World Hockey Festival

The World Hockey Festival will be held in Hobart, Australia, from October 14 to 21, in conjunction with the junior men’s World Cup. The festival is the grand finale of hockey’s International Year of the Youth, the International Hockey Federation’s global youth development programme.

An expected 40 participants, aged 14 to 18, from 25 countries will take part in the festival. Each participant will have won the title of National Youth Hockey Promoter in his or her country through nationally organised competitions to create a hockey development project. They will go on to compete against each other in Hobart for the title Global Youth Hockey Promoter.

Throughout the week-long festival, the hockey promoters will also work together in a series of intense workshops designed to look at hockey development from the playground to the international arena. The youngsters will then compile a blueprint for the future of hockey development in the World Hockey Development Plan.

The Festival will also focus strongly on cross-cultural communication and awareness, and includes a different international focus each day.

Anne Ellis, manager of the FIH Youth Hockey Promotion Group said: "The World Hockey Festival will be a great opportunity for all involved. Furthermore, this input from the young leaders of hockey will give an invaluable insight into the needs of the hockey players of the future."

For more information on the Year of the Youth project see www.fihyoty.org .