England Hockey and the European Hockey Federation are delighted to announce that the BBC will broadcast the EuroHockey Championships 2015, which will be staged in London on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, on 21-30 August.
The BBC’s red button coverage of the 2013 EuroHockey Championships in Belgium reached a significant audience, with fans tuning in to watch England’s women win a Silver medal, and now the event is taking place on home soil. Exposure of hockey at London 2012 has contributed to a 40% increase in club participation in the sport amongst U16 age groups, and adult initiatives like Back To Hockey have proved hugely successful. The broadcasting of the 2015 tournament will no doubt contribute to boosting both the visibility of the sport and the amount of people inspired to play.
All of England and Scotland’s pool matches will be shown on the BBC red button, BBC Sport website and the free smartphone app, with the men’s and women’s finals on BBC Two should a home nation qualify. This will be supported with coverage on BBC Radio 5 live and the best of the tournament news on the BBC Sport website.
With the event being held at England Hockey’s Olympic legacy venue Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, spectators will be able to enjoy hockey whilst reliving the memories of London 2012. Demand for tickets has been as high as expected with the Men’s Final already sold out – the venue will include a fan park and entertainment for all ages, with the typically family-friendly atmosphere of hockey matches an attraction for many spectators.
The EuroHockey Championships 2015 form part of UK Sport’s Gold Event Series – an ambitious programme to bring up to 70 world-class events to the UK by 2019.
A full tournament match schedule and ticketing information are available at www.eurohockey2015.co.uk. The Title Sponsor opportunity and other packages are available for the event – email sponsorship@eurohockey2015.co.uk for more information.
England Hockey’s Chief Executive Sally Munday commented: “We’re delighted that the BBC will be broadcasting this flagship event. The BBC’s coverage reaches significant numbers of people via their various platforms, and we are excited about this opportunity to grow our following and participation in hockey. This is the first of four consecutive major events at our new venue culminating in the 2018 Women’s World Cup. We look forward to the nation getting behind our teams and enjoying world-class sport during this exciting period”.
