Germany wins the Eurospital trophy
Melsungen. On September 6, Eberswalde Hospital were declared the winners of Eurospital 2008 – the European football championship for hospitals – outplaying teams from 14 European countries to win the coveted Eurospital trophy for 2008. In the final, the 2008 German hospital football champions beat runners-up Italy 5:4 after a penalty shoot-out. The last German hospital team to win the cup was Bayreuth Hospital in 2000.

The Eurospital event gave Melsungen the opportunity to present itself to an international audience, which it did to great effect. When not working up a sweat on the football pitch, the participants visited the city of Melsungen and the production facilities of tournament hosts B. Braun Melsungen AG and were suitably impressed by all they saw. Gerry Reid from Ireland declared it a “very enjoyable occasion and an unforgettable tournament”. Jiri Chvojka from the Czech Republic commended the “excellent organization”, to which many Melsungen locals had also contributed – from the medical service, the Melsungen referee division and municipal authorities to local football club Melsungen 08. An important contribution to the success of the event was also made by the B. Braun company sports group and the many voluntary helpers, and above all the country guides, all of whom ensured that the stay in Melsungen was an unforgettable experience for the 350 guests from Belgium, England, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, San Marino, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the Czech Republic. “I would like to thank B. Braun for their support and hospitality”, said Eurospital President Joop Vossen from the Dutch city of Venlo on behalf of all participants. On the Saturday morning, the Eurospital President officially kicked off the tournament together with Prof. Dr. Ludwig Georg Braun.

Next year, the tournament will be hosted by Slovakia.

The final ranking:

• Germany (Eberswalde)
• Italy
• Germany (Marburg)
• Austria
• Czech Republic
• Belgium
• Slovakia
• San Marino
• Netherlands
• Portugal
• Slovenia
• Scotland
• Germany (Bad Gandersheim)
• Ireland
• England
• Sweden