On World Children’s Day, last November, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) launched the #HockeyInvites Year of the Youth 2021 (YotY2021), to inspire young people into the sport, help them achieve their potential and celebrate their successes at every level of the game.
With a focus on lifelong participation and performance of young hockey players in schools and clubs, the first project of the YotY2021, FIH World Hockey Camps went live today.
Working with FIH Academy Licensed Centres, sponsors and associates, the FIH will be delivering a programme of day and residential hockey camps for young players from 14yrs+.
FIH World Hockey Camps will be delivered in association with the World`s best and most experienced hockey camp providers. Together with other sponsors and FIH Academy Partners, they have created an exciting Camp programme based around the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect.
“We have been in discussions with various Hockey Camp providers for some time, and it is really exciting to finally see the launch of FIH World Hockey Camps. We have teamed up with some fantastic organisations with long track records of delivering high quality hockey.” Mike Joyce, FIH Development & Education
Subject to local COVID-19 regulations, the first Camps will be held in July and August this year in Philadelphia (USA), Cardiff (WAL), Antwerp/Brussels (BEL), Perth (AUS), London (ENG) and Amsterdam (NED). In the USA, the FIH is working with World Camp USA, already a USA Field Hockey Partner Camp with an unrivalled reputation in the US and beyond. Tjerk van Herwaarden, World Camp USA Co-owner and Technical Director said, "World Camp USA has always been defined as providing the best technical skill training for U.S. athletes, and now, in collaboration with the FIH World Hockey Camps, we continue that mission with a commitment to helping athletes attain excellence on the pitch and beyond."
Although 2021 is the Year of the Youth, this marks just the start of a long-term drive to encourage young players to take up hockey and stay life-long in the game. With FIH World Hockey Camps, the focus is on creating experiences for performance and elite level players who are already hooked on the sport but have limited access to World Class development coaches and programmes.
Whilst each Camp and location will provide a unique experience for young players, a standard programme including the FIH Academy player assessment scheme and education courses for Coaches and Umpires will be delivered. In particular, the Camps will provide a base for completion of the FIH Academy Level 3 Coaching Award, following a busy and successful online course programme over the past 12 months.
An overview of the FIH World Hockey Camp programme, including locations, date, and delivery associates can be found at www.fih.academy/worldcamps
Fitting neatly within the FIH objective ‘To inspire hockey’s next generation’, the YotY2021 is a global drive to grow and develop the game for the next generation of our hockey community. With much more to come, FIH World Hockey Camps is the first of a number of youth-focused projects to be launched this year in partnership with the wider hockey family.
Clubs, schools, NGOs and other organisations delivering youth hockey projects are invited to join the #HockeyInvites Year of the Youth by registering online at www.fih.academy/yoty2021. After registering your project you will receive a guide and YoY2021 promotional assets to help share the progress and successes of your activities.
The #HockeyInvites Year of the Youth 2021 is an FIH Development & Education Committee initiative. Tayyab Ikram & Seif Ahmed, Co-Chairs of the DEC remarked, “We extremely excited be leading the 2021 Year of the Youth to create and celebrate how our sport can positively impact the lives of young people across the globe. The DEC hope that this second edition, coming 20 years on from the very first Year of the Youth, will shine a light on the brilliant efforts of clubs, schools, National Associations and other public and private organisations to grow our fantastic sport.”
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