Official Documents

FIH MEMBERSHIP

Introduction

There are 146 National Associations affiliated to the FIH, including adherent members. In accordance with the Olympic Charter, membership of the FIH is open to one National Association for each Country. The sole and exclusive authority of a Member to govern Hockey at the national level shall extend as far as the political boundaries of the country that it represents.

All affiliated countries are published on FIH website, to view all details click here.


Why to become a FIH Member

By becoming an FIH member, National Associations have the right to host international Hockey events under and according to FIH Statutes and General Regulations. It also gives the right to participate and to vote in meetings of Congress held every 2 years and to benefit from FIH's development programmes aiming at promoting the sport.

They are permitted to participate at FIH international and respective continental competitions, to propose amendments to FIH Statutes, to include points to the Congress’ agenda and to nominate candidates for the Executive Board of the FIH, including as President. They receive or have access to current information relevant to Hockey sport and its management as outlined by the FIH.


How to apply for FIH Membership

Any national Hockey structure applying for affiliation as a National Association shall fill in an application form with the FIH, demonstrating that the Applicant fulfils the required conditions set by FIH. According to the FIH Statutes, a number of documents must be provided to apply for membership, please click here to have detailed information and the list of compulsory documents to provide within the application form.

The application process will include the following steps:

Step 1 - CONTACT WITH THE CONTINENTAL FEDERATION

  • The Applicant initiates the process by sending an email to its Continental Federation informing of its interest to become a FIH member.
  • The Continental Federation acknowledges receipt of interest, initiate and guide the Applicant along the affiliation process. To access to the FIH Continental Federations details, please click here.

Step 2 - FIH APPLICATION FORM TO FILL IN WITH THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS

  • The Applicant shall complete the FIH Membership Application Form (MAF). In order to continue the process, the Applicant must fulfill the compulsory minimum requirements mentioned in section II of the MAF.
  • The Applicant must upload a number of documents in the FIH MAF before submitting its application online. Once submitted, the Applicant and the FIH Legal department automatically receive a copy of the application.
  • Possibility for the FIH to request for complementary information/adjustments.
  • If the Membership application process is not to be continued, the FIH will provide the Applicant with a letter with reasons for rejecting the application

Step 3 - DECISION PROCESS

  • The FIH Director General will provide the FIH Board with the full dossier for its evaluation and decision.
  • In exceptional circumstances, the Board may grant a provisional membership to an Applicant but only until the next Congress. A provisional member may attend and speak but may not vote at meetings of Congress.
  • If the Board is satisfied that the Applicant meets all requirements to become a member of the FIH, it will submit the application for decision to the next Congress.
  • The potential National Association will be invited to attend the FIH Congress.
  • The FIH Congress will take a decision for the affiliation of the National Association.
  • If the application is accepted by the FIH Congress, the National Association will become officially a FIH member with its rights and obligations, and will be listed as FIH affiliated member.
  • If the Membership Affiliation Process is not to be continued at any moment of this Step 4, a letter to the Applicant will be written with reasons for rejecting its application.

Step 4 - WELCOME TO THE NEW FIH NATIONAL ASSOCIATION MEMBER

  • The National Association will receive as Welcome present an FIH flag and a membership certificate.
  • FIH will provide the National Association with credentials to access to the NA workroom and be regularly informed of the current information relevant to Hockey sport and its management.

Q&A

What are the obligations of a FIH member?

Each full Member and provisional Member:

  • must respect the fundamental purposes of FIH;
  • must pay when due all Member subscriptions and any other monies due and owing to the FIH, via their Continetal Federation;
  • must determine its office-holders by democratic elections and ensuring at all times an adequate minimum representation of each gender within its governance structure;
  • must manage its affairs autonomously and without interference from bodies outside the Olympic Movement;
  • must comply in all respects with the FIH Statutes and Regulations;
  • must adopt and implement and enforce within its Country a certain numbers of Regulations that are consistent with the FIH Statutes and Regulations, including:
    • Anti-doping regulations in line with the World Anti-Doping Code and the FIH Anti-Doping Rules
    • Regulations in line with the FIH’s Anti-Corruption Regulations (included in the FIH Integrity Code) and the FIH Sanctioned and Unsanctioned Events Regulations
  • must recognise and enforce within its Country all decisions of the FIH’s constituent bodies and/or officials made under the Statutes and Regulations.

Is there any fee to pay as a FIH Member and if any, how much and when?

There is an annual fee which is collected and retained by each Continental Federation. For more details, please contact your Continental Federation.

What is the difference between adherent and affiliated member?

In cases where the creation of a National Association is impractical to become an affiliated member of FIH, FIH has the power to admit an organisation as an Adherent Member. Adherent Members have no voting rights but in all other respects shall be regarded as Members.

Does an FIH member already exist in my country and how to contact it, if any?

Every FIH affiliated member, including its contact details, is listed under the membership section of the FIH website. In accordance with the Olympic Charter, membership of the FIH is open to one National Association for each Country. Therefore, we strongly recommend to check if a National Association already exists in your country before applying for membership.

What is the deadline to apply for FIH membership?

Applications for FIH membership can be sent at anytime to FIH Legal department, which reviews each application carefully together with the Governance Panel. The Executive Board may grant provisional membership once all necessary application documents have been provided. However, only FIH Congress may accept the applicant as an FIH member and therefore it is recommended to apply for FIH membership at least two (2) months ahead of the FIH Congress.

Is there any specific documentation required to apply for membership?

According to the FIH Statutes, there is a number of documents to provide in order to apply for FIH membership. The required documentation is listed under the “Application for FIH membership” and must uploaded via the FIH MAF. Additionally, FIH is providing 3 different templates, available below in the “Templates for National Association” section, designed to help National Associations in that process.

For any additional information on how to become an FIH member, please contact our Legal Department legal@fih.ch

Information to Apply for FIH Membership

Documents_Application for FIH Membership_2020.pdf (15.6 KB)

Click Here

Templates for National Associations

English

NA_template_Statutes_English.pdf (342 KB)

Click Here

NA template_Sanctioned and Unsanctioned Events Regulations_English (148.5 KB)

Click Here

NA template_ Anti_Corruption Regulations_English (130 KB)

Click Here

French

NA template_Anti-Corruption Regulations_French (79.5 KB)

Click Here

NA_template_Statutes_French (88 KB)

Click Here

Spanish

NA template statutes amended_Spanish (163 KB)

Click Here