Two former NEKA players, newcomer Petra Vámos and Noémi Pásztor, were also included in the women's national team World Championship squad.

Bea Siti, who has been working alongside the head coach of the national team for years, talked about the background of the decision and the involvement of the two youngsters.

 

Bea Sitiknows well the mindset of the Danish head coach and the game system he envisioned, and in the light of this, it was expected that more young players would get the chance at the World Championships in Japan.

 

“Kim Rasmussen has always been courageous enough to include young players in his squad, so I was not surprised by the list of the names. The original idea at the beginning was that a player, before being put into international action, would have to participate in training camps and be a member of the squad first. But Petra took the obstacles so well in the first division (NB I) championship, she has done so well in one-on-one battles, plus she is one of Debrecen's most stable defence players, while also learning so quickly how to execute coaching instructions on the court, that eventually she was to join the team traveling to the world championships.”

Petra Vámosbecame European Champion with the Hungarian national team in the summer, but she has a whole new task ahead of her at the World Championships.

“Obviously, we have an episode role for her in the World Championships, but I should add that few years ago, we also assigned a similar role for Noémi Háfra in the Möbelring Cup, and there she immediately burst into the international arena. It is not an easy situation for Petra, who has played a leading role in her club team as well as in the national teams of various age groups so far. Here on the contrary she will be player number 17 or 18, but she has such a set of values that she can handle even this different, complementary kind of role well. Now the goal is to sniff the atmosphere of an adult world competition, get used to the national team’s style of play, get some experience. It is a great opportunity, you must take advantage of it.”

Noémi Pásztorhad already been a junior world champion when she arrived to the team of Budaörs, then to Ferencváros, where she is given regular playing time by his coach.

“Nono has already played in the national team and scored a goal, and in addition to the national championship matches, she goes on to be part of Champions League games week after week. She has been playing with other Fradi players for a long time, and them being familiar with each other can be an advantage for her. Noémi is highly motivated, I am sure that if she gets the opportunity, she will bring maximum effort.”

The Asian location proves to be a tough test for the athletes, so the composition of the squad is important.

“Of course, we must find a good mixture, cause with solely relying on young people you cannot succeed all the way in such a big event. Now, in addition, the players, counting the Seoul Cup and the World Championships, will be away from home for a month, find themselves in a new culture, then there is a factor of jetlag, and they shall be prepared in their spirits as well. There is a lot of pressure on everyone, it will not be easy to do it, so the support of experienced companions does come handy. The squad working together now has a positive attitude, and we believe this will be reflected in their performance.”– said Bea Siti for our website.