Ireland to join FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-24 after South Africa decline offer

Lausanne (Switzerland), Feb 14 The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has invited Ireland to join the Men's Pro League for the next season after South Africa decided not to participate in the event despite qualifying.

After a thorough analysis, the South African Hockey Association has decided not to join the Men's Pro League 2023-24 despite having qualified for it after winning the inaugural FIH Hockey Nations Cup played on home soil in Potchefstroom, last year.

However, the South African Hockey Association has confirmed its firm intention to join the League in the future, provided their teams, women or men, qualify for it on the field of play, of course, the FIH informed in a release on Tuesday.

Ireland, the runners-up of the Nations Cup, have been invited by the FIH to join the Pro League in 2023-24, and the "Green Machine" - Ireland's men's team nickname - have accepted to do so.

Commenting on the announcement, Hockey Ireland CEO Ronan Murphy said: "This announcement comes at a very exciting time for Hockey Ireland as we look to grow participation in the game and compete at the highest level on the international stage.

"The fact that our Senior Men are now competing in World Hockey's Pro League against eight top Hockey teams from around the world is a testament to all the hard work to date. It's a very busy year ahead for the team and the EuroHockey Championships in Abbotstown in July will be the perfect opportunity for fans to come along and watch them in full international action," he said.

Mark Tumilty, Ireland men's head coach can't wait to get started in the FIH Hockey Pro League: "We are delighted this has come about. It's a big opportunity for us and men's hockey in Ireland. It's a massive challenge for us but I've said many times before that for Ireland to move forward in world hockey we need to be playing competitive games against the top nations. To have to chance now to play sixteen games against the top countries in the world gives us that opportunity to develop. It's what we need and it's a big carrot for the players."

"The SA Hockey Association (SAHA) is extremely saddened by the fact that they will not be attending the FIH Hockey Pro League season (2023-2024) despite us qualifying at the inaugural Men's Nations Cup. The magnificent progress in our team performance is a direct result of our participation in the previous Pro League season.

"As a federation, we will forever be grateful for the opportunity afforded to us to participate at that level. It will be sorely missed especially as it would have assisted our team with their preparation for Paris 2024. We wish Hockey Ireland and all the other teams all the very best for the FIH Hockey Pro League season (2023-2024)", SAHA interim CEO Shaune Baaitjies commented," he said.

"Whilst we will miss South Africa in the next season, we know that the South African Hockey Association firmly intends to join the FIH Hockey Pro League as soon as possible. Therefore, this is just a matter of time. Meanwhile, we're absolutely delighted to welcome the Irish men's team and we can't wait to see them perform in the League next season!," FIH CEO Thierry Weil said.

The upcoming FIH Hockey Pro League season (2023-24) will be the first one to apply the "promotion and relegation" principle. In concrete terms, the winners of the inaugural FIH Hockey Nations Cup played in 2022 (India for women, South Africa - now replaced by Ireland - for men) have been promoted. Both teams will take the place of the teams relegated (one women's team and one men's team) at the end of the current season.