England to host 2007 European Hockey Championships

England Hockey has announced that it has been awarded the right to host the men's and women's 2007 European Hockey Championships by the European Hockey Federation (EHF).

The tournament will be held at Belle Vue, in Manchester, and is the second major event to have been secured by the city in a week, following the announcement that the 2008 World Squash Championships will be held at the Sportcity complex.

England Hockey's executive chair, Philip Kimberley, said: "This is absolutely fantastic news. It will be the biggest event hockey will have staged in England since the 1986 World Cup.

"This bid has taken us more than six months of hard work to prepare and submit to the various stakeholders and I'm particularly grateful to UK Sport, Manchester City Council, and the NWDA for their positive engagement with us in securing it, and for the financial support they have committed."

The tournament is being backed by UK Sport, which will contribute £262,000 from the World Class Events programme.

The championships are a direct qualification route for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, so represent a good chance for British players to book their place in China.