Beginning with this week’s Visa International Invitational Hockey Tournament, The Times’ brand will appear on the playing shirts of the Great Britain men. The partnership also covers the forthcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia at the end of May.
Jonathan Cockcroft, Commercial & Membership Director at Great Britain Hockey said, “We are delighted to join forces with The Times for what promises to be an enthralling period for British hockey. Our partnership will heighten the coverage of Great Britain men’s Olympic preparations as excitement builds towards Games time, and will raise greater awareness of the exciting and ambitious Hockey Nation programme aimed at attracting more people to the sport. We look forward to hockey being one of the most read about sports this summer.”
Tim Hallissey, Sports Editor, The Times, said "The Times is proud and delighted to be associated with the Great Britain men's hockey team at such an exciting time for sport in this country. The last time Britain won an Olympic title in a team sport was 1988, when men's hockey struck gold in Seoul, and everyone will be hoping that hockey can end that 24-year wait in London this summer. The Times has a long tradition and reputation for its hockey coverage in words and photographs and will be reporting from the Riverbank Arena on the Visa International Invitational Olympic test event this week, in the build-up to London 2012 and daily throughout the Games."
Great Britain’s men are in action against Germany, India and Australia this week as part of the Visa International Invitational Hockey Tournament. Follow the team’s progress at www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk, on Facebook and on Twitter via @GBHockey2012.
The Hockey Nation programme, run by Great Britain Hockey, is a series of events and activities designed to excite and inform the British public about hockey in the build up to the Olympic Games. The Hockey Nation is the most ambitious profile raising programme being undertaken by any Olympic sport. On Wednesday, the npower Big Dribble reached its grand finale in London’s Trafalgar Square having visited 40 towns and cities across the country over 18 days. In total, the British public dribbled more than 2012 kilometres with the target being passed in Oxford on the penultimate day. A host of well known names and faces joined the npower Big Dribble along the way including Hugh Robertson MP, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Andy Hunt (Chief Executive of the BOA), Baroness Sue Campbell (Chair of UK Sport), Jennie Price (Chief Executive of Sport England), Adam Paker (Chief Executive of Commonwealth Games England), TV presenter Tim Lovejoy, sports stars including Olympic rowers Katherine Grainger and Debbie Flood, Olympic swimmer Mark Foster, Lancashire county cricketer Paul Horton, and England netballers Tamsin Greenway and Rachel Dunn and host of GB hockey. GB Hockey stars Vikki Bunce, Sam Quek, James Fair and Susie Townsend visited a number of the cities along with former British Olympic hockey players and some of the future talent looking ahead to Rio 2016.
The Hockey Nation programme also features some outstanding events including the 2012 Gala Dinner, to celebrate the best of British hockey in this unforgettable Olympic year. Great Britain’s hockey players will host tables as they’re joined by guests to look back on great British moments and look ahead with anticipation to London 2012. Television presenter John Inverdale will host the evening and all proceeds from the event, including a charity auction, will be split between WellChild, GB Hockey’s Official Charity, and the Junior Development Fund, helping young people in hockey’s Single System achieve their potential. It takes place at the Grange hotel in St Paul’s, London, on Thursday 12 July.
Around 25,000 people are expected to pick up a hockey stick for the first time this summer. Launching to coincide with the Olympic Test Event, a new hockey search website - www.hockeynation.info - has been developed allowing people to search for hockey sessions in their area on a brand new search site. Users input their age, gender, location and whether they’re looking to play hockey or watch it and the website tells them where and when to find their nearest hockey activity.
