Coverage of the women’s Euro Hockey League Ranking Cup was criticised after failing to receive equal status of the men’s tournament.
On the face of it, the men’s EHL Ranking Cup in Brasschaat, home of KHC Dragons, was given preferential treatment, with regular promotion on social media throughout the weekend.
However, the women’s tournament, which had a limited schedule, only had live coverage on EHL TV and with no clips or social media promotion, while GB and Surbiton star Leah Wilkinson said that TV commentators didn’t know the players’ names.
Kate Richardson-Walsh said on Twitter: “Would this be allowed to happen for the men’s side of this competition? Who is this built for? Who is built by? Who is this built with? Who is this built without?”
“Unfortunately, we did not have the facility to do this in Hamburg this weekend,” the Euro Hockey League said.
EHL chairman Hans-Erik Tuijt had said last year that the tournament in Hamburg was “another first” for the sport, adding: “In the spirit of always improving the best club hockey in the world, the EHL keeps pushing for new ways to connect with our fans.”
Amy Costello’s penalty corner double earned UHC Hamburg victory over Surbiton and fifth place at the women’s tournament.
April had seen the long-anticipated introduction of EHL Women for the first time.
The Euro Hockey League was praised back in late 2018 for taking club hockey “to the next level” following the news that the 2019/20 season would see the introduction of EHL Women.
The pandemic twice pushed the new format back but the women’s event joined the men’s European showpiece for the first time in Amsterdam after two standalone tournaments.
The historic first match featured Spanish champions Club de Campo against Germany’s 2018 and 2019 winners Der Club an der Alster.
Ultimately, Den Bosch became the first ever EHL Women’s champions, beating Club de Campo de Madrid in the Grand Final at the Wagener Stadium as Frédérique Matla fired a hat-trick.
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