Cologne misses the title: Crefelder HTC crowns itself in the hockey final!

Cologne misses the title: Crefelder HTC crowns itself in the hockey final!

In an exciting and fast-paced final of the German Field Hockey Championship, Rot-Weiss Cologne was defeated by Crefelder HTC 1:3 on June 1, 2025. Christopher Schütt, national striker from Rot-Weiss Cologne, said after the game he was proud of his team, which had only finished fifth in the main round. Now the dream of a 12th championship title and qualification for the European Hockey League (EHL) was over. While Cologne defeated the defending champions Mannheimer HC in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout in the semi-finals, Crefeld already had to play a duel with the Hamburg Polo Club in the semi-finals and won 4-2.

The final took place at the Gerd-Wellen hockey facility in Krefeld, where the hosts made a dramatic comeback. Crefeld struggled to get going in the first quarter, while Cologne took the lead through Florian Adrians' goal in the 28th minute. Nevertheless, Krefeld's reaction didn't take long to arrive: Masi Pfandt equalized with a penalty corner in the 31st minute and brought his team back into the game. This was followed by two more goals from Lucas Bachmann in the 41st and 51st minutes, which sealed the fate of the game. Despite several attempts and increased pressure in the final phase, Cologne was unable to equalize.

Special circumstances before the final

There was a strange silence the night before the final when Crefeld's players were woken up by two fire alarms in the hotel. But the shock didn't seem to affect her performance. Despite a strong first half from Rot-Weiss, in which they also had a penalty corner to decide, it was the Krefeld team who recovered from the deficit and won the championship again after 2006.

Darren Cheesman, coach of Rot-Weiss, emphasized his team's positive attitude, even if critics were loud. He was disappointed about missing out on the title, but emphasized: “We believed in ourselves despite all the negative opinions.” Changes are now coming for Cologne as Thies Prinz and Elian Mazkour are leaving the team without a title.

Perspectives and developments in German hockey

Field hockey in Germany continues to enjoy great popularity and, although it is a traditional sport, it has not stood still in terms of further development. The German men's national hockey team, for example, is in fourth place in the international FIH rankings. This is remarkable, especially when you consider that Germany has won Olympic gold four times in the history of hockey. 400 volunteers are being sought for the EuroHockey Championships 2025 in Mönchengladbach, which shows how lively the scene is.

The last EHL ticket was secured by the Hamburg Polo Club, which took pole position in the main round and is therefore qualified for the international tournament after the championship. The future of field hockey seems bright, even if Cologne was unable to win the title this time. Next season brings new opportunities and the team will certainly be looking to learn from this defeat.