England & Great Britain Hockey's partnership with Investec to come to an end
England and Great Britain Hockey’s nine-year relationship with Investec comes to an end in August 2020, with the ending of the sponsorship contract, and we would like to sincerely thank Investec for its contribution to our sport.
Investec’s relationship with hockey has coincided with a hugely positive decade for the women’s game. Our senior teams have delivered significant on-field success, including England’s victory on home soil at the 2015 European Championship and, of course, Great Britain’s momentous Rio gold medal triumph in 2016, which inspired the nation. The game has reached new audiences with the development of the Investec London Cup and the staging of major global events, notably the 2018 Women’s Hockey World Cup, one of the biggest women’s sports events ever staged in Britain. This success and exposure has been translated into a healthy increase in women and girls playing hockey, the latter having grown by 90% since 2012, and significant increases in hockey’s fan-base with record crowds watching the FIH Hockey Pro League at The Twickenham Stoop in June 2019.
Investec’s commitment to women’s hockey has helped raise the profile of our athletes, elevated the experience at our events and enabled the sport to reach new audiences. When the relationship began in 2011, it was pioneering and far-sighted to enter into a partnership with a women’s sport. This creativity, vision and courage has been rewarded and, a decade later and with progress to make, women’s sport is in a very different place in the national consciousness and mind-set of sponsors.
Jennifer Whiteford, Head of Brand at Investec, said: “It has been a huge honour for Investec to be involved with such an incredible group of women at the elite level who are inspiring the next generation of hockey stars. The game and players have allowed us to deepen our relationships with our audiences and strengthened our brand.”
Jon Cockcroft, Commercial Director of England Hockey, added: “We will look back on our relationship with great pride. Across all metrics the partnership has delivered for both Investec and hockey, and we have enjoyed so many great moments on and off the pitch. As we navigate through these difficult times, the importance of sport in terms of personal identity and social cohesion has been striking. We look forward to hockey resuming, the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and exploring future sponsorship opportunities with like-minded brands.”
Great Britain and England Hockey now begins its search for a successor to Investec. We understand this is an uncertain time for some businesses but, with the Tokyo Olympics delayed by a year and hockey thriving at all levels, there is much about which to be excited.
Hockey holds a unique position as the most equal gender team sport, played by all ages and across the world’s major markets. We are looking for new partners who embody our strong values of spirit and togetherness and wish to tell their story through the medium of a leading Olympic team sport.
