[img_assist|nid=3412|title=EuroHockey 2015|desc=Hugh Robertson MP, minister for sport and the Olympics, with England’s, Georgie Twigg (r) and Susannah Townsend – hockeyimages.co.uk|link=url|url=http://www.pushhockey.co.uk/category/image-galleries/2012-hockey-gallery/eurohockey-announcement-march-21-2012|align=left|width=400|height=266]England will host the 2015 men’s and women’s EuroHockey nations championships at the London 2012 Olympic legacy hockey facility.
The championships will take place in August 2015 at Lee Valley Hockey Centre, and will be the first major international tournament to be held in the Olympic Park after the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The successful bid was developed by the England Hockey Board with the support of London & Partners? and UK Sport’s major event teams, together with the Olympic Park Legacy Company and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. England was selected as host by the EHF at its Board meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, on March 9-10.
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On announcing England as the hosts, the EHF President, Marijke Fleuren said, “With great pleasure we announce the unanimous decision of the EHF Executive Board to award the hosting of the EuroHockey Championships, Women and Men, 2015 to the England Hockey Board.
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“It was William Shakespeare who said that ‘no legacy is so rich as honesty’. The England Hockey Board has been honest in its promise of a legacy to hockey, not only today with this announcement, but also when they hosted the EuroHockey Championships in 2007 in Manchester at hockey?s legacy venue from the 2002 Commonwealth Games. We in the EHF are delighted to be going back once again to another wonderful hockey legacy venue, this time the Lee Valley Hockey Centre.
“The EuroHockey Championships in 2015 will offer the Champions, women and men, the best prize: participation in the XXXI Olympic Summer Games, 2016 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. I am sure, that under Sally Munday’s inspiring guidance, the EuroHockey Championships 2015, women and men, will be a superb experience for the players, officials and spectators. I have the full confidence that the EHF and England Hockey Board will work together in a spirit of co-operation and partnership.”
Accepting the honour of hosting the EuroHockey Championships, Philip Kimberley, chairman of the England Hockey Board, said, “We’re thrilled to have been named as the host of the EuroHockey Championships 2015, Women and Men. The bid team, led by Chief Executive Sally Munday, has done an exceptional job in preparing an outstanding bid and I offer my wholehearted congratulations and thanks to Sally, her team and our partners. This success once again demonstrates our commitment to creating a lasting legacy for people to continue to enjoy playing, watching and volunteering in hockey in this country.”
Derrick Ashley, chairman of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, which will own and operate the Lee Valley Hockey Centre after the Games said: “This is fantastic news for hockey and this major event is a key part of the long term legacy plan for the sport and the venue. The EuroHockey Championships 2015 will be the first major international sports event to be held in the Olympic Park after the 2012 Games and it will provide a major boost to the sport, inspiring youngsters to take up the sport and helping to create a new generation of winners and champions.”
As part of a vibrant sporting and green landscape in the north of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Lee Valley Hockey Centre’s standard 3000 seat capacity will be expanded to hold up to 15,000 spectators with two world-class pitches, dedicated media facilities, a supporters village and event management offices. Following the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Lee Valley Hockey Centre will be used by a multitude of users from community groups, schools and clubs to international players for major championships.
The nine day event EuroHockey championship comprises of 300 players and team management from approximately ten different nations.
