The Maltese National Beach Handball teams departed early this morning for Gaeta, Italy, where they will compete in the Calise Cup from 12 to 14 June — their first international appointment of the season.
Held annually in Gaeta, the Calise Cup is one of the main stops on the European Beach Handball Tour, attracting leading men’s and women’s club teams from across Europe and beyond, with continental ranking points at stake.
Both Maltese teams have been drawn in Group B. The men will face Colosseum Handball B (ITA), Niterói Rugby FC – Handebol (BRA) and C4H10 Melluzhi Jurmala (LAT), with the Brazilian and Latvian sides considered among the strongest in the competition and expected to reach the final stages. The women will take on GRD Leça – Love Tiles (POR), Olympia Beach Handball (GBR) and Beach Handball Tilburg (NED).
Ahead of the tournament, both teams will use the trip for additional preparation. The men will play friendlies against the Brazilian squad and the Italian national team, while the women will face the Brazilian and Slovakian teams. Once the tournament concludes, the Maltese teams will remain in Gaeta for a two-day training camp alongside the Australian team.
Prior to the teams’ departure, Men’s Coach Pedro Texeira remarked that : “We have been very focused in our preparation for this competition throughout the year, but intensity has been built up in the past few weeks, and the dynamics within the teams are very good. This trip, which forms part of a holistic, long-term plan with the Maltese Olympic Committee, sees us in our third consecutive summer of competition, and each step builds the structure towards next year’s Mediterranean Beach Games.”
Men’s Team (Coach: Pedro Texeira) Frans Buhagiar, Neil Gruppetta, Adam Hackett, Thomas Hackett, Liam Harrison, Alan Portelli, Jeremy Scicluna, Jacques Seifert, Matthew Spiteri, Daniel Tanti Farrugia
Women’s Team (Coach: Daniel Tanti Farrugia) Daryl Azzopardi, Stephanie Brincat, Raquelle Ciantar, Natasha Farrugia Randon, Stephanie Grima Agius, Emma Pecorella, Elizabeth Schiavone, Nolene Vella, Gabriella Xuereb, Karen Zammit
Ádám Süle leads the delegation as Head of Delegation. The Maltese Beach Handball Teams are supported by the European Handball Federation, Visit Malta and the Maltese Olympic Committee.