Update on future participation of Hockey Australia in the FIH Pro League
Published Mon 11 Sep 2023
Hockey Australia (HA) is committed to the need for an organised and structured international programme from the end of 2024 to 2027. Like any international sporting competition, there are complexities involved in delivering a model that benefits stakeholders across each nation now and in the future.
HA has expressed concerns, to the FIH, regarding the current model of the FIH Pro League. These concerns include: lack of host nations, costs of competing are extremely high, hosting neutral matches isn’t working, confusion in storyline, and the league has reduced relevancy as some nations play more matches than others (in blocks).
HA has committed to Season 5 (2023/24) of the Pro League and is in negotiations with the FIH for Seasons 6-8 with a final decision to be reached by 1 November 2023.
Going forward, HA wishes to ensure the model is affordable for all participating nations, is relevant to and connects with audiences in local territories and therefore helps grow the game. These factors are essential to the ongoing success of Hockey Australia’s strategic plan, and for hockey as an international sport.
HA’s participation in the FIH Pro League Seasons 6-8 will be determined by FIH’s response to proposals HA (and other nations) have put forward.
Further information and updates will be provided in due course.
About the FIH Pro League
The FIH Pro League is the global hockey competition organised by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The League in its current format was first launched in 2019 and features hockey’s best national men’s and women’s hockey teams from across the world. Changes were made from the 2022-23 season, which sees matches now played in “mini-tournaments” where several teams gather in the one venue to play two matches against each other. The team with the highest number of points at the end of the League is crowned Champion, while the team that finishes last is relegated and replaced by the winner of the FIH Hockey Nations Cup. The FIH Pro League brings added value to the player pathway as an incentive for growth, an outlet to celebrate and build the profiles of our national heroes, and opportunities to boost commercial appeal and audiences through media, broadcast and other channels. More information about the FIH Pro League is here.
