The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has entered into a partnership with Sportradar, utilising the company’s betting data and integrity safeguarding services.
Under the terms of the multi-year deal, Sportradar will collect and distribute betting data from FIH competitions until the conclusion of the 2029/30 season, covering a total of 300 matches per season.
Tournaments and leagues included in the partnership include the FIH Hockey World Cups, FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers, FIH Indoor Hockey World Cups, FIH Hockey Pro League, FIH Hockey5s World Cup and the Olympic Qualifiers.
Furthermore, Sportradar will provide a bespoke Competition Management platform to the FIH in order to assist with tournament and data management, factoring in match results, player statistics and rankings.
The FIH intends to utilise this platform to engage with hockey’s global audience and provide greater insights, and the offering will in turn be made available to all FIH member associations including continental and national bodies.
FIH CEO, Thierry Weil, said: “One of our key initiatives is to develop exciting and entertaining events that are meaningful for athletes as well as fan-focused to attract new fans and boost participation.
“With Sportradar’s proven track record supporting some of the world’s biggest sports federations, we are confident that this partnership will largely contribute to growing hockey globally through bespoke data. Furthermore, we’re looking forward to benefiting from Sportradar’s expertise in providing intelligence solutions to maintain sport’s integrity.”
The partnership also includes an integrity element, as Sportradar will leverage its Universal Fraud Detection Service (UFDS) bet monitoring system to identify match-fixing and other potential risks, whilst also providing education and prevention workshops to the body’s officials.
By linking with the FIH, the newly Nasdaq-listed Swiss sports data and technology company’s further expands its portfolio of betting data partners, which includes international sporting organisations such as UEFA, which recently signed its first betting data rights agreement with the firm.
Ed Blonk, Chief Commercial Officer and Regional CEO APAC, Sportradar, added: “Sportradar’s expertise in leveraging the power of sports data will allow us to create bespoke solutions for FIH that will help to elevate the profile of hockey and enable the continued growth of the game. We look forward to collaborating with FIH to create enhanced levels of engagement with hockey fans around the world.”
