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Nottingham to become epicenter of world hockey in July

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England Hockey 27 May 2010

Nottingham set to host two international hockey tournaments in nine days

Nottingham has been chosen to host the 18th women’s hockey Champions Trophy. Highfields Sports Club in Beeston will be transformed into the hub of World hockey activity for the Samsung FIH Champions Trophy, which takes place from Saturday 10 to Sunday 18 July.

It is the first time that England will host the prestigious tournament and has been made possible with the support of UK Sport’s National Lottery funded World Class Events Programme, as well as East Midlands Development Agency, Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council.

The International stars of the women’s game descend on Nottingham to compete in one of the highest ranked events of the hockey calendar.

The 2010 Women’s Champions Trophy will see hosts England battling five of the best countries in the world – Argentina, Germany, China, New Zealand and reigning Olympic, World and European champions, the Netherlands.

It is not just the women’s game on show in Nottingham however; it will also be the first chance to see Great Britain’s men in action ahead of the 2012 London Olympics as they take part in a four team International tournament alongside Olympic champions German, Japan and New Zealand.

Sally Munday, Chief Executive of the England Hockey Board, said: “The Samsung FIH Champions Trophy and the men’s international tournament will give sports fans a fantastic opportunity to see some of hockey’s top Olympic stars up close this summer. At what is an incredibly exciting time for sport in this country it is a great honour for England to be hosting the Samsung FIH Champions Trophy and I encourage as many people as possible to put the event top of their ‘to-do’ list this summer!”

The event forms part of UK Sport’s World Class Events Programme, which distributes National Lottery funding to support the bidding and staging costs of major events on home soil, as well as providing specialist support to organisers. Up to 60 events across 30 sports will be supported from 2010 until the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Lucy Crickmore, UK Sport’s Events Consultant, said: “UK Sport is delighted to be supporting the Samsung Hockey Champions Trophy in Nottingham. This competition will provide a great opportunity for our players to compete against the best teams in the world on home soil ahead of the London Games, but also for England Hockey’s officials and volunteers to gain experience and spectators to watch some the world’s best athletes compete right on their doorstep.”

The tournament, which is also being supported by East Midlands Development Agency (emda), is expected to generate economic benefits for the region. In 2007, the Eurohockey Nations Championship, which was held in Manchester, generated an estimated £2.5 million for the economy in the North West.

Tracy Croft, East Midlands Co-ordinator for the 2012 Games, said: “emda is delighted to be supporting the Samsung FIH Champions Trophy. International sporting events such as this bring considerable economic benefits, as we saw last year with the World Twenty20 cricket at Trent Bridge, which brought in millions of pounds to the region.

“I am sure that this prestigious international hockey tournament will also bring great profile for Nottingham and the region throughout the hockey-playing world. We look forward to welcoming teams, staff, press and fans from around the globe to the East Midlands for this exciting event.”

In addition to the economic benefits, Adrian Bradley, Sports Service Manager at Nottinghamshire County Council hopes the tournament will leave its own sporting legacy: “Nottinghamshire County Council is delighted to be able to support the Samsung FIH Champions Trophy,” he said. “An international tournament of this standing will help to direct attention onto sport in the region and our hope is that it will encourage more local children to take part in hockey.”

Tickets are now on sale for the Samsung FIH Women’s Champions Trophy 2010 and the Men’s Four Nations International Tournament – Highfields Sports Club, Nottingham – Saturday 10 - Sunday 18 July - call 08444 77 5678 or go to www.wct2010.com/tickets.

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