Global hockey championship shoots £750k into Sheffield economy

The Sheffield economy received a £750k injection from an international sporting event that attracted hundreds of competitors from all over the world.

iceSheffield’s Olympic-standard competition pad was replaced by dry, hard flooring for the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation (ISBHF) 2016 World Junior Championships.

Eighteen teams and 600 players and coaches took part in the tournament held over seven days at iceSheffield, which is operated by SIV.

Every year, SIV hosts more than 1,500 events contributing over £30m to the Sheffield economy.

Ball hockey, a team sport played all over the world, is a variation of ice hockey played on a non-ice surface with a ball rather than puck.

Founded in 1993, the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation has provided international competitions since 1995. The World Junior Championships were brought to Sheffield by governing body, Ball Hockey UK.

George Gortsos, president of the International Street Ball Hockey Federation, said: “iceSheffield and the staff of SIV served our 18 national teams and 600 coaches and players a world-class hockey event providing an amazing ball hockey platform and growth platform for our athletes.

“Our ISBHF family is still talking about the wonderful hockey facilities, and professional and keen staff of SIV who went out of their way to welcome our hockey world. For us is was the perfect venue, city and platform to host our 2016 ISBHF World Junior Ball Hockey Championships.

“SIV, iceSheffield, Ball Hockey UK and the city of Sheffield served our players a golden event that is one of the most memorable, and world-class events we have ever held.”

Dominic Stokes, head of SIV Events – the events arm of SIV, added: “It is the first time the World Junior Championships have been staged in the UK so we were extremely proud that the ISBHF and Ball Hockey UK chose to bring this event to iceSheffield.

“The value in terms of venue hire, bed nights and additional spend in the city was significant for a single event bringing more than £750k to the local economy.

“The sport is played on a dry surface so, ahead of the event, our team removed all the ice from our competition pad and added markings to the concrete floor below, demonstrating the flexibility of the venue as an event space.

“It was a great seven days of competition and we look forward to hosting more ball hockey tournaments in the future as this sports gets ever more popular.”