The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has successfully launched its new club development campaign, which aims to support its National Associations in their attempts to grow and retain members through structures that offer a lifetime in hockey.

Two thousands club development manuals and CDs have been produced and distributed worldwide to help this effort. The manual offers detailed information on creating and improving clubs, club management and junior club development. The CD includes the text of the manual and 4 power point presentations, which can be used to conduct national or regional club development workshops.

In Continental Club Development workshops, which will be held in the next 6 months, the materials will be explained, translated and adapted to meet the individual needs of the continental and national situation. One workshop has already taken place this June in Berlin, organised by the European Hockey Federation in Berlin. It was a great success for the 55 participants. Dates and venues of the following continental workshops will be put on the www.worldhockey.org by September.

Theo Ykema, chairman of the FIH DCC commented: "the materials that have been produced are extremely valuable not only to clubs but to all other institutions that offer sustainable hockey. The word "club" should be considered in a wider context, as a structure that provides a lifetime in hockey. Whether or not a country has an existing club structure is not important, as the club development information package can be used in all existing structures. It is a menu from which everybody can pick what they need to help build hockey in their environment"

With this new initiative the FIH aims to create a network of 150 national club development experts. The first 55 European experts have already been trained and will soon be followed by their colleagues in other parts of the world.