The first EuroHockey Freestyle launched in spectacular fashion last week with over 5,500 fans marvelling at the skills of the three finalists at the Wagener Stadium, Amsterdam.
Its success means the competition is set to become a feature at major EuroHockey events, encouraging players to show off their innovation and creativity and engage potential hockey fans in a new way.
EuroHockey President Marcos Hofmann is excited to see this new avenue to promote the sport take shape, saying: "There is no player in the world that hasn’t juggled with the stick and the ball! We all do it and have our special tricks. The EuroHockey Freestyle, in time, will settle for once and for all who is the best!”
** To view highlights from the event, click here **
The task? Produce your best party tricks in 30 seconds; your finest stick-handling; the fancy footwork! The stage is there for all to show off. Bring that to the big stage and inspire more people to take up the challenge.
It is an initiative which fits in perfectly with the FIH’s International Hockey Day #Hockey100Pledge celebrations.
This campaign encourages hockey organisations around the world to create new projects to get at least 100 new young players into the sport and increasing their fanbase on social media until the start of the upcoming Olympics.
In Amsterdam - organised EuroHockey co-ordinator Julie Aubert - three qualifying sessions at the EHL FINAL8 saw Mathilda (10 years old; Club Raffelberg, Germany), Neil (13 years old; Pinoké, Netherlands) and Evy-Lynn (12 years old; HC Rotterdam, Netherlands) win through for the chance to show off their sensational dribbling, aerial skills and ball-juggling during half-time of the EHL Men’s GRAND FINAL.
The sold-out crowd in the stadium formed part of the judging panel in tandem with expert guests from Junior FC Teresa Lima (Junior World Cup player of the tournament) and Maria Gestí (Spanish international).
Their skills were also shown to over 200,000 viewers on Dutch broadcaster NOS before the start of the second half of the men’s GRAND FINAL.
Ultimately, the winner was the talented and smiling Evy-Lynn who won – thanks to EuroHockey partner Osaka – a customised stick from their A to Z range on the brand's website
