With another exciting season of equestrian’s most prestigious competition fast approaching, teams for the Longines Global Champions League (GCL) have been announced.
Some of the world’s top riders have been on the move during the off-season, with owners and managers bidding to assemble the most competitive teams for the upcoming year.
Edwina Tops-Alexander making a switch to Valkenswaard United is among the headline moves ahead of the team competition’s fifth season.
Other high-profile moves include Jessica Springsteen, daughter of rocker Bruce, heading to Cannes Stars, Daniel Deusser transferring to St Tropez Pirates and Pénélope Leprevost making her GCL debut with Paris Panthers.
READ: Longines Global Champions Tour and GCL returns with exciting new calendar
The team competition provides the sport with a unique format where riders from different countries unite together and form fierce rivalries with other teams.
In addition to the famous names on the rosters, a host of young talent will also be given a platform to perform this year with under-25 riders being represented on every team.
London Knights are the reigning champions for the team competition after securing a second consecutive title, while the Shanghai Swans clinched the GCL Super Cup in the finale in Prague in November.
All the teams are now planning their route to success ahead of the opening leg of the 18-stop tour in Doha, Qatar, on March 5.
The competition will culminate in the New York finals before the teams head to Prague for the lucrative GC Playoffs in November.
