Hockey will be even bigger and better at the Twickenham Stoop in 2020 as Great Britain’s men’s and women’s teams return to the home of Harlequins for Hockey’s Big Weekend.
After hosting two matches at The Stoop on June 23 of this year, as part of a new three-year deal, Great Britain Hockey is delighted to announce that we will play four FIH Pro League games there in 2020 across the weekend of 16 and 17 May.
Argentina’s men and women will be the opponents for both days next year. Their men are reigning Olympic champions, and their women have won four medals in the last five Olympics so a fantastic two days of hockey are in store. So, with Great Britain women’s gold medal heroics in Rio 2016, this will be the only occasion that fans will be able see both reigning women’s and men’s champions in the same place before the Tokyo Olympics.
Hockey’s Big Weekend will showcase all that is great about our sport, bringing both our women’s and men’s teams together on the pitch as they showcase the energy and spirit of hockey. Great Britain Hockey have been at the forefront of this new drop-in pitch technology and helping to grow the sport in a number of ways.
Men’s Head Coach Danny Kerry said, “It’s fantastic that we are returning to The Stoop next year and continuing to grow the sport. I’ve been involved in hockey for a long time and we are making strides that never seemed possible. On the pitch it will be an important weekend of FIH Pro League matches and Argentina will be strong opponents.”
Women’s Head Coach Mark Hager commented, “Since I came to Great Britain earlier this year I’ve seen how the sport is growing and how popular our events have become. We are very lucky in this country to play at places like The Stoop and I’d encourage everyone in our sport to come out and get behind us on our journey to Tokyo.”
The matches in 2019 were a huge success, with more than 12,000 people creating the biggest hockey crowd in this country since the London 2012 Olympics. The day of fixtures against New Zealand also ensured that more than one million hockey tickets have been sold in the UK since the beginning of the 2012 Games.
Tickets go on sale on Wednesday to members of the Hockey Family, details on the Great Britain Hockey website.
