Soccer players Elena van der Ven and Juliët Roeffen both play on the women’s first team of student association Pusphaira and explain why their team has earned a place in Salerno. “Every year after the Dutch student championship GNSK, the winners are invited to the biennial EUG. We finished second at the 2025 GNSK in Nijmegen and initially weren’t going to attend. But the winner, coincidentally the host club from Nijmegen, decided to skip the event, so we were invited instead.”

Their participation was far from guaranteed. “At first it was quite stressful because, at the time we had to register, we didn’t know whether we would be able to find sponsors. The participation fees are pretty high for students. As a team, we decided that despite the uncertainty, we still wanted to go and would do everything we could to secure sponsorship.”

Pusphaira ultimately found sponsorship through TU/e, the SSC sports center, and the UFe, which covers part of the costs. The players are also raising money by working together at festivals and by setting up and cleaning up exam tables at the SSC. “But we’re still looking for additional sponsors because there’s still a substantial amount left to cover,” says Van der Ven.

Seven versus seven

Pusphaira will play its first match on July 26, and the squad consists of twelve players. “We play seven versus seven on half a field. That makes the game much faster: you reach the ball much sooner, but your opponent reaches you much sooner too. Defense and attack switch rapidly,” striker Roeffen explains. Another difference is that there is no offside rule.

They wouldn’t call it a secret weapon, but the strategy of giving the wingers a major role works very well for Pusphaira. This year, the team competes in the second division and is certainly not struggling at the bottom of the standings. By participating in the EUG, they hope to challenge themselves and reach an even higher level of play.

“It’s definitely going to be tough there, but we’re going in with optimism,” says defender Van der Ven. “Because of the speed of seven-versus-seven soccer, you have to make decisions more quickly. That’s a skill we’ll take with us into next season.”

Totelos is going too

Indoor soccer association Totelos also qualified for the EUG. Both a men’s and a women’s team will compete. “We’re traveling to the EUG in Salerno this summer with twelve men, eleven women, and three coaches,” goalkeeper Axel Versloot previously told Cursor.

Van der Ven knows that the indoor soccer teams’ schedule overlaps with the outdoor soccer teams’ schedule for only one day. “That’s a shame because it would be fun to cheer each other on.”

Hajraa is not going

The women’s and men’s volleyball teams of E.S.V.V. Hajraa were also invited to the EUG. But they will not participate. “The men’s team qualified directly by finishing first, while the women’s team qualified with a second-place finish after the winner withdrew from participation in the EUG,” says Hajraa secretary Emma Wattez.

The two teams discussed whether participating would be feasible, and enthusiasm was high. “Unfortunately, everyone came to the conclusion that it was simply too expensive to participate. The costs of participation, plane tickets, accommodations, and so on could not be covered without sponsors, and finding those turned out to be very complicated.”

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.