Portuguese club Galomar is seeking a first ever podium appearance at the ESF European Club Squash Championships — and the men’s team will have a secret weapon in Nürnberg this year.
Former world no.18 Patrick Rooney will play at no.1 for the Galomar men’s team in Bavaria as they bid to improve on fifth-placed finishes in the last two European Club Championships (ECC) in London (2024) and Graz (2025).
The 2026 ECC runs from 23-26 September at Sportpark-Nord in the German state of Bavaria, and Galomar will be bidding to halt English club Roehampton’s run of two successive men’s victories.
In doing so, they will have an England international in their ranks, as Rooney has a strong affinity with the renowned multi-sport club on the island of Madeira.
The 29-year-old is a three-time winner of the PSA Madeira Island Open, which is held at Galomar each year. Indeed, Rooney won the most recent edition of the event last December.
“We have a good connection with Patrick,” says Associação Desportiva Galomar president Ricardo Sardinha. “We think he’s a really good guy and, of course, he makes our team stronger.
“Rui Soares is our captain and we also have Diego Pita [a 19-year-old based in England but born in Madeira]. It’s important for us to invite him on to the team and give him these opportunities to build his experience.”
Galomar have been drawn in men’s Group B with Sportwerk Hamburg, Watsonians of Scotland and Irish club Fitzwilliam LTC. Group A includes defending champions Roehampton, Algemesi of Spain, the hosts Sportpark-Nord, Ultimate Squash Club from Luxembourg and SRC Vaduz of Liechtenstein.
Galomar’s women’s team, who finished eighth last year, are led by Spaniard Inés Gómez, joined by Maria Arseniev, Laura Catanho, Inés Silva and Klara Lopes-Fernandes. The women’s event is in a seven-team round-robin format.
Galomar originally opened as a squash club in 2000 and has since expanded to 12 sports including basketball, table tennis, judo, swimming and triathlon. Several teams play in Division 1 of their respective disciplines.
“The European Team Championships is an important experience for our team because we are an island so it’s not always easy to go to international tournaments,” explains Sardinha. “It’s very exciting and we try to get there every year.
“It’s positive for lots of reasons. Of course, the social aspect is great. It’s fun, but it’s so good to see different a culture and environment.
“We like to push our players to be their best, and it’s positive for Galomar’s reputation, so people outside of Portugal know our club. It also raises awareness with our government’s sports department.”
- Check out draws and schedules for the 2026 ESF European Club Squash Championships on Tournament Software here.
- Watch the 2026 ESF European Club Squash Championships live and for free on European Squash TV
- Highlights will be available on European Squash Instagram and Facebook accounts
