PRESS RELEASE

 

 

ENGLAND TO HOST 2007 EUROPEAN HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

England Hockey today announced that it had been awarded the hosting of both the men’s and women’s 2007 European Hockey Championships by the European Hockey Federation (EHF). The event will be held at Belle Vue, Manchester City Council’s  legacy facility from the 2002 Commonwealth Games, between 18th and 26th of August 2007, and will feature the top eight men’s and top eight women’s teams within Europe. The event is a direct qualification route to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

 

The bid was secured with financial support from each of UK Sport, Manchester City Council, and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) who will be working in partnership with England Hockey in the running of the event. Discussions will now commence with potential broadcasters, and England Hockey will begin their sponsor search.

 

Commenting on the news, England Hockey’s Executive Chairman Philip Kimberley was quoted as saying: “This is absolutely fantastic news as it will be the biggest event hockey will have staged in England since the 1986 World Cup, and will enable us to continue raising the profile of our wonderful sport. I’m particularly delighted for the teams as it will enable them to perform at home in front of their fans. This bid has taken us over six months of hard work to prepare and submit to the various stakeholders and I’m particularly grateful to UK Sport, Manchester City Council, and the NWDA for their positive engagement with us in securing it, and for the financial support they have committed. We look forward to working with them all over the next 18 months. Last but not least, we hope that this will be the first of a number of major international events that we will be hosting in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics.”

 

England Hockey’s Performance Director, David Faulkner commented: “I was privileged to be part of the 1986 World Cup team so for me this really does mean Hockey’s Coming Home!”

 

UK Sport’s International Director John Scott was quoted as saying “UK Sport is delighted to be contributing up to £262,000 from its Lottery funded  World Class Events Programme towards the costs of staging the 2007 European Hockey Championships. The event will be held at a crucial time in the Olympic calendar, with qualification places at stake for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It will also offer our teams a fantastic opportunity to gain international experience in front of a home crowd.”

 

Manchester City Council’s Richard Leese was quoted as saying “Manchester welcomes the announcement that it will stage the men’s and women’s European Hockey Championships in 2007.

 

Manchester is cementing its reputation as a first class venue for major international sports events and testimony to this is the awarding of another prestigious tournament to the city and at such a crucial time in the lead up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

 

The objective of our Major Events Strategy is to bring world class championships to Manchester and in doing so, support the city’s sports development programme. This will ensure that our young athletes achieve their full potential whilst providing benefits and opportunities to the community and local business.

 

The hockey championships promises to be a great spectator event and we look forward to working with the EHF, England Hockey, UK Sport, and the NWDA in delivering a memorable spectacle for the City of Manchester.”

 

Finally, Peter Mearns, the NWDA’s Director of Marketing said “the NWDA is delighted to have been able to secure the 2007 championships for the Northwest. The NWDA is committed to supporting major events which play an important role in improving the image of the region as well as making a significant contribution to our economy. The agency is especially pleased to support this event which is expected to attract 30,000 spectators over 9 days.”

 

For further information contact :

England Hockey:                                  barry.snellgrove@englandhockey.org

                                                            07774 946719

NWDA:                                               laura.hampson@nwda.co.uk

                                                            01925 400256

Manchester City Council:                      m.blackburn@manchester.gov.uk

                                                            0161 2344014

UK Sport:                                            Russell.Langley@uksport.gov.uk

                                                             0207 211 5108