One of the beautiful moments of the championship is undoubtedly the story of the Polish defender Jakub Prochazka. The 19-year-old native has lived in the Czech Republic since he was a child. However, his mother is Polish, so Jakub Procházka did not hesitate and asked about the national team jersey of Poland. It worked out, and Jakub is fighting at the championship in Polish colours.

Jakub, how was the idea of ​​representing Poland born?

The idea was born the moment I realized that I had dual citizenship. As the championship approached, I wondered why not try to address the Polish team. In December last year, I wrote to the manager of the Polish national team. I thought playing at such an event must be excellent. The championship is the culmination of a career. I just tried it; I’m so glad it worked out.

How did the whole process go?

I sent him a message via social media. He answered me after a few hours, and he gave me a contact to the boys who play in the Czech Republic, so to Wojtek Malajka and Nikodem Gawronski, with whom I work right here at the championship. I connected with them, and we solved everything on an ongoing basis. The result was that I was nominated for a training camp that was in Poland. I saw myself there for the first time with the team, sometime during February.

What about the local federation? How did it react to that?

They reacted very positively. Everything went smoothly and quickly. I want to thank them because I think most people would sweep it off the table. After all, the team was in some preparation stage, but the Polish team took me among themselves. I enjoy it.

How are you doing with Polish? Do you speak fluently?

Yes. Since I have half a family from Poland, they talked to me early, so I learned. I have no problem with that, so there is no problem with communication either.

You have the group stage behind you, two clear victories. There must be satisfaction in the team.

There is satisfaction with the results. It’s not as planned in the game. We have a bit of a problem at the beginning of the match to get into the game. But we say it all in the locker room, and I think we’re getting better every time. We are dominated by team spirit. We win as a team, certainly not as individuals; that is very important. The squad is excellent.

Yesterday’s match with Austria was balanced for a long time. What do you think decided?

Definitely, the second third decided. I want to praise the Austrians. They played great floorball, attacking, which we had to get used to. After the first third, we said what we need to improve. I think we took the reins of the game from the second period, and again we managed it as one team.

How did you prepare for the championship, considering that league matches have not been played for a long time?

I played in a competition in October last year; it’s been a long time. I trained individually, also arranged some training in clubs in the Czech Republic. I want to thank the Polish team very much for allowing me to train in Poland as well. Although it was difficult to transport, I am happy that I had this option.

With what goals did Poland come to the junior championship?

We want to return to the elite group. I think this team has a lot of inner strength. Even the demonstrated game proves that we can play with the best teams. So our goal is to be able to play again among the elite in two years.

You have been at the championship for several days. How do you like the whole organization of the tournament?

Before the championship, we still had a training camp where we were preparing. We tuned the tactics and other game stuff. I must say that the tournament is going great, it is well organized. The referees, organizers and especially the fans are great. For that, we would like to thank them for coming to Brno, and they support us. Everything is fine. I am pleased that teams like Italy have also arrived, where floorball is starting to develop, it is an excellent experience for them.