scotland international Heather McEwan joins from Victory. We’ll definitely be stronger in depth.”
Brax’s new T1 will be Alessandro Geleyns: “Alessandro’s arrival was already known before the start of the Euro Hockey League in ‘s-Hertogenbosch,” says Gysels. “He did a great job at Wellington and knows the women’s league inside and out.”
On the men’s side, there are similar changes with Thomas Briels, Tanguy Clément, Anton Van Biesen and Pieter Van Straaten retiring from the top tier. They will miss out on their debut in the EHL which pits them against Western Wildcats first off.
“Their departures were known well in advance,” says Gysels. “We’ve had a very strong season, but we just didn’t score enough field goals.
“To further strengthen our attacking power, we signed Thibeau Stockbroekx and Sébastien Dockier. Two top players with impressive track records.
“’Tibi’ Stockbroekx has developed into an absolute top player at Oranje-Rood, and Dockier has no intention of slowing down. He’s hungry. It’s great that these two players, after all those years in the Hoofdklasse, are returning to the Carlsberg 0.0 Hockey League.
“Our ambition? It’s very credible to compete for the title with the men, and for the women, a place in the play-offs is the absolute minimum.”
** In interview with journalist Werner Thys
