Now that lockdown restrictions slowly get lifted in most parts of the world, hope returns our sport will be able to take back its place in our lives. But we have to be realistic... For a certain time it will not be as it was. 



I believe... I have to believe we will be able to sit alongside each other or stand shoulder to shoulder cheering for our clubs and teams in the near future once again. Face masks and social distancing will be temporary, but for now they're a fact of life



That doesn't mean we can not celebrate the small victories in the meantime. A return to training, all be it with certain restrictions. But also some of our top competitions and major events are being rescheduled. Tokyo 2020 will be hosted.... we hope... in the summer of 2021. The European Championship has been moved to June of 2021, a couple of weeks ahead of Tokyo. Our national associations are talking to their clubs about the best way for their country to resume or restart their domestic club leagues, the beating heart of hockey. 



And yes.... the EHL, possibly the best thing that happened to hockey since well.... the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976 introduced hockey to artificial grass...The Euro Hockey League returns in October of 2020.



So we invited Marijke Fleuren, president of the European Hockey Federation to talk about how the current season, now on hold, will finish.What next season might bring us? What will happen to the integration of the women into the EHL? Can we expect some more of these great innovations, such as the self-pass, the EHL brought us?



But let' start with the all important question... or questions... Why does the EHL exist and does it have a future?





Episode 39 was recorded on 2020-05-26 & published on 2020-05-29 by OSMpodcasts.com.
Host: Ernst Baart
Guest: Marijke Fleuren, EHF president
Podcast: Studio Hockey

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