The game system and travel adventure in international competition
It happens almost every year - the European Cup season. Taking part is always something special for the teams. Out of the hall, away from the daily training routine and into the experience of the European cup competitions. This year we were able to compete in the CEV Cup, the second highest cup competition on the European stage.
The game system
Participation in the CEV Cup competition depends primarily on the final placing in the national competition from the previous season. The clubs then decide whether they want to compete in the qualified competition. According to CEV regulations, factors such as participation and placings in previous CEV competitions, the CEV European Cup ranking and the CEV national team list also play a role.
The CEV is also introducing so-called phases, rounds and stages. This competition format allows teams to move from one competition to another. Before the CEV Cup, there is also a kind of qualification tournament in which teams have the chance to move into the main round of the CEV Cup based on their respective positioning. At the end of the CEV Cup, the "Final Phase" takes place, which, as the name suggests, includes the semi-finals and finals.
In contrast to the Champions League, the competition structure in the CEV Cup consists exclusively of the knock-out phase. Here, two teams play against each other in a home and away game. The winner in each case advances to the next round or phase of the CEV Cup.
traveling through Europe
In recent years, I have been on a number of trips across Europe. The trip is meticulously organized in advance by the club's office. However, we mostly use flights. Since most of the teams do not come from European metropolises, we often need one or two stopovers by plane. It is quite possible that bus journeys of up to two hours will await us. In recent years, there have also been a few "highlights" during the day of travel. Missed flights, bad weather and freezing rain including an overnight stay at the airport gate, or surprising corona tests that made a flight impossible. The disappearance of luggage hardly gets my pulse racing anymore.
The daily routine
The journey to the away game begins for us one day before the competition. Depending on the travel connection, the bus is usually waiting for us at the hall very early in the morning. The plane usually leaves for the destination in the morning. In order to get a look and a feel for the opposing hall, we go to training immediately after arriving and having a small snack. Afterwards we have a quick dinner and we girls fall into bed from exhaustion.
The next day, normal competition routine begins. That means: breakfast, training, lunch and lunch break, snack, competition.
It usually takes a while for the body to wind down after the competition, so you often don't get to sleep until late. The return journey again depends on the flight connection. It can happen that the shuttle service picks us up from the hotel as early as 4 a.m. In the rare cases, however, we still have some time to have a leisurely breakfast and explore the city.
Sources: CEV Volleyball Competitions Regulations (2023)