The Asian Age: FIH targets India to boost income

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Lausanne, Nov. 30: The International Hockey Federation want to boost their income before the 2016 Olympics by cashing in on the sport’s popularity in India.

Field hockey’s ruling executives meet this week to study a six-year plan that aims to raise the game’s profile by using its biggest fan base.

“Many sports want to go to India because it’s a fantastic market,” Christophe Troendle, the FIH’s director-general, said. “For us it’s maybe easier because we are part of the culture.”

The FIH hopes that targeting sponsors and staging more top events in the nation of 1.1 billion people could help triple their annual budget of $5 million.

New revenue from India would also reduce the governing body’s dependence on the International Olympic Committee, which provides 40 per cent of their income.

“It’s a very simple goal but very challenging,” Troendle said. “We recognised that we need more money and need to be more commercial. It’s a necessity, not a luxury.”

Under the proposed strategy, field hockey hotspots such as India and Netherlands would stage the World Cup and Champions Trophy more often.

“We want to locate our top properties into our top markets,” Troendle said. “Today we are totally invisible. We don’t have brands we have competitions that just have a name.” — AP