Blanca “double-excited” after year out with Campo
After a year on the sidelines, Blanca Pérez says she is “double excited” to return to European hockey as Real Club de Campo prepare for yet another tilt at the EHL Women’s competition at Den Bosch next week.
The Madrid club remain the only ever‑present side since the tournament’s introduction, and for Pérez – who first played in the EHL as a teenager – the chance to step back onto the continent’s biggest stage carries extra significance.
“After being one year out, I come back with a lot of motivation,” she says. “You want to play everything and to do it well. Being back to compete in Europe is really motivating for me.”
Pérez suffered a serious knee injury last year, ruling her out of the 2025 EHL FINALS in Den Bosch. She watched Campo’s run to Den Bosch from afar, feeling every moment.
“Sometimes you are more nervous watching from home than when you’re actually playing,” she reflects. “But even though I wasn’t there, I felt part of the team.”
Indeed, Pérez’s story is very much a Campo story. She joined the club aged eight and has never worn another badge.
Her family have been club members for years, and hockey started simply because her father spotted it one day on the grounds and thought it would be nice to try it out.
“I’ve been in Campo my whole life,” she says. “I’ve grown every year until reaching the first team, which is what you dream about when you’re little. I’m really happy I’ve been able to do everything here.”
The club helped propel her to the Junior World Cup and then into the Olympic arena in 2024 despite just 10 senior caps to her name.
The injury stymied her progression after that but she has worked her way back into the Pro League panel having missed all of the 2025 international programme.
On the club front, Campo’s track record in the competition is long and consistent reaching the GRAND FINAL in both 2021 and 2023, only missing out in the latter to a single Frédérique Matla goal.
“Reaching a final is really exciting because you feel you’re among the two best teams in Europe,” she says. “Being so close two times… we feel our moment to win will come. Maybe it’s this year.”
Now 22, Pérez feels she returns not only fitter but also more mature.
“When I played my first EHL, everything was new and I was very nervous. Now I have more responsibility. I also feel it’s my time to help the younger players who are playing their first European competition.”
Campo arrive in strong domestic form, boosted not only by Pérez’s return but also by the prolific scoring of Begoña García after her own time away to give birth to her first child. Since returning, she has netted eight times, level with Florencia Amundson.
She is among a cohort of very experienced players like Maria Lopez and Béa Perez who bring structure to a lively side.
“We have really mature players who bring important experience, and also young players who add intensity,” Pérez explains. “Since January we’ve scored lots of goals. We feel confident.”
Their opening fixture could pit them against familiar rivals in Slavia Prague or Gantoise, teams Campo have beaten in previous editions, but Pérez emphasises that the focus is internal.
“They are both good teams and it will be challenging, but we know we can win. Our game is what will determine it, not the rival.”
With her club, her form, and her confidence all restored, Pérez looks ready for the next challenge, one she has waited a full year to embrace again.
“Playing European hockey is always a level up,” she says. “It’s going to help me get back to my best level. I’m really looking forward to it.”
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