Belgium’s Englebert: Red Panthers Are Going for the Pro League Title, and the Olympic Ticket
Charlotte Englebert isn’t hedging. Asked what a successful season looks like for Belgium, the Red Panthers captain went straight for the biggest prize in the competition.
“Knowing that the Pro League offers a ticket for the Olympics to the winner, we definitely want to go for that,” she said. “I think the team is ready to perform at every game, that’s something we really created over the years. Focus on winning every game and not trying to leave anything to chance.”
That’s the tone of a side that hosted a home World Cup this year and came out of it wanting more. Englebert still talks about that tournament first when she looks back: full stadiums for every home game, Belgian fans pushing the team to give 110%, and her grandmothers sitting next to the pitch, close to where they live. “It felt like an honour being able to play on home soil and give back to the people who have been supporting us from the start.”
A changed group, same ambition
The squad gathering for the new season looks a bit different, Englebert says. A few new players have come in and a few are taking a break, but the mood is good. Everyone is eager to work on what they took from the World Cup, and excited to start the Pro League in Valencia in December.
She’s clear about what this team does well and where it still needs to grow. The strengths are physicality, counter-attacks and an aggressive pressing mindset. The work is in front of goal: better goal-scoring efficiency, more dynamism in the way they play. They’ve already made steps there, she says, but there’s more to come.
For our money, that’s the honest read on Belgium. The Red Panthers have been knocking on the door of the very top for a while now, and the pieces are there. The question has always been whether they can turn pressure and chances into goals against the best sides, consistently, across a long season. Englebert knows it too.
The season ahead
The new FIH Hockey Pro League season starts on 8 December in Córdoba, Argentina, with 144 matches across seven host nations. Belgium open their campaign in Valencia, where the stage runs from 14 to 22 December alongside Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. That’s a tough first block: three of the strongest sides in the world, back to back.
Englebert sounds like she wouldn’t have it any other way. The travelling, the different countries, playing competitive teams every time: that’s what the Pro League is for, and it’s how a team measures where it really stands. “The small details matters the most at the top,” she said. Belgium are betting this is the season the details finally fall their way.
