Cam Vale Honoured With FIH Order of Merit at the 50th Congress in Doha

Some honours are about one career. Cam Vale made a point of saying this one isn’t.

The Oceania Hockey Federation president received the FIH Order of Merit, one of international hockey’s highest recognitions for service to the sport, at the 50th FIH Congress in Doha, Qatar. FIH President Tayyab Ikram presented the award. Vale was named alongside Dr Marwan al Juma of Oman, Deon Morgan of South Africa and Ravi Kant Srivastava of India.

Vale has led the Oceania federation since April 2023 and also sits on the FIH Executive Board. The Order of Merit recognises distinguished service at national, continental and international level, and Hockey Australia said it reflects Vale’s outstanding contribution both within the region and across the global game. Hockey Australia chair Sally Carbon joined the Oceania members in celebrating it.

Vale’s own words said plenty about how he sees the job. He said he was very honoured and humbled to receive it from Ikram in front of members from Hockey Australia, Hockey New Zealand, Fiji Hockey and PNG Hockey. He came into hockey in 2013, he said, and credited Pam Elgar, Bob Claxton and Gill Gemming, all Oceania life members, for instilling the importance of Oceania hockey in him early on. Then he turned it outward: the award, he said, is not about one person but the collective effort of the people supporting development in the Pacific, particularly the Hook in for Health program backed by the Australian Government and ongoing FIH funding to grow the game.

That’s the right note, and it’s why this matters beyond a ceremony photo. Oceania hockey runs on development work in places a long way from the big stadiums. The Congress itself was a milestone gathering, with the Hockey Stars Awards and discussions on the sport’s strategic direction also on the agenda. Vale’s recognition puts that development work front and centre at exactly the moment the global game is talking about its future.