EHF

Following the recent Competitions Committee and with the approval of the Executive Board, the EuroHockey5s U16 Championships 2024 (Boys and Girls) will take place on the following dates at the venues stated.

Participating nations have qualified for each division based on their final ranking from the 2022 competition.

Boy’s U16 Championship

Teams: AUT, CRO, POL, SUI, SVK, TUR, UKR, WAL

Venue: Vienna (AUT)

Dates: 3-6 July 2024

Boy’s U16 Championship II

Teams: ARM, BLR*, BUL, DEN, GEO, LUX, RUS* (*both RUS & BLR excluded for the foreseeable future)

Venue: Kutaisi (GEO)

Dates: 4-6 July 2024

Girl’s U16 Championship

Teams: AUT, CRO, GEO, POL, SUI, TUR, UKR, WAL

Venue: Vienna (AUT)

Dates: 3-6 July 2024

Girl’s U16 Championship II

No event will be held unless new entries enter and a host steps up.

Reserve teams for Championship in Vienna: BLR* (1st reserve), RUS* (2nd reserve) (*both RUS & BLR excluded for the foreseeable future)

Notes:

For the U16 Championships, the arrangement of the pools will be the responsibility of the EHF and will be based on the final rankings of teams immediately after the completion of the previous EuroHockey5s U16 Championships.

To be eligible to participate in the EuroHockey5s U16 Championships, players must be born on, or after, 1 January 2008. Moreover, each player needs to be at least 13 years old on the first day of the event and players need a valid passport.

The withdrawal date for all tournaments in these competitions is 15 January 2024. Any National Association withdrawing after that date may be subject to a fine or other disciplinary action by the EHF. See current EHF Regulations for further details.

EHF/ 30th March 2023

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The EHF Executive Board met on 24th and 25th March 2023 in our head office in Brussels:

Presidents Welcome

The President, Marijke Fleuren, warmly welcomed everyone to the first face-to-face Executive Board meeting of the year. The President touched on the upcoming EHF elections and FIH Committees.

After Marijke’s welcome, Marcos and Peter presented a short video about the Türkiye situation presented by Gizem Karaali Karadağ, Director of International Relations of the Türkiye Hockey Federation. Gizem conveyed the emotion, desperation, and sadness for the situation in Turkey that all Board members felt.

The minutes of the meeting of 6th December 2022 (online), 10th December 2022 (face-to-face), 1st February 2023 (online), and 27th February 2023 (online) were read and approved.

Digital Transformation Project

Simon Mason and Tom Pedersen Smith (supported by Siobhán Madeley) gave a comprehensive overview of the work completed and the work ongoing on this important project. The project will deliver a new fan-centric website, a dedicated Portal for members to access, and a platform for the EHF staff organisation and administration.

The website and phase 1 of the portal will be launched on 17th August. This project is funded by the European Union.

Development Committee

Peter Elders and Marcos Hofmann updated the Board about the Development Committee meeting which took place on 23rd March 2022 in Brussels.

All development activities are on track as per the detailed report submitted for the December 2022 Board meeting.

Peter and Marijke informed the Board about the trips to “EHF Club of the Year 2022” winners and explained how important it is as a Board member to visit clubs and NAs.

Marcos updated the Board regarding the new EU grant project which was applicated for on March 2023.  The project is to support our Member National Associations with their strategic planning and delivery – the outcome of the bid will not be known until the Autumn.

Communications and Commercial

Siobhán Madeley presented the Board with the overview of 2022 regarding the communications planning and the tone of voice of the EHF, social media, year highlights, ongoing projects, and the plan summary for 2023.

General trends for 2022 (EHF and EHL): Page reach down in 2021 for Facebook but the quality of visits is higher (engagement/profile visits).

Reach was also affected by smaller spending on Facebook advertising.

The main driver for growth/engagement on all fronts is events – big spikes for EuroHockey Junior Championships and EHC Indoors on the EHF channels; Dedicated resource for Instagram pays dividends – e.g. Svenja Fix at U18 Championships in Ghent, Scorrd for EHL KO16, volunteer team in Hamburg for Euro Indoors (increased follower growth)

Website stats show the absolute importance of having event/tournament stats readily available which is a key part of digital transformation (fan-focused website)

The Communications and Commercial committee will have a meeting on 7th April at EHL to reflect on the current communications strategy and have a look at what we can do differently in the future.

Jokko de Wit and Siobhán Madeley presented the Board with the EHF OTT journey with Sportradar since 2017 and new OTT platform choices to go forward from 2023 to 1st August 2023. The Board supported the Committee’s decision which will now be actioned.

Jokko de Wit presented the Board with the partnership model, EHTV+ update, clothing tenders, and license agreements review. Now we have 7 members in EuroHockey Institute Business Club, and the aim for 2023 is to have 20 members. The aim is to have 6 partners, and there are 2 spots to fill. There are ongoing negotiations with some potential partners.

The last discussions are ongoing on the EHTV+ Shareholders agreement before it will go to the Board for signing off.

FIH Update

Marijke Fleuren updated the Board regarding the changes in the FIH competitions calendar and FIH committee nominations.

Competitions Outdoor & Indoor

 Walter Kapounek updated the Board regarding Outdoor Club events 2023, U18 Championships 2023, and Seniors Hockey5s 2023.

Walter presented the entry teams and the offers to host that had been received for U16 Championships 2024 and U21 Championships 2024, which were approved by the Board and will be announced in due course.

It was discussed and agreed that the approach to transport costs during a tournament will be the same for nations and club tournaments with hosts providing transport from the designated airport to the hotel but teams paying for their transport from the hotel to the venue.  Hosts will support local arrangements.

Walter presented the update regarding upcoming FIH events and EHF events 2025/2026 timelines and windows. Serious concern was expressed for the potential impact of the global Hockey calendar on the future of our Indoor competitions, and this is something that will be followed up closely with FIH.

Walter updated the Board on the outcome of the Indoor Senior Championships 2022, and the planning for U21 Championships 2023 and Club events 2023.

Appointments Update

Magdalena Nazaret updated the Board on the recent face-to-face meeting of the committee which was held in Brussels.  She presented the Board with the overview of Appointments 2022 and Officials Education courses 2022 as well as the plans for 2023.

She showed a short video that reflects the experiences and happiness of our Officials at our courses.

Coaching Update

Inez Cooper updated the Board on the Coaching Committee meeting which was on 3rd March 2022 in Brussels and explained more about the European qualification framework and EuroHockey Institute Coaching pillar overview of 2022 and the plans for 2023.

Director General Update

Angus Kirkland updated the Board regarding the EuroHockey Championship 2023 in Monchengladbach, the General Assembly 2023, the EuroHockey Championship 2025, and the upcoming EHL Finals.

Finance Update

Mika Rihtilä and Angus Kirkland presented to the Board the summary of the 2022 financial year, 2022 Actuals compared with the 2022 Budget, year-to-date February figures, debtor list and the processes between the EHF and supporting accounting company.

The Board approved giving a 100% discount for entry fees for the participants of cancelled Alanya events.

President Closing

The President thanked the Board members for their time and all approved decisions. The President looked forward to the Executive Leadership Forum being hosted this weekend.

The next meeting is scheduled for the 16th of June (Friday) in Brussels.

Photograph: Marijke Fleuren, President, EHF (World sport pics (c))

The post EHF Executive Board Report, March 24th and 25th 2023 appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

The 2024 EuroHockey U21 Championships (Men and Women) will take place on the following dates at the venues stated. Participating nations have qualified for each division based on their final ranking from the 2022 competition.

The format change now means that there is no U21 Championship II with 8 teams and a U21 Championship III with the remaining teams anymore.

These 2 events are combined into a U21 Championship II-A and II-B which are played at the same level. From both events, the winner will be promoted to the 2026 U21 Championships.

Men’s U21 Championship

Teams: BEL, ENG, ESP, FRA, GER, IRL, NED, TUR

Venue: Terrassa (ESP)

Dates: 14-20 July 2024

Men’s U21 Championship II-A

Teams: AUT, POL, ITA, RUS*, LTU, BLR*, LUX (*both RUS & BLR are excluded for the foreseeable future)

Venue: Walcz (POL)

Dates: 14-20 July 2024

Men’s U21 Championship II-B

Teams: SCO, WAL, CZE, SUI, UKR, FIN, SVK

Venue: Cardiff (WAL)

Dates: 14-20 July 2024

Women’s U21 Championship

Teams: AUT, BEL, ENG, ESP, FRA, GER, IRL, NED

Venue: Terrassa (ESP)

Dates: 14-20 July 2024

Women’s U21 Championship II-A

Teams: WAL, ITA, CZE, RUS*, BLR* (*both RUS & BLR are excluded for the foreseeable future)

Venue: Prague (CZE)

Dates: 15-20 July 2024

Women’s U21 Championship II-B

Teams: SCO, POL, UKR, TUR, LTU

Venue: Konya (TUR)

Dates: 15-20 July 2024

Notes:

In early 2024 the EHF will look to see if teams need to swap events as by then the withdrawal deadline has passed. We want fo to avoid (for example) having a 7-team and a 4-team event per gender when more teams from 1 event withdraw.

For the U21 Championships tournaments, the composition of the pools will be the responsibility of the EHF and will be based upon the World Ranking of the participants’ senior teams (at the moment the match schedules are prepared).

The withdrawal date for all tournaments in these competitions is 15 January 2024. Any National Association withdrawing after that date may be subject to a fine.

The age eligibility of players can be found here.

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The EuroHockey Institute project partners have worked hard to deliver 9 major outcomes during the 36-month project which ends in December 2023. 

About the EuroHockey Institute project: 

The EuroHockey Institute’s mission is to deliver world-class education to support national growth. Co-Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

For more information visit here 

When will the EuroHockey Institute will be formally launched:  

At the EuroHockey General Assembly in August 2023 in Monchengladbach.  

The EuroHockey Institute project partners are:  

Association Royale Belge De Hockey, Fédération Française De Hockey, Copenhagen University, Stichting Orange Sports Forum, Royal Dutch Hockey Federation, Deutsche Hockey Bund, Hockey Magic, Slovenian Hockey Federation, Swiss Hockey Federation. 

Four of the nine project outcome have now been published on the EuroHockey Website and will be submitted to the European Union in due course. You can download the following four outcomes in full by clicking below. 

Intellectual Outcome 1 

TITLE: International Sports Federation Frameworks for Education
DESCRIPTION: An insight report on the education programmes and processes used in international sports federations 

Intellectual Outcome 2 

TITLE: Educational Framework for the Teaching and Learning of Good Governance 

DESCRIPTION: A resource and training information pack for national associations to adopt and implement good governance policy. 

Intellectual Outcome 3 

TITLE: European Hockey Leadership and Management 

DESCRIPTION:  A platform for the development of skill sets to create purposeful learning for those in decision-making roles within hockey. 

Intellectual Outcome 4 

TITLE:  Athlete Dual Career Development 

DESCRIPTION: Implementation of a duty of care pillar for athletes, in sports or business across administration, marketing, and communications 

The project partners will meet in Copenhagen on the 17th and 18th of April to sign off outcomes 5 & 6 and discuss the final deliverables for the institute outcomes 7 (launch), 8 (review), and 9 (legacy). 

Tom Pedersen-Smith, Head of National Associations said “It’s hard to put in short words how unbelievably proud I am of the team that has worked tirelessly during this project. This is game-changing for how we deliver our education programmes.  The Institute will have huge benefits for years to come for all our members as we will be delivering world-class programmes. In addition, we are developing Athlete Duel Career pathways, which I’m really excited about. It will be fantastic to launch the EuroHockey Institute at the upcoming General Assembly and we are indebted to the European Union for having the vision to fund these types of programmes, which has enabled us to engage with the perfect partners who have debated, discussed and agreed on the way forward.” 

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Roslagen ended Partille’s 17-year reign as Swedish men’s indoor champions as two last minute goals saw them land the title in incredible style.

Simon Pontén gave Roslagen a 16th minute lead but Partille came back to build a 3-1 lead with three quick goals to seemingly swing the title their way.

Roslagen, though, kept fighting and got one back with 10 minutes to go, setting up the famous finale.

With 58 seconds left, André Amilon ties the match up to 3-3 and then, with only 11 seconds to go, Leo Törner got the decisive goal for a 4-3 victory.

On the women’s side in Älmhult, Partille’s winning streak continued as they have not lost a match in Sweden in more than 10 years, making it 11 straight gold medals.

They won out 13-3 against SLF Mesaicos with Ella Spira, Klara Moberg and Emilia Fantini scoring three goals each. They duly wrapped up the title with a 7-4 win over Valhalla LCH with three goals from Ella Sampers and two more from Moberg.

In Norway, Furusett LHK won the men’s title thanks to a 6-4 win over Kringsja in the final, making it four successive titles. They knocked Sagene 8-0 and Oslo Sportsklubb 5-2 en route to the final. Earlier in the season, Mask had won the league title.

Furuset

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Last weekend, the EHF Competitions Committees Outdoor met in Brussels, Belgium, for their first meeting of the year.

The Committee received updates on the Euro Hockey League, EuroHockey Club Trophy & Challenge events, EuroHockey U18 Championships 2023, EuroHockey5s Championship (Women) 2023, and EuroHockey Championships 2023.

The Committee considered the entries and applications to host the 2024 EuroHockey5s U16 Championship events and 2024 EuroHockey U21 Championship events. Recommendations for the awarding of these Championships were made to the EHF Executive Board. These will be announced as soon as the EHF Executive Board has met and approved them.

They received updates on FIH events and discussed various (regulations) questions and proposed updates. Any changes will be published in due course in the various sets of Regulations and Event Manuals.

The next Committee meeting will be in September 2023.

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The Coaching Committee had a productive face-to-face committee meeting in March 2023 with a range of outcomes agreed upon and discussed. 

Agreement was made on the structuring of future meetings to replicate the timings of the EuroHockey Institute programme application. So each March the committee will review topics and content and each September they will review the programme applications received by the EuroHockey Institute.  

The committee revisited the values, and teambuilding of the committee, and Tom Pedersen-Smith, Nathan Kipp, Michel Kinnen and Cameron Findler explained how productive the EuroHockey Institute and FIH Academy working together following a meeting in Lausanne in November 2023  

Cameron Findler provided an overview of the coaching Solidarity Funding projects for emerging nations with 12 nations now involved in coaching support through a European workforce, which we are working to certify to global standards with FIH. 

EUROPEAN QUALIFICATION FRAMEWORK 

Nathan Kipp explained the work he has been doing on behalf of the EuroHockey Institute and using the mapping process from KNHB around the European Qualification Framework. This will form the report of the EuroHockey Institute Intellectual Outcome 5 which was discussed by the group, it was agreed and understood the importance of this framework to benchmark and review the standards and scope of each of the member National Associations’ coaching pathway. Nathan Kipp explained the EQF in detail and is working on the EuroHockey version of this to benchmark the level of each coaching programme across Europe, FIH, the DHB and Belgium Hockey have also started this process and it will be combined. Nathan Kipp and Tom Pedersen-Smith have a series of follow-up meetings and will finalise this by June 2023 

EUROHOCKEY INSTITUTE COACHING PILLAR 

The committee reviewed the learning outcomes and overview of each programme and agreed objectives of the coaching pillar and the workforce training needs. The committee noted it was good to see so many nations represented again in TCP and C4E. The workforce in C4E has a great gender balance also. 

The committee continued to review and discuss coaching and learning against all programme general topics and linked these to the concepts, goals, success and needs and the above-mentioned EQF. Time was also used to consider what learners and educators need to deliver, and link this to any gaps identified against the aforementioned European Qualification Framework. 

A lengthy discussion rounded off the meeting around the length, design and formation of the current programmes to analyse if this is done correctly and/or could be amended. The outcome was to stay the same for the next 12month cycle and revisited in March 2024, once the EQF is published. 

For more information on our Coaching Programmes – click here

 

 

 

 

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Did you know that Feijenoord is not only a football club but also a very special hockey club in the Netherlands?

In co-operation with the EHF and the Dutch Hockey Federation (KNHB), the Czech Hockey Federation has join a twinning programme with the aim to link a European federation with a Dutch club.

HC Feijenoord is a small but progressive club which is focused on social inclusion and offering hockey to socially disadvantaged people in Rotterdam, regardless of their background.

David Bohac, Marek Fikrle and Vojtech Felt from Prague’s TJ Sokol Kbely took up the offer and went for a two-day trip to meet up with Feijenoord’s Paul Veldhuijzen and his team to get inspired.

The main objective of the visit was a set of meetings focused on:

1. What are the best practices to run a club?

2. How to work with staff (i.e. coaches, referees), volunteers and other people who want to help?

3. How to ensure economic stability of the club?

“These themes were identified prior to the visit and expanded upon during the discussions,” the Czech contingent explained. “The Feijenoord club members were very open and gave us a lot of advice that came from their experiences.

“The hardest, but most necessary (and ultimately the most valuable) for us was to change our mindset. We still have a lot of thinking to do and a lot of work to do, but the partner club has really helped us find a path to take.

“The above already completely fulfils the main objectives of this pleasant meeting.

“Moreover, we had the opportunity to see in practice how to work with socially disadvantaged groups of children. The simplicity but, at the same time, the effectiveness was amazing.

“The ‘hockey lesson for street children’ which was held in a neighbourhood playground interested us so much that we spontaneously joined in.

“All this left a deep impression on us.”

The second day was held at Hockeyclub ‘s-Hertogenbosch where they met with Dilja Holewijn and Gino Schilders where they saw the club’s Under-18 girls team play.

“Afterwards we had the amazing opportunity to discuss with Dilja about her daily work with the coaches in her role overseeing the youth categories.

“She gave us an insight into how they motivate them and prepare the right conditions for them to work in, as well as the basics of the training progress-check system and their development programme based on values.

“Even though Den Bosch is a top club, the system of how to work with the kids and how to motivate them is still very simple and a few ‘local’ changes can be applied in our conditions.

“It was another amazing and informative day that brought us a lot of inspiration for our work.

“If we had to say only three words to describe the results of the visit, they would be: inspiring, open, learnfull.

“Big thanks to the HC Feijenoord, the EHF and the KNHB for making this possible and we plan to stay in contact with Paul and his team to look at future opportunities to work together.”

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The European Hockey Federation (EHF) has updated the match schedule for the EuroHockey Championships 2023 to work with broadcast arrangements in Germany and the Netherlands.  

The changes see the women’s and men’s finals in Mönchengladbach now set to take place earlier than originally scheduled to facilitate live broadcasts while a number of group games have also been adjusted.

The women’s final on Saturday, August 26 will move to a 14.45 (CET) time slot, three hours and 15 minutes earlier than originally scheduled with the bronze medal match moving to 12.15.

On the men’s side, the final is now set to be played at 15.00 with the bronze medal encounter switching to 12.30; both are one hour and a half earlier than originally published.

The knock-on effect of these changes will see two women’s Pool C fixtures moved from August 26 to Friday, August 25. One men’s Pool C fixture will move from Sunday, August 27 to Saturday, August 26. These changes have a knock-on effect to fixture times on Friday, August 25 with the schedule increasing from four to six games.

In the initial group stages, there will also be a change on Sunday, August 20. The women’s Pool A fixture between Belgium and the Netherlands will now take place at 15.00 while Germany’s game in Pool B against England is now on at 17.30.

Speaking about the changes, EHF Director General Angus Kirkland said: “It is exciting to see the level of broadcast interest in the EuroHockey Championships, securing prime slots on live television for what is the highlight of our calendar and bring the sport to as many people as possible.”

Niclas Thiel, Executive Board Member of the DHB, added: “We are well on the way to ensuring that all German games at the EuroHockey Championship 2023 will be shown live on the platforms of the public broadcasters in Germany. Together with the EHF we are making the necessary adjustments to the match schedule to also enable a free TV broadcast of the men’s and women’s final in Germany, should they involve the German teams.”

The EHF will announce full broadcast details and where you can watch the 2023 EuroHockey Championships in due course. All times posted are German local time.

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EHF President Marijke Fleuren was delighted to deliver the welcoming address at the Catalan Hockey Federation’s gender equality forum in Terrassa last Friday.

The forum was held to celebrate the centenary of the Federation with Joana Barbany as the spokeswoman for the event.

Xavier Adell was a key organiser behind the initiative which had the backing and input from the Mayor of Terrassa and the Secretary General of Sport of Catalunya, Anna Caula.

She was among a group of exceptional people who shared their experiences in different roles in hockey from a woman’s perspective including public administrators, club presidents, team managers, coaches, umpires and players of different generations.

Over 150 people were in attendance and with speakers including international star Gigi Oliva, umpire Sandra Adell and Real Club de Polo men’s head coach Katie Allen.

In Marijke’s address, she said she was honoured to take part in the event which she hoped will write some history in the discourse of the organisation.

She spoke of the distance the Catalonian Hockey Federation has come since forming 100 years ago in 1923 but also challenged the audience to ask “has it been enough?” from a women’s perspective.

“We are here to talk about Equally Amazing, to see where we stand. It is about the role and visibility of women in society. In sport, in culture, in science in the public domain.

“Compared with 1923 we have made progress. But has it been enough?”

She added that having male advocacy is also key to change: “It is also clear, we cannot achieve it on our own. We need support from the men. In the IOC, connected with the UN, there is the HeForShe initiative, where men advocate the interests of women, to get a better result for all.

“We all have a role to play. As simple as that”.

Following her address, the forum provided a lively opportunity to give a voice and visibility to women in hockey to talk about their role on and off the field, exposing the reality of women in the sport.

The audience listened to stories and anecdotes focused on female talent and leadership in hockey and sport, highlighting the evolution of the role of women over the last few decades.

It stressed the importance in the promotion of hockey to young women and new generations, particularly encouraging their participation by looking for role models to inspire them.

When it comes to the role of women in the leadership and decision-making roles in hockey, the forum spoke of the need to promote gender diversity in committees, management positions, coaching positions and so on.

** You can see more from the forum here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07E14ENoNek

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February saw the curtain come down on the club indoor season for many in Europe with winners confirmed in Denmark, Spain, Croatia, Poland and Switzerland featured here.

Denmark
Copenhagen HC (pictured above won both the Danish men’s and women’s national indoor titles last week, taking the laurels at Slagelse Hall in front of healthy crowds.
They took the laurels in the women’s competition ahead of Gentofte 4-2 in the final with Katja Christensen getting the top scorer award from the competition.
On the men’s side, Copenhagen edged out Slagelse with Jesper Jonasson to the fore on the goalscoring front. They did so in thrilling fashion, coming back from 4-1 down to prevail 5-4.
For Slagelse, the event was a significant one as Mikkel Steinmetz hung up his stick after 34 years playing for the club during which time he won 17 Danish championships and 15 cup titles.

Spain
Earlier in February, Sanse Complutense did the double as they won both the men’s and women’s titles, both via Madrid derbies with wins over Club de Campo de Madrid.
For the men, it was tight throughout the final, 1-1 at half-time and then 3-3 at full-time, leading to a shoot-out in which Complu won 9-8 in an epic finale.
The women’s final followed a similar pattern. Club de Campo began by taking the lead with a goal from Begoña García and later, Sanse equalized, led by Sara Carmona – the subsequent top scorer.
The second half was very even and reached 3-3 by the final whistle. Then, Sanse won 3-2 in the shoot-out.

Croatia
HAHK Mladost were the men’s champions were 8-4 winners over HK Zelina in the final against HK Zelina, transforming a close-run 2-0 half-time lead into a big win with Vitali Kalinchuk the star man.
In the women’s competition, HK Zelina beat Mladost 5-3 with a strong performance, building a 3-0 lead in the first half and they kept their rivals at bay in the second half.

HAHK Mladost

Poland
WKS Grunwald Poznan celebrated the men’s crown when they defeated KS Pomorzanin Toruń 3-0 in the final with a couple of goals from Waldermar Rataj and one from Mikolaj Gumny. It was tight at half-time, 1-0, before single goals in the third and fourth quarter stretched out the scoreline for the army team.

KS Hokej Start Brzeziny enjoyed a dream February as they won the Polish title in addition to the EuroHockey Club Challenge I. They closed out their campaign with a 3-2 win over UKS SP5 Swarek Swarzędz and then saw off UKS Orient II Łozina 3-1. It gave them the perfect record in the competition, finishing 11 points clear of their nearest rivals.

Switzerland
Rotweiss Wettingen made it a double as their women won their final game 5-0 against HC Olten, while the men took the laurels from a tighter game, 2-1 against GC Zurich.

You can check the following posts to see how other national championships were determined already:
– Update one
– Update two

KS Start Brzeziny

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Twenty-five national associations will be represented at the EuroHockey Equally Amazing Executive Leadership Forum with 50-50 split of male and female delegates attending in Brussels from March 24 to 26.

The event brings together, in total, 46 leaders in the sport to drive change on and off the playing field; like-minded people to exchange experiences to inspire and learn from each other. Each national association member was invited to nominate one male and one female participant to take part in the forum, which is co-funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union, and will be attended by general secretaries, board members, directors, executives and decision-makers. The forum will feature a lineup of prestigious guests, with the confirmed presence of: Katie Sadleir, CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF); Tine Vertommen, from International Olympic Committee’s Safe Sport Unit; and Thomas Briels, Olympic gold medalist, world champion and an alumnus of Johan Cruyff Institute’s Master in Sport Management (Online). The Johan Cruijff Institute agreed a collaboration with the European Hockey Federation last December as a learning partner of the EHF and their general manager Mariël Koerhuis will be another of the key speakers at the forum.

She will bring the mission of Johan Cruyff Institute to the event and the importance of dual careers for athletes. “My special interest lies in talent development in the world of sport, thanks to my role at Johan Cruyff Institute,” she said ahead of the event. “My work focuses on further professionalising the sports industry worldwide through professional training.” As for the conference, Mariël hopes: “to challenge the stakeholders who will be there to think about the importance of dual career development. I would also like to explain and convey the message of how Johan Cruyff founded Johan Cruyff Institute and our mission. So, I hope it will be an interesting and challenging session for the current and future leaders who are going to participate.”

The EuroHockey Institute is pleased to offer discounts for member national association athletes and staff as part of the EuroHockey Institute partnership with the Johan Cruyff Institute. Please see this link for more details: https://johancruyffinstitute.com/en/academic-programs/

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From 30th January to 3rd February the Top Coaches Programme took place at Club Junior in Barcelona.

With mentors Jules Halls, Bobby Crutchley, and lead mentor Michel Kinnen. The coaches covered a range of topics from developing a high-performance culture to identifying in-game strategies. Coaches also delivered their own presentations and outlined their personal coaching principles.

The group also had the honour of having topics delivered by special guests Marc Sanz and Xavi Trenchs. Furthermore, the group had a fantastic opportunity to sit down with Spanish National Team Head Coach Max Caldas to reflect on the recent FIH world cup.

A special thank you goes out to all of the staff at Club Junior for their hospitality and for helping to create an environment that allowed for such a positive learning environment.

Andrew Brogdon (SCO) said of the event: “I really enjoyed my week on the outskirts of Barcelona where whilst picking the brains of all the top hockey people on the course, learning from some fantastic guest speakers, and enjoying the facilities and hospitality of Club Junior it was also nice to see a little bit of winter sun. As always the week was full of learning, great company, and lots of things to go away and reflect about. I look to the final seminar in Germany this summer.”

For more details on our TCP Programmes – click here

 

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To celebrate International Women’s Day, we have a special EuroHockey Institute Podcast this month with Shirley McCay, Ireland’s most capped sportsperson who is now making a major impact on the next generation.

Her story is symbolic of the “Green Army” and their rise from nowhere to the top table in the world, reaching the 2018 World Cup final.

She speaks to Jack Rolfe about growing up far from the hockey hubs of Ireland but how her background helped shape her, how her ‘stubbornness and steeliness’ drove her to never wonder ‘what if’.

Beyond her playing days, she has had a direct influence in guiding and inspiring the next generation. She has been involved for almost a decade as a talent coach with Ulster Hockey, the northern province in Ireland, overseeing programmes from primary school level up to Under-21 level.

Her approach is very much a player-centred one, making sure to listen to athletes and observe the new evolutions in the sport rather than hark back to the elements which influenced her early career.

Enjoy episode five of this fourth series of the EuroHockey Institute Podcast.

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The EuroHockey5s Championship 2023 (Women) will take place on the following dates at the venue stated.

Women’s Championship

Teams: AUT, BLR (*excluded for the foreseeable future), GEO, NED, POL, RUS (*excluded for the foreseeable future), SUI, SVK, SWE, TUR, UKR, WAL.

Venue: Walcz (POL)

Dates: 28 June – 1 July 2023

Withdrawn: CRO, BEL

Notes: 

In case of circumstances beyond EHF’s control, EHF reserves the right to reconsider the event dates.

The withdrawal date for all tournaments in this competition is 15 January 2023. Any National Association withdrawing after that date may be subject to a fine or other disciplinary action by the EHF. See current EHF Regulations for further details.

The Men’s event took place in the summer of 2022.

 

EHF/ updated March 8th 2022

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Scottish club Uddingston received their 2022 EuroHockey Large Club of the Year award this week from Chair of the Development Committee Peter Elders.

It is a special achievement as the Scottish outfit winning a Club of the Year award for a second time as they continue to promote the sport in Glasgow.

“The funny thing is, they won the medium club award in 2015 and they grew so much since then, they have now won the large club. It is unique,” Elders said when visiting this week.

Uddingston’s Allan McGill added: “Where we have progressed massively is off the pitch. With Covd, there wasn’t an awful lot happening on the pitch so, fair dues to our club manager Emma [Littl], she has really driven the community side of the club with the men’s shed, helping the community, giving young players somewhere to train and let off steam. 

“Those events off the pitch have generated massive interest and assisted growing the club.”

You can read more about the reasons for their award here: https://eurohockey.org/2022/11/11/uddingston-the-2022-winners-of-the-eurohockey-club-of-the-year-for-large-clubs/

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Following completion of the 2023 EuroHockey Indoor Club Championships (Men & Women), the final ranking, promotion and relegation positions are confirmed below. 

In the men’s Club Trophy, Mannheimer HC’s dominant performance in their home hall sees them return Germany’s representative to the top tier for 2024 along with a Dutch club thanks to  Pinoké who were runners-up. 

Next year, the Club Cup will be a 10-team tournament. Those countries’ club will join representatives from the eight nations who had been due to play in Alanya, Türkiye until it was cancelled due to the effects of the earthquake . 

Portugal’s AD Lousada and Scotland’s Western Wildcats, meanwhile, earned their respective nations promotion from the Club Challenge I to the Club Trophy. Denmark and Sweden’s champions are provisionally relegated to the third tier but this will be formally determined on April 1st, 2023 depending on whether Russian and Belarussian sides are accepted back into competition or not.  

On the women’s side, England’s East Grinstead, Ireland’s Railway Union and Scotland’s Clydesdale Western won promotion from the Club Trophy for their country up to the Club Cup level with their top three finishes in Cambrai. It will mean Ireland will have a side in the top division for the first time since 1994. 

Like the men’s Club Cup, the national champions from that trio of nations will join sides from the seven nations who had been due to play in the Club Cup in Alanya, Türkiye last weekend, making up a 10-team tournament. 

The Netherlands’ representative, meanwhile, will play in the Club Trophy as a result of HC ‘s-Hertogenbosch’s withdrawal from the Club Cup. 

There, they will be joined in the second tier by Polish and Lithuanian opposition following KS Hokej Start Brzeziny and Šiauliai Ginstrektė ŠSG’s success in Skierniewice in the Challenge I. Provisionally moving down from the Trophy to the third tier are Croatia and Wales – again, this will be dependent on whether Russia and Belarus’s involvement. 

***

Club Cup (M), Alanya (TUR) – 17-19 February 2023 – Cancelled

Club Trophy (M), Mannheim (GER) – 17-19 February 2023
1. Mannheimer HC (GER) (promoted to the Cup in 2024)
2. Pinoké (NED) (promoted to the Cup in 2024)
3. Luzerner SC (SUI)
4. HC OKS-SHVSM Vinnitsa (UKR)
5. SK Slavia Prague (CZE)
6. Three Rock Rovers (IRL)
7. Slagelse Hockeyklub (DEN) (relegated to the Challenge I in 2024) *
8. Partille SC (SWE) (relegated to the Challenge I in 2024) *

Club Challenge I (M), Lousada (POR) – 10-12 February 2023
1. AD Lousada (POR) (promoted to the Trophy in 2024)
2. Western Wildcats (SCO) (promoted to the Trophy in 2024)
3. KPH Rača (SVK)
4. Építők HC (HUN)
5. HK Triglav Predanovci (SLO)
6. Baltic Champs (LTU)  
7. FHC Slavia 1921 (BUL)  
8. ABC-Team (FIN) (relegated to the Challenge II in 2024) *  

***

Club Cup (W), Alanya (TUR) – 24-26 February 2023 – Cancelle

Club Trophy (W), Cambrai (FRA) – 17-19 February 2023
1. East Grinstead HC (ENG) (promoted to the Cup in 2024)
2. Railway Union HC (IRL) (promoted to the Cup in 2024)
3. Clydesdale Western (SCO) (promoted to the Cup in 2024)
4. WAC (AUT)
5. Cambrai HC (FRA)  
6. KPH Rača (SVK)  
7. HK Zelina (CRO) (relegated to the Challenge I in 2024) *  
8. Swansea HC (WAL) (relegated to the Challenge I in 2024) *

Club Challenge I (W), Skierniewice (POL) – 17-19 February 2023
1. KS Hokej Start Brzeziny (POL) (promoted to the Trophy in 2024)
2. Šiauliai Ginstrektė ŠSG (LTU) (promoted to the Trophy in 2024)
3. HF Lorenzoni (ITA)
4. Copenhagen HC (DEN)
5. Lisbon Casuals HC (POR) 
6. Partille SC (SWE) 
7. Ukimerioni Kutaisi (GEO) 
8. HK Moravske Toplice (SLO) (relegated to the Challenge II in 2024) *

* On 1st April 2023, it will be confirmed if these teams indeed are relegated or remain in their 2023 competition levels. This has to do with the ‘shadow ranking’ that has been created for Russian and Belarusian teams to come back into the competitions, if allowed/accepted. 

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We are delighted to announce that Katie Sadleir will be the Key Note speaker at the upcoming EuroHockey Executive Leadership Forum 2023.

Sadleir is the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Chief Executive Officer. She joined the CGF from World Rugby, where she was General Manager of Women’s Rugby, and launched the hugely successful “Unstoppable” campaign, championing 15 ‘Unstoppable’ women to normalise female participation and increase engagement. The video that accompanied the launch has been watched more than 10 million times in the intervening 16 months.

A Commonwealth Games medallist and an Olympian, Katie has a wealth of experience as both an athlete and sports administrator.

She represented New Zealand in synchronised swimming at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games and the Edinburgh 1986 Commonwealth Games, winning bronze in the later event. She served as the Assistant Chef de Mission New Zealand at the Victoria 1994 Commonwealth Games and has attended six editions of the Games.

Katie led the establishment of the New Zealand Academy of Sport network in the late 1990s before becoming General Manager of Sport and Recreation New Zealand (now Sport New Zealand) from 2000-2006.

She has held directorships and senior leadership positions with a number of organisations including High-Performance Sport New Zealand and the New Zealand Swimming Federation.

Tom Pedersen-Smith said “We are thrilled to have a speaker of the caliber of Katie at our upcoming Executive Leadership Forum. Katie is a proven visionary in all the roles that she has held and showcases the possibilities for athletes transitioning away from their sports and into the workplace. We are very excited to learn from her as she shares with us her in-depth knowledge of sports administration and leadership.”

The EuroHockey Leadership Forum runs from March 24th to 26th in the nHow Brussels Bloom.

You can read more about it here: https://eurohockey.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/EuroHockey-Executive-Leadership-Forum-Launch.pdf

 

 

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Today we announced the exciting programme for the upcoming EuroHockey Youth Leadership Festival.

From 15th – 19th August in Mönchengladbachh, we press Play Again for our youth leaders all over Europe to come together, share knowledge, learn from our special guests, and more importantly from each other!

Let’s hear from the experts – Our Youth Leadership Panel:

Cederic Vermeiren: “In 2017 I had my first experience with the EHF as a participant in the Youth Leadership Festival in Amsterdam. I presented my project on Hockey ID and got selected to present it in front of the Executive Board, a big group of people from each National Association. It was an amazing experience sharing this with so many people and learning from them. One of the highlights of my career so far is as it has brought me to where I am now. 6 years later I became Co-Chair of the EHF Youth Panel, together with Chloe Jordan, who I met at the festival in 2017.

This week is filled with workshops, presentations, friendship, and a lot of joy to help you develop as a person and as a youth leader. I can not wait to meet you all and hear what you are doing in your country. So what is stopping you? Contact your National Association and get involved. I hope to see you in August!”

Sergio Olles added: “The Youth Leadership Festival in Antwerp was an amazing opportunity to discover how different countries approach hockey’s development, while also connecting with talented people from all over Europe.

The Youth Leadership Festival was the perfect balance between networking and learning about different areas in hockey, such as umpiring, business, and communication, all while having such a fun time.”

 

Helen Windsor:

About the previous event:

“An event for growth, networking, challenge, and learning all in a fun and inclusive environment! A festival where together as the next generation we achieve more for the sport we are all so passionate about. Be the change! One of the most wonderful and exciting festivals I have had the pleasure of being a part of. I grew my confidence, knowledge, and hockey family through guest speakers, practical workshops, and group tasks!’

About a future event:

‘Step outside your comfort zone and open your eyes to a world of hockey stars and legends. You with discover new things about yourself and make invaluable connections to help you in your hockey journey. The European Youth Panel welcomes you to help us continue proving that age is not a barrier when it comes to creativity and passion for hockey leadership.  A festival of fun, learning, and hockey! Come and share your enthusiasm, ideas, and experiences on a European Platform. Let’s make this festival bigger than ever’

Contact your National Association and GET INVOLVED (deadline 28th February 2023)

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Following 20 games of intense hockey, it is hosts Mannheimer and the Dutch team Pinoke that have earned the two slots for the 2024 EuroHockey Indoor Cup.

Today’s results: 17 19 Feb 2023 10:15 SLAVIAPRAGUE v PARTILLE (Pool C) 5 – 1 18 19 Feb 2023 11:30 SLAGELSE v THREEROCK (Pool C) 4 – 8 19 19 Feb 2023 13:00 PINOKE v OKSVINNITSA (Pool D) 4 – 1 20 19 Feb 2023 14:15 MANNHEIMER v LUZERNER (Pool D) 10 – 1 Pool C (relegation):   Rank Team Played Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points 1 SK Slavia Prague (CZE) 3 2 0 1 13 7 6 11 2 Three Rock Rovers (IRL) 3 2 0 1 16 12 4 10 3 Slagelse HC (DEN) 3 2 0 1 17 14 3 10 4 Partille SC (SWE) 3 0 0 3 7 20 -13 0 Pool D (promotion):   Rank Team Played Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points 1 Mannheimer HC (GER) 3 3 0 0 28 10 18 15 2 Pinoké (NED) 3 2 0 1 17 13 4 10 3 Luzerner SC (SUI) 3 1 0 2 7 19 -12 5 4 OKS-SHVSM Vinnitsa (UKR) 3 0 0 3 6 16 -10 1

 

****** All games can be re-watched on www.eurohockeytv.org  For full details of the teams click here. Follow results and event updates on our social channels: Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/EuroHockeyorg Twitter – @eurohockeyorg Instagram – @eurohockeyorg Official # – #EHI2023 Photo: Pinoke and OKS-SHVSM Vinnytsia showing the hockey families’ support for Ukraine.

 

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