In a press release, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) was pleased to confirm Polytan as an official Global Supplier. In this role, Polytan is the sole provider of hockey turfs for the 2018 and 2022 Hockey World Cups as well as for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. This is a seven-year partnership with an option for a two-year extension up to the 2024 Olympic Games.
This partnership is part of the Hockey Revolution strategy that was initiated in 2014. The strategy is a ten-year development concept aimed at making hockey a global game that inspires the next generation.
The additional contractual agreement to jointly develop an FIH World Cup hockey turf also highlights that collaboration between the FIH and Polytan brings fantastic opportunities for both sides. This not only drives forward hockey turf technology at a very high level of performance, but also builds brand equity for FIH. In return, FIH will support Polytan’s commercial activities in traditional European markets and in the growth markets of China and India. These also include coordinated marketing campaigns.
Speaking about this news, FIH CEO Kelly Fairweather said: “We are delighted to confirm this partnership with Polytan, an organisation that has built a solid foundation of trust having delivered a number of world class hockey turfs over the years, including at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic venues. Being named as our Global Supplier is recognition of both their continued investment in our sport and their innovative approach to developing top quality surfaces to play hockey on.”
FIH President, Leandro Negre, added: “Polytan’s commitment to hockey and growing the game, along with their professional approach and renowned quality ensured this was the perfect match for both organisations. We look forward to working with them to build hockey over the coming years through their commitment to and engagement in our 10-year Hockey Revolution strategy, aimed at making hockey a global game that inspires the next generation.”
Frank Dittrich, CEO of SportGroup (owners of Polytan), commented: “This relationship is incredibly important for the future of hockey, a sport which we firmly believe in. That’s why we have done everything in our power to develop class-leading products to enable us to become a strong partner that FIH can trust.” He continued: “This has involved a considerable amount of investment which has seen our experts draw upon the knowledge of FIH and seek practical input from the sport’s leading athletes. This shows just how passionate we are about providing the best for our customers – something that will be recognised by the sport as we continue to work with FIH to develop hockey over the coming years as part of our relationship.”
The partnership with Polytan comes shortly after the launch of the FIH Quality Programme for Hockey Turf. This is an internationally recognised quality-assurance programme that ensures the sustainability, affordability and accessibility of good quality hockey fields for all levels of play, from elite competition to community development. Created as part of the Hockey Revolution, the programme provides consistent and dependable industry standards and protects the investment made by facility owners.
Photo credits: Polytan
The British national hockey team has been training on Poligras Platinum CoolPlus, a new synthetic turf system from Polytan, at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre since October 2015. The synthetic turf is available in blue and green, and will even be setting new standards at the hockey competitions at the Rio Olympics.
