Women’s national team trains together with youth-level counterparts

“The players arrived here in Telki in determined mood, and it was a highly beneficial four days. Apart from the various physical tests we also gained insight into the players’ mental state and motivation levels. Training with the Under-19 and Under-17 teams also meant that we could practise match situations, and for the youngsters it was an extra motivation that the could train together with the full national team and see just how far it is possible to go”, said Hungarian women’s national team head coach Edina Markó to mlsz.hu.

Women’s Under-19 team head coach Sándor Turtóczki spoke of the necessity to refresh certain previously-practised elements at the first get-together after a long break. “We’re doing our best to prepare the team for the elite round” he said. “I believe we’re moving in the right direction when it comes to the development of the women’s game as a whole, and there are some talented players among the current squad members. We’re taking it one step at a time, but we’re progressing”. The Under-19 team face Ireland, hosts Spain, and then Serbia in their elite-round group in April.

Dorottya Schumi’s Under-17 team has also made the elite round, where they will host Greece, England and Georgia in late March. “It was a great opportunity to assess where our strengths lie and where we need to develop. We went through tactics as well as match situations, and the match against the Under-19 team also helps us be as prepared as we can be for the spring” she said. “With players born in 2004 now joining those born in 2002 and 2003 who are already in Under-17 set-up it was the first opportunity to take a look at the younger players, and we saw a few talented ones who could play an important role for the team in the future once they have gained international experience”, she added.

The Hungarian women’s national team are once again participating in the annual Cyprus Cup which is being held at the end of February, where Thailand, Mexico and Italy will be the opponents. “We’ve always played good matches in Cyprus. The tournament is a great test of strength as we come up against teams ranked higher than us. Thailand are World Cup participants and we’re already preparing for the match against them. Mexico maybe didn’t make the World Cup this time round, but they are regular qualifiers. As a warm-up tournament it gives us the opportunity to try out various tactics”, Markó concluded.