FEDERATION PROFILE
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is working hard to reach new audiences and highs for its players and fans, says CEO Kelly Fairweather. FIH’S VISION is to entertain and inspire a global army of hockey fans. We want to see more people involved in our sport as players, umpires, volunteers, partners and spectators. We are well on our way to achieving this goal and have made significant progress over the last few years.
It’s easy to lose sight of the consumer when you are running an international governing body. Our philosophy puts the fan experience and growth of the game at the heart of everything we do. Over the last few years, we have recognised that high quality entertainment and inspiring opportunities are needed to engage more people in hockey. FIH, along with our National Associations and Continental Federations, is implementing a range of innovative changes to deliver a fan-centric approach. Our approach focuses on three key pillars: 1. Being progressive - Evolving rules and competition formats to make hockey more exciting - Using cutting-edge technology to showcase hockey to its full potential - Marketing hockey more effectively by adopting a brand approach to develop and promote our events - Ramping up our digital interaction to reach the youth audience including a partnership with Rightster - our streaming and online video distributor
2. Being far-reaching - Opening up international competition inviting emerging hockey nations to go all the way to the World Cup or Olympic Games in the new Hockey World League - Developing Hockey 5s, a complementary game, to attract new hockey nations - Facilitating the creation of the Hockey India League and enabling HIL to market the league to broadcasters globally 3. Being inclusive - Providing opportunities for people who do not play to take part - Developing opportunities for disabled people to get involved - Providing pitches in new hockey nations including Cuba, Vanuatu and Bangladesh - Ensuring that the women’s and men’s versions of the game progress in parallel by attracting the same number of players, spectators, broadcast interest and sponsorship With all this activity taking place we are very confident hockey looks forward to a bright future.
PROGRESSIVE WE HAVE SET ambitious targets to increase our audience numbers and by next year we want to reach five million views on our YouTube channel. The signing of a deal with Rightster, the world’s fastest growing online video distribution and marketing network, to stream our games live on YouTube provides a great opportunity to hit our target. Our events provide the best opportunity to promote hockey and by making them free on YouTube - the world’s most popular online video viewing and sharing platform - we will reach new fans.
We are removing barriers for fans to get involved with hockey - there is no login, no subscription charges - you can simply watch wherever you are. The deal ensures that all prime international hockey games are made available on YouTube and syndicated across our hockey family and Rightster’s network. Rightster will help us stream more than 300 live games direct to YouTube including the Hockey World League 2013/2014, the Rabobank Hockey World Cup 2014 and the Hockey Champions Trophy 2014.
Rightster is also providing us with a digital archive of all events enabling our National Associations and broadcast partners to easily access and re-use our content. On top of this, Rightster will push our content to its network of over 3,000 publishers via online media destinations including social networking sites, connected TV/gaming platforms and specialist blogs. We have also created and launched a widget for our 127 National Associations to place on their homepage allowing fans to watch live
FEDERATION PROFILE
content without leaving the site. goal cams during the Hockey World League to As well as streaming of matches, we have provide a new perspective of the game. also introduced a variety of entertaining content As well as trials, we are hosting a workshop around the game. Not only can fans view in the autumn inviting broadcasters and key live games and highlights, they will be taken National Associations to discuss the broadcast behind the scenes at events showing them opportunities for hockey and understand how what it is like to be a hockey star, giving them hockey can adapt to meet audience needs. the changing room gossip, master classes Discussions will cover: competition formats; on how to improve their hockey skills as well pitch dimensions, presentation of the sport, as player interviews. We understand that fans player accessibility, and graphics and second become more engaged and attracted to a sport screen assistance (educational explanations; when they get to know personalities so we player profiling; infographics). We will look at are working with our players to provide more how we can introduce new technology from access. In addition to more than tracking devices to the 300 live games, we will deliver over latest camera innovations “If we want to grow the game we have to respond to what 500 pieces of video on demand to make our broadcast fans want. FIH understands that sport is as much about this year alone. coverage more compelling. By establishing strong entertainment as it is results. We know fans want a fast Facebook relationships with our Elsewhere online we are aiming broadcast partners we will paced, action packed style, and that they want to know for 50,000 new Facebook fans double our efforts to reach more about the players they follow, which is why we have during this year’s events and are more people. using Facebook to understand The Hockey India put this front and centre of all promotional activity.” more about what our fans want. League exemplifies our Kelly Fairweather, FIH CEO As with our video content, we are approach to promotion promoting the human aspects of of hockey to reach new the competition to engage fans on an emotional Semi-Finals during June and July this year is audiences at the domestic level. Its focus on level. We are running competitions to drive another example of our fan-centric approach. celebrity commentators, live scores on screen interest and shooting beautiful photography and For the first time ever we have invested in PR and a wide angle camera behind the goal has sharing it. stunts to raise the awareness of our events all led to 146 countries showing the matches on Next on the list is a total revamp of our and players. We want to get hockey into the TV; 41 million Indian’s watching the tournament website to make it more fan-centric. Fans visit mainstream media as well as in the sport pages. over 6 weeks (over a third were under 25 years); our website to get information about our events We are also working with broadcasters to and 500,000 followers on Facebook. We are so it is critical that it is inspiring and easy to use come up with a more a compelling package for using the achievements and learnings from with real time information, stunning imagery and our live action. We were amongst the first sports the Hockey India League as a bench mark of full social media integration. to introduce video umpire review technology. what is possible at domestic and international The promotion of the Hockey World League We are also trialling drones, umpire cams and competitions.
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FAR-REACHING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF the Hockey World League is not just about encouraging new spectators it also enables more nations to take part. 59 nations (45 women’s and 54 men’s teams) are participating in this debut season and our plans involve increasing this number year on year. The new World Cup and Olympic qualifying event gives any nation in the world the opportunity to go all the way to Olympic Games or World Cups, for the first time ever. This summer’s Semi-Finals saw the world’s top eight men’s and women’s teams join the competition and go head-to-head with the Round 2 qualifiers. In 2015, teams will be challenging for a place at the Olympic Games in Rio. Round 1 saw 19 teams playing for the first time ever. Seven newcomers - Portugal, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Fiji men’s teams; as well as Kazakhstan, Fiji and Ghana women’s teams - made it through to Round 2. Fiji, ranked 70th in the world went on to play hockey legends, and eight time Olympic medallists, India; while Bangladesh men’s (ranked 40th) team beat China (ranked 18th). Chile women’s team, ranked 19th in the world, have also shown that the underdog can break through, making it to the Semi-Final in Rotterdam. To retain interest from new hockey nations taking part in the competition we have put a lot of emphasis on ensuring that participating teams have the best experience possible of the Hockey World League. We have produced easy
Hockey 5s As well as using the Hockey World League to broaden the reach of hockey, we have also developed a complementary game - Hockey 5s - which is aimed at encouraging more people to take part at grassroots level. This new version of the game is played on a smaller pitch, with fewer people and for a shorter time period. Feedback from leading hockey nations, such as the UK, shows that people want to “By making the Hockey World League open to the whole take part in sport world and introducing more levels of entertainment we will but find the barriers to playing - the encourage more countries to participate in the game and time commitment needed, the skill and more spectators to engage with our sport.” fitness required to Leandro Negre, FIH President play - prevents them from engaging as sticks and captain’s armbands to enhance the much as they would like. Our complementary atmosphere and festival spirit. To make sure the game is much shorter, more informal and branding was used we gave the Round 1 and involves less organisation - it is less intimidating 2 hosts support in preparing for the event. We for the beginner. even ran a competition to find the best host in Hockey 5s is already proving a hit. It is being terms of branding and promotion. showcased for the first time at the Youth Olympic Our aim is to inspire everyone to help us Games (YOG) in 2014 in Nanjing and recently promote hockey. We also sent camera crews to held an inaugural tournament at the Hong Kong Round 2 events to cover new nations’ progress Football Club in April where the top international and give fans the chance to follow their team in stars took part. Oceania will also use this new countries where hockey is a relatively new sport. format in the Pacific Games to encourage We even sent assets to participating teams participation from smaller countries. FIH will be to allow them to promote their Hockey World promoting the game on a global scale in the League campaign including web banners and build-up to the YOG where more nations will be team-on-tour t-shirts. encouraged to take it up. to use host kits for branding and promotion, including branding boards, flags, signage, posters, Facebook assets, Twitter skins and promotional videos. Clear guidelines are provided on how to get maximum exposure for the events including social media ideas and activity suggestions to engage schools. We sent the Round 1 and 2 hosts fun packs with Hockey World League bunting, balloons, fan
FEDERATION PROFILE
INCLUSIVE OUR MISSION IS that hockey is a sport for all. National Associations and Continental Federations around the globe are playing a part in promoting hockey in different ways, in new places and to all communities to ensure hockey is perceived to be a sport that is inclusive for everybody. In Argentina, for example, we are supporting a social enterprise to use hockey to engage young women and girls on issues such as health, social cohesion and the importance of education. 180 young women and girls living in deprived parts of the Virreyes Area (Buenos Aires) benefit from the programme, which has been recognised for its inclusive work by the Laureus Foundation, IADB and Rabobank. The programme has helped integrate and improve cooperation between families of the young women as well as improve the personal attitude of those taking part. In the Netherlands, Parahockey is really taking off, catering for children with physical and intellectual disabilities. The game has been modified to be smaller and shorter. Nearly 2,000 participants are involved in the programme and have joined teams. Competitions regularly take place across the country. Wheelchair hockey has also been developed in the Netherlands and has a strong following. FIH is liasing with the International Paralympic Committee about exploring new opportunities to promote hockey for disabled people in the Paralympics and at grassroots. We aim to
supporting the development of new pitches and initiatives to support umpire and coach development; and grassroots and elite development in Cuba, Vanuatu and Bangladesh. We want to continue to develop men’s hockey and women’s hockey in parallel. For example, we are exploring all options available for developing a women’s professional league to mirror the developments in men’s with the introduction of the Hockey India League.
Conclusion Hockey has developed at a remarkable rate over the last few years and we are starting to see “We are steadily and surely moving towards the results of our new approach our vision to entertain and inspire a global - a thriving and professionalised domestic league in India; a new army of hockey fans. We still have more to competitive structure that enables do but we are well on our way to realising us to promote our events to a wider audience; grassroots projects hockey’s superb potential.” developing in new hockey countries; Kelly Fairweather, FIH CEO and innovation in our marketing and digital techniques which is attracting announce formal plans about our approach in record numbers of followers and spectators. the next few months. We are steadily and surely moving towards Hockey is also increasing its profile in our vision to entertain and inspire a global army developing countries - Afghanistan recently of hockey fans. We still have more to do but we announced it plans to send a team to the are well on our way to realising hockey’s superb Hockey World League in 2014. And, FIH is potential.