EuroChamps27 Launches Social Impact Plan to Take Hockey Into Communities Across England
London 2027 isn’t just about the hockey. England Hockey have launched the Social Impact Plan for next summer’s European Championships, and the pitch is simple: a tournament this big should leave something behind in the places that need it most.
The KETTLE® EuroHockey EuroChamps27 runs from 28 July to 8 August 2027, with 24 of Europe’s best men’s and women’s teams in London. But the plan launched this week isn’t about the finals at Twickenham Stoop. It’s about who gets to play hockey in the first place.
What the plan actually does
At its heart is a clear ambition: make hockey more accessible, inclusive and relevant for people who currently face barriers to getting involved. The programme focuses on people from low-income households, ethnically diverse communities, and disabled people or people living with long-term health conditions.
That means practical stuff, not slogans. Community activity in local, trusted settings. Support that builds confidence, improves wellbeing and strengthens social connection. And a deliberate push to get people back to Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre to keep playing once they’ve had a first taste.
England Hockey aren’t waiting until after the tournament to start. Activity is already beginning across England, with the plan set to run from now until August 2027. Partner stories and impact updates will follow in the months ahead.
Who’s delivering it
The plan is backed by EuroHockey, UK Sport, the Greater London Authority, Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre and the Harlequins Foundation. The delivery network includes Access Sport, StreetGames, the Youth Sport Trust, the Harlequins Foundation and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, with more partners to join.
England Hockey’s Eight Areas will support clubs and organisations to deliver community hockey locally through a new nationwide funding programme called “Hockey Futures Together”.
One concrete piece stands out. Access Sport will use the plan to accelerate Flyerz hockey, the disability hockey programme it runs with England Hockey. Over the coming months they’ll support new clubs in each region to set up and launch their own disability-inclusive Flyerz sessions, with the tools and resources to become genuinely inclusive for all young people.
What they said
Keith Carder, England Hockey’s Sport Director and chair of the Social Impact group, was blunt about how the tournament will be judged: “The KETTLE® EuroChamps27 is a fantastic opportunity to showcase hockey at its best, but its true success will be measured by the difference it makes beyond the tournament.”
“Our Social Impact Plan is about using this major event to reach more people, remove barriers and show that hockey can help build confidence, connection and belonging. By working with expert delivery partners, we can turn ambition into lasting impact in communities across the country.”
Mark Lawrie, chief executive of StreetGames, put the access gap front and centre: “At StreetGames, we know that talent, potential and aspiration are evenly distributed, but access to sport is not. Too many young people from low-income and underserved communities miss out on the opportunities sport can provide.”
Helen Rowbotham, chief executive of Access Sport, said the plan “offers an exciting opportunity to accelerate the growth of Flyerz hockey” and that new disability-inclusive clubs will be supported in every region.
The tournament itself
For anyone keeping track of the summer itself: the action starts at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, with eight days and 42 matches before the quarter-finals on 2 and 3 August. Then it moves to Big Stadium Hockey at the Twickenham Stoop for the semi-finals, with the medal matches from 5 to 8 August. The women’s final and bronze matches are on Saturday 7 August, the men’s medal games on Sunday 8 August. The Hockey ID Championships finals are at the Stoop on Friday 6 August. Tickets are on sale now.
There’s a second legacy thread running alongside the plan. England Hockey are looking for a permanent new home for the Poligras turf that will stage the Stoop semi-finals and finals, with clubs and facilities asked to submit expressions of interest by Wednesday 18 November. The turf comes up the day after the men’s final and goes straight to its new site.
For our money, legacy plans are easy to announce and hard to deliver. The test here isn’t the launch, it’s whether the Flyerz clubs and the Hockey Futures Together funding actually land in communities before next August. Starting nine months out, with money and delivery partners named rather than promised, is the right way to go about it. Most tournaments bolt this on afterwards. This one, at least, is trying to do it first.
