EuroHockey President Marcos Hofmann attended the opening of the state-of-the-art new pitch in Perechyn, Ukraine, combining the visit with meetings with representatives of Ukraine’s sports and hockey authorities.
The new “School Drive” hockey pitch is a significant new facility for the development of hockey in the west of the country, located close to the Slovakian, Poland and Hungarian borders.
“I was delighted to visit this new facility and see how much of an impact it will have on the local community in this region of Ukraine,” Hofmann said of the visit.
“To see first-hand how this project was put together and to hear how it aligns with the vision for the development of hockey in Ukraine was illuminating and shows the local will to grow the game.”
It is only the second pitch of its level in Ukraine and is already playing an important role in providing opportunities for young players with around 200 boys and girls from the Perechyn community playing the sport.
** Discussing the future development of hockey in Ukraine
During his visit, Hofmann also took part in a roundtable discussion dedicated to the future development of hockey in Ukraine.
Key representatives from hockey, government and public administration took part including Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports of Ukraine Serhii Tymofeiev; President of the Ukrainian Hockey Federation Mykhailo Ananchenko; Mayor of Perechyn Ivan Pohoriliak; President of the Hungarian Hockey Federation András Zsoldos; and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Hungary Fedir Shandor.
The roundtable provided an opportunity to discuss the development of youth hockey, hockey infrastructure, opportunities for national team preparation and the potential for hosting international hockey matches in Perechyn in the future.
As Mayor of Perechyn, Ivan Pohoriliak has played an important role in supporting the development of hockey within the local community and in creating the conditions for the new hockey facility to become a hub for the sport in the region.
Hofmann also had the opportunity to address participants at the Ukrainian Hockey Conference, where he highlighted the importance of continued cooperation and investment in the development of hockey in Ukraine.
He expressed his hope the development taking place in Perechyn will create new opportunities for Ukrainian players and contribute to the growth of hockey across the country.
During the visit, the guests also toured the new “School Drive” hockey pitch together with entrepreneur and philanthropist Maksym Yefimov, whose significant support made the development of the modern facility possible.
