As per the 2nd AfHF Executive Board meeting of 2021 and given the ongoing Corona virus outbreak impact on our 2021 events Road Map, presenting the 2nd EB Meeting Resolutions & Revised Events Dates.  

14 December 2020 Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has launched the bidding process for hosting the FIH Nations Cup which will be played in 2022 for the very first time. The aim of this new yearly event is to offer a top-level competition to the best-ranked teams not participating in the FIH Hockey Pro League and give the winners the option to be promoted to the FIH Hockey Pro League the next season, precisely. For Men as well as for Women, eight teams will be involved in the FIH Nations Cup, based on the FIH World Rankings of 31 May 2021. The FIH Nations Cup also marks the start of the promotion-relegation principle for the FIH Hockey Pro League. Indeed, both FIH Nations Cup winners will have the chance to be promoted to the 2023/24 FIH Hockey Pro League (provided they meet the necessary requirements for it). Since participation in the FIH Nations Cup is conditioned by each team’s position in the FIH World Rankings, the bidding process to host the event is only open to the National Associations of the relevant teams. And since the FIH World Rankings may evolve between now and May next year, the bidding dossier has been sent to 10 – instead of 8 – National Associations per gender, as follows: Men: Canada (10*); Malaysia (11); France (12); Ireland (13); South Africa (14); Japan (15); Korea (16); Pakistan (17); Austria (20); Egypt (21) Women: Spain (7); Ireland (8); India (9); Korea (11); Japan (13); Canada (14); South Africa (16); Italy (17); Chile (18); Russia (19) *current position in the FIH World Rankings FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “The FIH Nations Cup is a welcome addition to our events’ portfolio. It will enable to apply the promotion-relegation principle to the FIH Hockey Pro League. Like for most other leagues, this will generate even more excitement to the competition. It will also give other nations who haven’t yet had the opportunity to join the Pro League to do so and this is only fair! And it will help grow hockey in further countries.” The deadline for submitting the bids is 31 March 2021. For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please download the Watch.Hockey app or follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and website.

10 December 2020 Lausanne, Switzerland: Horizm, the award-winning provider of digital inventory management in sport, and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) have confirmed an agreement that will see FIH using Horizm’s Artificial Intelligence powered platform to help hockey’s world governing body unlock new digital revenues. The collaboration highlights the FIH’s growing commitment to digital as a key component of its commercial strategy and, through Horizm’s real-time solution, will enable FIH to establish accurate market valuations for its different digital assets. It will also provide FIH with the intelligence and the tools to create new digital content franchises that can be monetised directly, or in partnership with Horizm. Commenting on the announcement and the challenges sports organisations face when trying to understand the value of their digital channels, FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “We’re very happy to have engaged on this partnership with Horizm. They can deliver clear measurement as well as a valuation and evaluation of our digital assets. And then quantify this for us.  This is much needed data which we will use for our current and potential future commercial partners”. FIH Sponsorship Sales Director Ricky Thussu added: “We’ve been on the journey with digital where data, content, social media, OTT have played an integral part and Horizm is just the right layer to wrap around them so we can quantify the value delivered through these engagement and touchpoints we have created”. Horizm, CEO, Pedro Mestriner said: “It is a pleasure to be working with such a progressive and forward-thinking sports federation whose commitment to unlocking digital value is an example to others in the industry”. The FIH engages hockey fans globally across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, its OTT platform Watch.Hockey – available both as an app and a web version – and its official websites (www.FIH.ch and www.FIHProLeague.com) and is supported by a portfolio of seven official global partners and suppliers. Horizm’s success in helping sports rights holders like the FIH unlock digital revenues was recently recognised at leading industry event, the World Football Summit Industry Awards, where they were chosen as Best Supplier presented by SportsTechX. Horizm also used World Football Summit to announce their collaboration with LaLiga Champions, Real Madrid CF. #HockeyDigital #GrowingDigital