Euro Hockey League
Encyclopedia
The Euro Hockey League is an annual mens field hockey
cup competition organised by the EHF
for the very top hockey clubs in Europe
. The competition was launched at the start of the 2007-08 hockey season, when it merged and replaced the mens EuroHockey Club Champions Cup
(the champions competition) and European Cup II (the Cup Winners' Cup). Featuring many of the world's best players, the EHL is now seen as the pinnacle of club hockey in Europe (hockey's equivalent of the UEFA Champions League
) with top clubs from across the continent playing what many consider to be the most exciting and dynamic club hockey in the world. The success of the EHL formula has brought hockey to a significantly wider audience, as evidenced by the many millions of views that EHL clips on YouTube have received.
The target group for Euro Hockey League, its TV partners and sponsors consists of millions of European sports fans in countries across the continent, with Euro Hockey League designed to attract interest from not only hockey fans but sports fans in general. This is achieved by the production and provision of top level TV coverage, an innovative website, and through a number of playing rule variations introduced to make the game more transparent and attractive to TV viewers and spectators on site.
member countries. Although the competition is called the Euro Hockey League, after Round 1 the competition is knock-out, rather than league format (similar to the UEFA Champions League in football).
member countries' National Association's, depending on those National Association's EHF Club Ranking. National Associations ranked 1-4 in the EHL Ranking Table may enter three teams each in the Euro Hockey League, while National Associations ranked 5-8 may enter two teams each, and National Associations ranked 9-12 one team.
National Associations rankings are derived from each country's results in the Euro Hockey League and EuroHockey Club Trophy
over the previous 3 years, with the points in the earlier years discounted by 50% (year 2) and 75% (year 1). This ranking of National Associations is based on the performance of all their clubs in the Euro Hockey League and EuroHockey Club Trophy
. The total number of points won by clubs from each country is divided by the number of clubs to which the National Association was entitled in that year's competitions.
Each qualifying National Association is required to enter their national champion club, but is otherwise free to decide the system of qualification for their own clubs for any remaining places to which they are entitled that year.
To be eligible to play in the Euro Hockey League a country must enter 2 clubs in the EHF club competition.
Round 1 of the Euro Hockey League starts the tournament with a round-robin
group stage. The league's 24 clubs are drawn in eight pools of three clubs, and each club in a pool plays the other 2 clubs in their pool once. The top 2 clubs in each pool go forward into Round 2. Round 1 is usually played on the second and fourth weekends in October, with matches being played at two venues.
Round 2 (KO16) and Round 3 (KO8/quarter-finals) sees the tournament switch to a straight knock out format. The sixteen clubs that progressed from Round 1 each play one match in Round 2, and the winners of those 8 matches each play another match in Round 3 (quarter-finals) to leave just four clubs. Rounds 2 and 3 are played over the Easter long weekend, usually at a single venue.
Round 4 (semi-final) and Round 5 (final, and 3 place playoff) are played at Whitsun
at a single venue.
, who are the presenting sponsor of the tournament. Volvo and Intersport are also named sponsors of the Euro Hockey League, while partnerships have been formed with McGregor, ErmaSport, ATP - The Advanced Travel Partner and Dutch advertising agency Ideas for Brands.
, sponsors the prize money for the most valuable player.
, then below that the EuroHockey Club Challenge 1, the EuroHockey Club Challenge 2, and so on. This structure is designed to give every EHF member nation the opportunity to enter their best clubs into European competition at an appropriate level, and through that exposure to improve the level of their domestic hockey.
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
cup competition organised by the EHF
European Hockey Federation
The European Hockey Federation is an European sports federation for field hockey, based in Dublin, Ireland. It is the umbrella organisation for all European national federations and organises the Euro Hockey League...
for the very top hockey clubs in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The competition was launched at the start of the 2007-08 hockey season, when it merged and replaced the mens EuroHockey Club Champions Cup
EuroHockey Club Champions Cup
The EuroHockey Club Champions Cup, previously known as the European Club Championship, is the leading woman's field hockey competition for clubs in Europe. It is held annually. Prior to the creation of the Euro Hockey League in 2007, the woman's competition also had a men's counterpart of the same...
(the champions competition) and European Cup II (the Cup Winners' Cup). Featuring many of the world's best players, the EHL is now seen as the pinnacle of club hockey in Europe (hockey's equivalent of the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
) with top clubs from across the continent playing what many consider to be the most exciting and dynamic club hockey in the world. The success of the EHL formula has brought hockey to a significantly wider audience, as evidenced by the many millions of views that EHL clips on YouTube have received.
About Euro Hockey League
In Europe, club hockey is at the heart and base of the sport, with players spending 30 to 35 weeks per year training and playing with their clubs during the regular winter season, and many also participating in friendly summer leagues and other competitions. Euro Hockey League sets out to promote and reinforce the status of club level hockey by creating new and more opportunities for the big European clubs to play each other in the international arena and giving club hockey more exposure, more spectators, higher quality TV coverage and a broader media and marketing platform.The target group for Euro Hockey League, its TV partners and sponsors consists of millions of European sports fans in countries across the continent, with Euro Hockey League designed to attract interest from not only hockey fans but sports fans in general. This is achieved by the production and provision of top level TV coverage, an innovative website, and through a number of playing rule variations introduced to make the game more transparent and attractive to TV viewers and spectators on site.
Format
The tournament features 24 clubs from the twelve highest ranked EHFEuropean Hockey Federation
The European Hockey Federation is an European sports federation for field hockey, based in Dublin, Ireland. It is the umbrella organisation for all European national federations and organises the Euro Hockey League...
member countries. Although the competition is called the Euro Hockey League, after Round 1 the competition is knock-out, rather than league format (similar to the UEFA Champions League in football).
Qualification
Each year the 24 available league places are allocated between twelve EHFEuropean Hockey Federation
The European Hockey Federation is an European sports federation for field hockey, based in Dublin, Ireland. It is the umbrella organisation for all European national federations and organises the Euro Hockey League...
member countries' National Association's, depending on those National Association's EHF Club Ranking. National Associations ranked 1-4 in the EHL Ranking Table may enter three teams each in the Euro Hockey League, while National Associations ranked 5-8 may enter two teams each, and National Associations ranked 9-12 one team.
National Associations rankings are derived from each country's results in the Euro Hockey League and EuroHockey Club Trophy
EuroHockey Club Trophy
The EuroHockey Club Trophy is an annual men's field hockey competition organised by the EHF for European hockey clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club competition, being one tier below the top men's European club competition the Euro Hockey League, and the top women's European club...
over the previous 3 years, with the points in the earlier years discounted by 50% (year 2) and 75% (year 1). This ranking of National Associations is based on the performance of all their clubs in the Euro Hockey League and EuroHockey Club Trophy
EuroHockey Club Trophy
The EuroHockey Club Trophy is an annual men's field hockey competition organised by the EHF for European hockey clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club competition, being one tier below the top men's European club competition the Euro Hockey League, and the top women's European club...
. The total number of points won by clubs from each country is divided by the number of clubs to which the National Association was entitled in that year's competitions.
Each qualifying National Association is required to enter their national champion club, but is otherwise free to decide the system of qualification for their own clubs for any remaining places to which they are entitled that year.
To be eligible to play in the Euro Hockey League a country must enter 2 clubs in the EHF club competition.
Tournament
The Euro Hockey League consists of five rounds.Round 1 of the Euro Hockey League starts the tournament with a round-robin
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
group stage. The league's 24 clubs are drawn in eight pools of three clubs, and each club in a pool plays the other 2 clubs in their pool once. The top 2 clubs in each pool go forward into Round 2. Round 1 is usually played on the second and fourth weekends in October, with matches being played at two venues.
Round 2 (KO16) and Round 3 (KO8/quarter-finals) sees the tournament switch to a straight knock out format. The sixteen clubs that progressed from Round 1 each play one match in Round 2, and the winners of those 8 matches each play another match in Round 3 (quarter-finals) to leave just four clubs. Rounds 2 and 3 are played over the Easter long weekend, usually at a single venue.
Round 4 (semi-final) and Round 5 (final, and 3 place playoff) are played at Whitsun
Whitsun
Whitsun is the name used in the UK for the Christian festival of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples...
at a single venue.
Sponsorship
The much improved presentation and packaging of the Euro Hockey League has attracted a number of high profile sponsors, most notably Dutch bank ABN AMROABN AMRO
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. is a Dutch state-owned bank with headquarters in Amsterdam. It was re-established, in its current form, in 2009 following the acquisition and break up of ABN AMRO Group by a banking consortium consisting of Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Santander and Fortis...
, who are the presenting sponsor of the tournament. Volvo and Intersport are also named sponsors of the Euro Hockey League, while partnerships have been formed with McGregor, ErmaSport, ATP - The Advanced Travel Partner and Dutch advertising agency Ideas for Brands.
Winners
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2010-11 Euro Hockey League 2010–11 The Euro Hockey League 2010/2011 was the fourth Season of the Euro Hockey League, which is the most important club tournament in European hockey. The competition was organised jointly by the European Hockey Federation and Dutch Media and Marketing agency Pro Sport, with Dutch Bank ABN AMRO being... |
 HGCHGC (field hockey) HGC is the acronym of the field hockey club H.O.C. Gazellen-Combinatie, which is located on the border of Wassenaar and The Hague in The Netherlands. The club was founded on September 22, 1906.... |
| 2009-10 Euro Hockey League 2009-2010 The Euro Hockey League 2009/2010 is the third Season of the Euro Hockey League, which is the most important club tournament in European hockey. The competition is organised jointly by the European Hockey Federation and Dutch Media and Marketing agency Pro Sport, with Dutch Bank ABN AMRO being the... |
 Uhlenhorster HCUhlenhorster HC Uhlenhorster Hockey Club is a German field hockey club in Hamburg, which is the oldest-established hockey club in Germany.Uhlenhorster is one of the reigning clubs in Germany, both at the Senior and Academy levels, with squads successful in the Bundesliga and in the Euro Hockey League... |
| 2008-09 Euro Hockey League 2008-09 The Euro Hockey League 2008-09 was the second edition of the competition succeeding the EuroHockey Club Champions Cup. It was won by HC Bloemendaal, attaining its third European Cup.-Pool A:All matches were played in Amsterdam, The Netherlands... |
HC Bloemendaal HC Bloemendaal Hockey Club Bloemendaal is a Dutch field hockey club, which was established on April 16, 1895, and is therefore one of the oldest field hockey clubs in the Netherlands... |
| 2007-08 Euro Hockey League 2007-08 The Euro Hockey League 2007–08 is the inaugural season of new introduction field hockey tournament from European Hockey Federation, Euro Hockey League... |
Uhlenhorster HC Uhlenhorster HC Uhlenhorster Hockey Club is a German field hockey club in Hamburg, which is the oldest-established hockey club in Germany.Uhlenhorster is one of the reigning clubs in Germany, both at the Senior and Academy levels, with squads successful in the Bundesliga and in the Euro Hockey League... |
Most Valuable Player
| Player | |
|---|---|
| 2010-11 Euro Hockey League 2010–11 The Euro Hockey League 2010/2011 was the fourth Season of the Euro Hockey League, which is the most important club tournament in European hockey. The competition was organised jointly by the European Hockey Federation and Dutch Media and Marketing agency Pro Sport, with Dutch Bank ABN AMRO being... |
 Rob ShortRob Short Rob Short is a Canadian field hockey player.- Career :Short played his first international senior tournament in 1995, at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata. Highlights include the 1998 World Cup in The Netherlands where the Canadian team finished 8th with Rob scoring 4 goals in the 7 games... |
| 2009-10 Euro Hockey League 2009-2010 The Euro Hockey League 2009/2010 is the third Season of the Euro Hockey League, which is the most important club tournament in European hockey. The competition is organised jointly by the European Hockey Federation and Dutch Media and Marketing agency Pro Sport, with Dutch Bank ABN AMRO being the... |
Moritz Fuerste |
| 2008-09 Euro Hockey League 2008-09 The Euro Hockey League 2008-09 was the second edition of the competition succeeding the EuroHockey Club Champions Cup. It was won by HC Bloemendaal, attaining its third European Cup.-Pool A:All matches were played in Amsterdam, The Netherlands... |
Teun de Nooijer Teun de Nooijer Teun Floris de Nooijer is a field hockey player from the Netherlands, who twice became Olympic champion with the Dutch national squad: in 1996 and in 2000. He currently plays for Dutch side HC Bloemendaal.- Life and work :He made his debut on 4 June 1994 in a friendly match against New Zealand... |
| 2007-08 Euro Hockey League 2007-08 The Euro Hockey League 2007–08 is the inaugural season of new introduction field hockey tournament from European Hockey Federation, Euro Hockey League... |
Moritz Fuerste |
Prize money
The winning club receives 20,000 euros; the second place club receives 10,000 euros; and the third place club receives 5,000 euros. The best player of the tournament gets a personal cheque of 5,000 euros. The EHL's main sponsor, ABN AMROABN AMRO
ABN AMRO Bank N.V. is a Dutch state-owned bank with headquarters in Amsterdam. It was re-established, in its current form, in 2009 following the acquisition and break up of ABN AMRO Group by a banking consortium consisting of Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Santander and Fortis...
, sponsors the prize money for the most valuable player.
Lower tournaments
The Euro Hockey League is the top mens club competition in Europe. Below the Euro Hockey League is the EuroHockey Club TrophyEuroHockey Club Trophy
The EuroHockey Club Trophy is an annual men's field hockey competition organised by the EHF for European hockey clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club competition, being one tier below the top men's European club competition the Euro Hockey League, and the top women's European club...
, then below that the EuroHockey Club Challenge 1, the EuroHockey Club Challenge 2, and so on. This structure is designed to give every EHF member nation the opportunity to enter their best clubs into European competition at an appropriate level, and through that exposure to improve the level of their domestic hockey.