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Grace O’Hanlon (NZL) and Jean-Paul Danneberg (GER) named FIH Goalkeepers of the Year

20 Nov, 2025 The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to announce the recipients of the FIH Goalkeepers of the Year 2025 awards: Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Grace O’Hanlon (NZL) Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Jean‑Paul Danneberg (GER) Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year – Grace O’Hanlon (NZL) Grace O’Hanlon delivered a remarkable 2024-25 season between the posts for the New Zealand Women’s hockey team. Her standout performances in two major tournaments played a key role in the Black Sticks’ resurgence in international hockey and earned her this prestigious accolade. At the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup Chile 2024-25, Grace proved to be one of the best players of the tournament: her shot-stopping, composure in high-pressure moments and consistent reliability helped New Zealand claim the title. Her performance especially stood out in the semi-final and the final, as both matches went into the shoot-outs, where O’Hanlon saved more attempts than she let in, to help New Zealand climb the top step of the podium! At the Oceania Cup, O’Hanlon was instrumental in guiding New Zealand to victory over neighbours Australia, securing top-place in the tournament and thereby booking a berth at the upcoming FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026. Her reflexes in the goal and leadership from the back created a foundation for the team’s success in that decisive moment. Across both events, O’Hanlon staked her claim as one of the world’s elite goalkeepers, with her form providing the springboard for her team’s momentum into the World Cup cycle. For these efforts, and the clear impact she has had on her team’s key successes, Grace O’Hanlon is a worthy recipient of the FIH Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year Award. Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year – Jean-Paul Danneberg (GER) Jean-Paul Danneberg has enjoyed another season of excellence for the German Men’s Hockey Team, demonstrating that goalkeepers can be match-winners in their own right. During the EuroHockey Championships, Germany lifted the trophy in dramatic fashion — a victory sealed in shoot-outs in which Danneberg played a starring role. His composure and ability to make saves in the biggest pressure moments were pivotal both in winning gold and securing qualification for the coming World Cup. Alongside his continental triumph, Danneberg’s performances in the FIH Hockey Pro League also underlined his class. Week after week, he faced world-class opposition, commanding his circle, orchestrating defence, and producing momentum-shifting saves with consistency. His level of performance across the major events has marked him out as the premier goalkeeper in the world this season. With his elite performances between the sticks directly influencing Germany’s success, Jean-Paul Danneberg is a fitting recipient of the FIH Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year Award. Source: FIH.hockey

FIH appoints safeguarding experts for upcoming Junior World Cups

17 Nov, 2025 Following the successful experience at the previous FIH Hockey Junior World Cups in 2023, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) is proud to announce that this initiative will be reiterated this year. FIH has appointed two experts in this field—Marialoreto Gonzalez (Chile) and Nirmal Kumar (India)—as Safeguarding Officers for the Women’s and Men’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cups, respectively. The primary mission of the Safeguarding Officers is to create an environment of safety, well-being, and protection for all rising hockey stars who will showcase their talents at the highest global event for this age category. This will be achieved by providing athletes with access to preventive and educational resources. Of course, in addition to that, the Safeguarding Officers will be available to address any safeguarding issues that may arise during the tournaments, ensuring complete confidentiality. FIH President Tayyab Ikram, commenting on this renewed initiative, said: “Safeguarding has become one of the most important aspects of sports governance. Athletes are at the centre of everything we do. As an International Federation, it is our duty to implement all possible measures and frameworks to ensure our athletes develop in an environment where they feel safe enough to perform at their best. This commitment is especially crucial for young athletes. Through our initiative to appoint Safeguarding Officers for the upcoming FIH Hockey Junior World Cups, we are embracing our responsibility with full determination.” Marialoreto Gonzalez is a lawyer holding a Master’s degree in Law and Gender, specialising in sexual crimes, violence, and abuse. She is a member of the Panam Sports Safe Sports Commission and serves as the lawyer in charge of the Office for Respect Unit at the Chilean Olympic Committee and has extensive experience in abuse legislation. She has also worked as a Welfare Officer at various major sporting events and has contributed to establishing safe sport offices across multiple Pan American Olympic Committees, including the development of protocols and relevant legislation. As Head of Player Care department at FC Madras, Nirmal Kumar brings over six years of experience in managing and safeguarding young athletes. He has led the implementation of child protection policies, conducted awareness and training sessions, and overseen incident reporting protocols. His leadership has fostered a safe, respectful, and supportive environment within the academy. Commenting on their appointment, both Safeguarding Officers said: “We would like to express our sincere enthusiasm and deep appreciation for the opportunity to collaborate with FIH. We understand the critical importance of the Safeguarding Officers in ensuring a safe, positive, and supportive environment for all participants. We look forward to working closely with FIH and contributing to the success of these major events.” Source: FIH.hockey

FIH joins forces with SPORTFIVE to boost global commercial growth across international hockey

13 Nov, 2025 The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to announce a strategic partnership with leading global sports marketing agency SPORTFIVE. As part of this partnership, SPORTFIVE will serve as a key Commercial Partner for FIH, supporting FIH’s mission to elevate the sport‘s global visibility and secure brand partnerships across major markets including the Middle East, South Asia, Europe, and the United Kingdom. This partnership will debut with FIH’s most prestigious event, the FIH Hockey World Cup, taking place from 15 to 30 August 2026 in Belgium and the Netherlands. Beyond the World Cup, SPORTFIVE will also work with FIH across its wider international portfolio of major events and tournaments, including the FIH Hockey Pro League and innovative formats such as the FIH Hockey5s World Cup, ensuring SPORTFIVE plays a central role in shaping the commercial future of one of the world’s most inclusive and fast-growing Olympic sports. FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “As hockey’s world governing body, our primary mission is to develop the sport globally. This would not be possible without the invaluable support of commercial partners who are steadfastly committed to us and share the values of our sport. We are confident that SPORTFIVE’s support will enable us to elevate hockey to the next level and are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration.” “We’re proud to partner with FIH, starting with the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 as the most prestigious event of FIH. Hockey has a passionate global following, and we see tremendous potential to connect brands with fans in meaningful ways. This is just the beginning of what we believe will be a dynamic and enduring relationship,” said Robert Müller von Vultejus, Chief Growth Officer, SPORTFIVE. “Partnering with FIH for the 2026 World Cup allows us to tap into the energy of hockey’s global fanbase while delivering tailored brand solutions across diverse markets. We’re committed to building momentum not just for this event, but for the sport’s long-term commercial growth,” added Venu Nair, Managing Director South Asia & Middle East, SPORTFIVE. This partnership marks the start of a new era for international hockey, combining SPORTFIVE’s global network and sports marketing expertise with FIH’s vision to promote hockey as a sport that is Olympic, inclusive, and truly global. Source: FIH.hockey

FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2025: vote for the best players of the year!

06 Nov, 2025 The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is glad to announce that the following 12 top hockey athletes have been shortlisted for the FIH Best Player and the FIH Best Goalkeeper of the Year Awards: FIH Player of the Year Award – Nominees: Women: Xan de Waard (NED), Alix Gerniers (BEL), Li Hong (CHN) Men: Tom Boon (BEL), Nicolás Della Torre (ARG), Thierry Brinkman (NED) FIH Goalkeeper of the Year Award – Nominees: Women: Anne Veenendaal (NED), Liu Ping (CHN), Grace O’Hanlon (NZL) Men: James Mazarelo (ENG), Jean-Paul Danneberg (GER), Tomás Santiago (ARG) The list of nominees was established by an Expert Panel* composed of players, coaches and tv commentators selected by the FIH. The expert panel was provided access to match data from all international matches held in 2025, including Test Matches, Continental Championships, FIH Hockey Pro League, FIH Hockey Nations Cups and the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2 before establishing the final list of nominees. The voting process is now open! National Associations – represented by their respective national teams’ captains and coaches -, fans, players, coaches, officials and media can register their vote until 16 November. Fans can vote for their favourite players here. Only one vote per Award is accepted. *Expert Panel: Tsoanelo Pholo (RSA) Moses Kagochi (KEN) PR Sreejesh (IND) Rani Rampal (IND) Yuri Nagai (JPN) Simon Mason (ENG) Ashley Morrison (AUS) Shea Mcaleese (NZL) Tahir Zaman (PAK) Colin Batch (AUS) Camila Caram (CHI) Luciana Aymar (ARG) List of Awards: FIH Player of the Year (Women and Men) FIH Goalkeeper of the Year (Women and Men) FIH Coach of the Year (Women and Men)** FIH Umpire of the Year (Women and Men)*** FIH Rising Star of the Year (Women and Men)**** ** Not for vote – The Expert Panel will decide the winners of the FIH Coach of the Year Awards *** Not for vote – The FIH Umpiring Committee will decide the winners of the FIH Umpire of the Year Awards ****Not for vote – The Best Player of the upcoming FIH Hockey Junior World Cups, women and men, will win the FIH Rising Star Award this year Source: FIH.hockey

FIH President Tayyab Ikram reflects on the final FIH Executive Board meeting of 2025

04 Nov, 2025 FIH President Tayyab Ikram, reflecting on the FIH EB meeting held in Évian-les-Bains, France, on 2-3 November, said: “As we have concluded our final FIH Executive Board meeting of the year, I would like to thank all my colleagues on the FIH EB for their remarkable dedication over the past few days. Thanks to everyone’s contributions, we now have a clear strategic roadmap ahead of us. And with enhanced dedicated content on our website and our brand-new app, FIH Connect, communication with our National Associations and athletes will be significantly strengthened and improved. I was also pleased to update the Executive Board on my various engagements, on behalf of FIH, with the Olympic movement, including the IOC and its President, Kirsty Coventry, and Director General, Christophe De Kepper, ASOIF, SportAccord, OCA, and the Continental Games Coordination Commissions. I would like to express my appreciation as well to the FIH Team for their support and hard work. Together, we are sparing no effort to elevate our sport to the next level, expand hockey worldwide, and enhance its promotion. I look forward to our upcoming events, including the FIH Hockey Women’s and Men’s Junior World Cups, as well as the new FIH Hockey Pro League season.” Source: FIH.hockey