As soon as once more the EHL lived as much as its repute… In Eindhoven the hockey household got here collectively over the Easter weekend and celebrated our sport. Nearly 15.000 guests got here and witnessed the most effective of membership hockey dwell on the grounds of HC Oranje-Rood. Many extra noticed the video games on their TV or on-line. Supporters from all golf equipment sitting subsequent to one another, coming in the identical entry, sharing the identical fan village, having a drink collectively and having fun with the superb household our European membership hockey has fostered…
Certain, a World Cup or the European Cup for nations are larger occasions, but it surely’s membership hockey the place feelings and fan engagement will peak… It’s nearer to dwelling, it’s nearer to the center!
There’s a motive clearly why the Final4 is hosted within the Netherlands yearly. It’s this small nation who offers the concepts, the power, the volunteers and the sponsors who make this potential. However even when Dutch golf equipment for as soon as don’t make it into the Final4, the present will go on! Congrats to the EHL organisation, ABN Amro for sticking with us as the primary sponsor, however most of all to all these fantastic volunteers from HC Oranje-Rood who got here by means of. They did an incredible job welcoming the European hockey household even when their very own group didn’t dwell as much as expectations.
Disgrace on English & German federations
What a disgrace not all European federations shoulder their a part of the duty of supporting European membership hockey. In Spain they made some form of effort and at the very least secured the sponsoring from the town of Barcelona to assist the EHL. Sadly yearly they ship a poor occasion for the primary spherical of the EHL by internet hosting this on the improper location, a spot with out a soul, with out a lot love for the sport of hockey…
Have it play at one of many superb Barcelona primarily based golf equipment and get all of the golf equipment and their members concerned to make it develop. Belgian golf equipment too have taken the chance and made one thing occur to assist EHL prior to now.
Nevertheless it’s the federations like England Hockey and the Germans who must be ashamed. It’s the English and German golf equipment who must be blushing, taking benefit 12 months after 12 months from those that do stick their neck out. Time to face up and personal your accountability in serving to to develop our European membership hockey and make it stronger. Don’t half ass it both whenever you do get an opportunity to organise an EHL occasion. Make it occur and go Huge!
Get your members who’re resolution makers at potential sponsors and larger firms to offer again to the game who shaped them and their kids. Get these folks to ask their relations in larger numbers to your occasion. Get your members to ask their household, their buddies, their neighbours to return and uncover our sport. Roll up your sleeves and do your half! Hockey wants you…
As a result of in Europe our recreation of hockey rests on the foundations of membership hockey. Our home leagues, in each leisure and tophockey are important for hockey. With out it hockey would stop to exist…
And the EHL is the head occasion for our European membership hockey. Our membership hockey and home leagues want the EHL to develop and thrive.
Reinvent the occasion, not the game
I actually hope the EHL will handle to maintain reinventing itself as a household oriented occasion. Ideally improvements in future years is not going to be in guidelines or on the pitch. However moderately in the way in which we present hockey each on web site in addition to on-line or TV.
That’s the place we are able to enhance and develop… Engagement with the viewers is one thing we are able to do higher and totally different to set us aside from different sports activities or hockey occasions. Let’s focus our minds on these challenges. We should always reinvent the occasion, not the game!