The International Hockey Federation's (FIH) Event Specialist Programme was officially launched last week, with 12 individuals from across the world descending upon Lausanne, Switzerland for two days of workshops between 9-10 March.
Representatives from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Malaysia, Nigeria, Turkey and Venezuela were selected by the FIH following an application process aimed at identifying up-and-coming talent looking to build upon their previous event management experience.
"Up-skilling these 12 individuals significantly increases our network of specialists across the world who can oversee the delivery of our competitions in the future, whilst also giving them valuable knowledge and professional skills they can use in other areas of their career."
Delf Ness, FIH Interim CEO
The Programme was conceived earlier this year with a view to growing the amount of event-trained members of the FIH family. One of the main aims is that by providing opportunities to become involved in FIH sanctioned events, FIH will build capacity through a skilled workforce consisting of a pool of FIH Event Specialists who can represent FIH at such competitions across the world. The intention is that these event specialists will provide valuable support to Local Organising Committees, acting as a crucial link between the hosts and the FIH Headquarters.
Over the two days of the workshop, the Event Specialists took part in a number of practical sessions aimed at increasing their knowledge across all areas of FIH Event delivery. Some of the topics covered included Event Management, Commercial, TV and Broadcasting, Marketing, Media and Communications, Sport Operations and Development/Legacy.
Speaking about the workshop, FIH Interim CEO Delf Ness said: "This Programme is the first step towards increasing the level of service FIH will provide to National Associations and hosts of our events. Up-skilling these 12 individuals significantly increases our network of specialists across the world who can oversee the delivery of our competitions in the future, whilst also giving them valuable knowledge and professional skills they can use in other areas of their career."
He continued: "This activity aligns perfectly to one of our Four Big Goals of our Hockey Revolution strategy - to increase the degree of professionalism across all areas of the sport. This will contribute to our overall aim of making hockey a global game that inspires future generations."
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