Netherlands To Host Biggest Ever European Team Championships

Netherlands will host the biggest ever European Team Championships when the 2008 event - featuring a record 28 nations competing in the men's event and 19 in the women's - takes place at the Frans Otten Stadion in Amsterdam from 30 April to 3 May.

The men's championship welcomes Serbia for the first time - and also Portugal and Luxembourg, returning to the event for the first time since 1999 and 1997, respectively.

The women's event boasts the biggest entry since 2000 - and hails first-timers Ukraine, while also welcoming back Greece for the first time since 1989.

The 2008 staging marks the ninth time the prestigious Championships have been hosted by Netherlands - more times than any other country.

England, defending champions in both the men's and women's events, are seeded to retain their titles - the men's squad for the 33rd time since the inaugural event in 1973, and the women's having held the title unchallenged since 1978.

England's men's squad will be led by world No4 James Willstrop, supported by world No10 Peter Barker, No11 Lee Beachill, No14 Adrian Grant, and - making his international debut - Joey Barrington, ranked 28 in the world. In the absence of Tania Bailey, who is recovering from knee surgery, the England women's team features world No6 Jenny Duncalf, No8 Vicky Botwright, No11 Alison Waters and No12 Laura Lengthorn-Massaro.

But, after finishing as runner-up in both events last year, hosts Netherlands will be hoping to make a long-awaited breakthrough on 'home soil'. Seeded two, and looking for first-time success in both events, Netherlands will present a men's squad led by world No19 Laurens Jan Anjema, with Dylan Bennett, Tom Hoevenaars, Piedro Schweertman, Rene Mijs and 40-year-old nine-time Dutch National champion Lucas Buit.

Former world champion Vanessa Atkinson leads the Dutch women's squad which has finished in second place each year since 2003. Supporting the world No10 will be world No18 Annelize Naude, Karen Kronemeyer, Orla Noom and Dagmar Vermeulen.

Strong contenders in the men's event in Amsterdam will be France. Runners-up to England for seven years in a row since 2000, France contested last year's championship without injured Gregory Gaultier and Thierry Lincou. This time the pair - ranked three and seven in the world, respectively - are back in action and will compete alongside team-mates Renan Lavigne, Julien Balbo and Mathieu Castagnet.

Men's qualifying pools (with seedings in brackets) are:
Pool A: [1] ENGLAND, [8] SCOTLAND, [9] DENMARK, [16] BELGIUM
Pool B: [2] NETHERLANDS, [7] SWEDEN, [10] SWITZERLAND, [15] HUNGARY
Pool C: [3] FRANCE, [6] IRELAND, [11] SPAIN, [14] AUSTRIA
Pool D: [4] WALES, [5] GERMANY, [12] FINLAND, [13] ITALY
Pool E: [17] ISRAEL, [24] ISLE OF MAN, PORTUGAL
Pool F: [18] CZECH REPUBLIC, [23] RUSSIA, SERBIA
Pool G: [19] SLOVAKIA, [22] GIBRALTAR, SLOVENIA
Pool H: [20] UKRAINE, [21] LATVIA, LUXEMBOURG

Women's qualifying pools:
Pool A: [1] ENGLAND, [4] GERMANY, [5] IRELAND, [8] SPAIN
Pool B: [2] NETHERLANDS, [3] DENMARK, [6] SWITZERLAND, [7] FRANCE
Pool C: [9] WALES, [14] FINLAND, [15] SCOTLAND
Pool D: [10] ITALY, [13] AUSTRIA, [16] RUSSIA, UKRAINE
Pool E: [11] BELGIUM, [12] CZECH REPUBLIC, SWEDEN, GREECE