The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has recently concluded the Annual Meeting and round-robin assessment of all Test Institutes registered with the FIH Quality Programme for Hockey Turf in Hong Kong, China.
In partnership with FIFA and World Rugby, 10 laboratories from Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany,, Great Britain, Holland, India, Thailand and the USA took part in the event held between 16-17 April at Kings Park Hockey Ground and Lok Fu Recreation Ground thanks to support from the Hong Kong Leisure & Cultural Services Department.
"Having top quality hockey facilities for the desired level of play is key to helping us develop the next generation of hockey players by giving them the opportunity to learn and develop their hockey skills in safe and reliable environments."
Jon Wyatt, FIH Sport and Development Director
Two fields were used during the testing, with each technician required to undertake tests under FIH expert's observation alongside their peers. This involved meticulous attention to detail, with testing much more rigorous than a standard field test
All of the data was collected and will be statistically analysed to ensure there is either a consistency of results or identify any issues with any of the companies findings.
Every test institute is obliged to participate in order to provide significant confidence in their ability to test the fields accurately and consistently so anyone commissioning a field test can be confident the technicians undertaking the tests are fully trained and provide reliable results, irrespective of which company they come from.
Speaking about this latest round of testing, FIH Facilities Manager, Alastair Cox, an expert in synthetic turf, said: "It is incredibly encouraging to see that the standard of quality in test institutes used to test our fields remains extremely high and consistent. This ensures that our field certifications are highly accurate which in turn gives field owners confidence not only in the construction of their fields and the products used for them, but also in our Quality Programme."
FIH Sport and Development Director, Jon Wyatt, added: "The quality of hockey facilities around the world is crucial to the long-term development of our sport. Having top quality hockey facilities for the desired level of play is key to helping us develop the next generation of hockey players by giving them the opportunity to learn and develop their hockey skills in safe and reliable environments. Having world-class institutes testing our fields provides confidence that our programme delivers quality assurance consistently."
This FIH Quality Programme for Hockey Turf is an integral part of FIH’s Hockey Revolution, a 10-year strategy that aims to make hockey a global game that inspires future generations. A major initiative was launched to increase the degree of professionalism in hockey with the Quality Programme forming a major component of this.
The Programme is also in-line with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations to improve sustainability, not only in relation to the Olympic Games (Recommendation 4) but also to Recommendation 5 in reference to Olympic Movement stakeholders and the integration of sustainability within organisations and operations.
For further information about the FIH Quality Programme for Hockey Turf, click here.
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