Field Hockey Canada > What does 2013 hold?

What does 2013 hold?

January 9, 2013 | Field Hockey Canada | fieldhockey.ca

The calendar has flipped to 2013 and another year lies ahead. What awaits the world of hockey in the upcoming 12 months? The FIH takes a month-by-month look at the international hockey calendar and highlights the top events to look forward to between now and when the clock strikes midnight to ring in 2014.

January: 
The Hockey World League Round 2 kicks off in Cape Town, South Africa with six women’s team battling for a spot in the key World League Round 3 tournament later in the season.

February: 
Youth is king as the EuroHockey Indoor club tournaments dominate the calendar. The Hockey World League Round 2 is also in full swing with five of the tournaments scheduled to be played in February including joint events in India and Brazil along with a Women’s Round 2 tournament in Spain.

March: 
Get ready for the first major men’s event of the year when the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup takes place in Ipoh, Malaysia from March 6-17. The seven-team invitational tournament is one of the highlights of early-Spring hockey.

April: 
April Fools – or maybe not. The exciting Euro Hockey League KO16 weekend will draw to a close on April 1st, with the four remaining teams going through to May’s EHL Final Four event. Also on the international calendar during the relatively quiet month are the qualification tournaments for the Africa Cup.

May: 
The final two Hockey World League Round 2 Tournaments will be played in France and Russia to finnalize the field for the next round. European hockey will also be on center stage with the Club Champions Trophy taking place in Antwerp, Belgium and the Euro Hockey League’s Final Four event also in action (venue to be confirmed).

June: 
Welcome to the 2014 World Cup. June is sure to be a thrilling month with all four Hockey World League Semi-Final Tournaments on the schedule. Rotterdam (NED) will host the men and women mid-month, while Germany will play host to a joint men’s and women’s event at the end of June. At stake is a berth to the 2014 World Cup.

July: 
Germany again takes center stage in the hockey world in July as they host the Women’s Junior World Cup from July 27-August 4. The top 16 junior teams are scheduled to meet in hockey’s first glimpse into the future of its young talent.

August: 
It’s time to go continental as two major continents hold big events. Toronto will play host to the Pan American Cup August 10-18 as the top-eight men’s teams converge on the Maple Leaf Nation. In Asia, the 9th Men’s Asia Cup will begin in Ipoh, Malaysia on August 24.

September: 
The continental mania continues with the Africa Cup of Nations, the Women’s Asian Cup and the Women’s Pan American Cup all scheduled to take place in the action-packed month.

October: 
The Oceania Cup rounds out the Continental Championships in October. In addition, the EuroHockey League begins a new cycle with the 1.1 tournament starting things anew.

November: 
The first-ever Hockey World League Final will be held in Argentina from November 30-December 8. The tournament will determine the first-ever winner from the Hockey World League after nearly two years of build-up.

December: 
The 2014 hockey calendar ends on an appropriate note as the world looks ahead to the future of the game with the Men’s Junior World Cup in India from December 5-16. The top-16 men’s junior teams will take part in the year-end tournament.

To view the entire FIH 2013 Calendar, please click here.

Source: www.fih.ch