The Heart of the Game: What GCL Really Is

As the GCL Championship Finals draw near, one thing is certain - everything will come down to the finest of margins. Rails, seconds, hoofbeats. After fifteen thrilling stages across the world, just six points separate the top two teams. Valkenswaard United hold the lead on 296 points, narrowly ahead of the Cannes Stars powered by Iron Dames on 290. The Prague Lions powered by Czech Equestrian Team sit third with 256, while the Shanghai Swans cling to fourth on 253 – just twelve points ahead of a resurgent Riesenbeck International powered by Horse Gym on 241. The numbers tell the story of a championship still wide open, where the smallest mistake can unravel months of perfection, and where victory demands more than talent alone.

Because the GCL is not just a contest of speed or precision - it is a contest of connection. A strategic game underpinned by teamwork, camaraderie, and respect. A place where the greatest riders in the world ride not for themselves, but for each other

Henrik von Eckermann once captured the spirit of it perfectly. After winning alongside Abdel Said and Oliver Fletcher for the Istanbul Warriors powered by Carpe Diem Equestrian Team in Paris earlier this season, he reflected, “I hope we win because we are the best and not because the other teams fail.” Those words echo what the GCL truly stands for - striving together for excellence, celebrating fairness, and competing with integrity.

At every stage, the stories of the GCL are written not only in results, but in the bonds between riders - between generations, between nations, between those still finding their place and those preparing to pass the reins. In Rabat, it was the St Tropez Pirates who soared to their second win of the season. Their line-up told a story in itself: 23-year-old Thibault Philippaerts, in his milestone debut 5* LGCT season, teamed up with 62-year-old Philippe Rozier, who had announced his retirement from the very sport he helped shape. It was a passing of the torch, a reminder that in GCL, experience and youth ride side by side toward the same goal.

That same weekend, podium veteran Peder Fredricson and his Rome Gladiators powered by Cavalleria Toscana claimed second alongside Emanuele Guadiano. In their post-round reflections, Fredricson’s admiration for Philippaerts was heartfelt: “He is an incredibly strong rider, he rides very well, and today he showed he has really the mentality that you need to have, and I think these shows [The GCL] are a very good place to develop your riding.” His words echo the ethos of this league - a proving ground where the next generation learns not just how to win, but how to grow.

Each GCL team is made up of six riders, carefully chosen by team owners and managers, balancing star power with strategy. Within every squad, at least one U25 rider must feature - a defining rule that gives emerging talent a stage unlike any other. It’s a bridge between ambition and opportunity, between watching and belonging.

A few years ago, a young Gilles Thomas spoke of what that opportunity meant to him. “Three or four years ago I was watching this on television,” he said. “And especially riding with John Whitaker and Marcus Ehning - they have always been my two inspirations. Now, riding as the U25 team member for Valkenswaard United on the GCL team series, I have the opportunity to be in the team and ride alongside these people. It’s a dream come true.”

Look at him now. A crucial part of Valkenswaard United’s powerhouse squad, Thomas has become one of the most consistent and composed riders on tour - proof that the GCL is more than a championship. It’s a catalyst.

As the tour turns to Riyadh for the GCL Championship Finals, everything that defines this league - teamwork, trust, resilience, and respect - will take centre stage. The battle lines are drawn. The teams are ready. The margins are impossibly fine. And when it’s all said and done, the title will belong not just to the fastest, but to the team that stands strongest together.

Be sure to tune in to the GCL of Riyadh next Thursday, live on GCTV.