And yet it was the first time in the new organization for 6 of the 8 board members, the managing director and one or two club officials. The excitement among the participants was therefore certain: how will the whole thing go? What are the new board members like? Who from the clubs will be new? And yes, which topics do we want to move forward?

It’s Saturday, April 24, 2026, the spring sun is shining outside and the day promises to be a glorious one. There are actually better things to do than spend time in the hallowed halls of Swiss Olympic at the Haus des Sports. But: the first participants arrive motivated and fortify themselves a little before the start. The agenda is packed, with a review of 2025 and a look ahead to 2026. And an “out-of-box” session on the topic of “Engage Gen Z & Gen Alpha” during the lunch break – that sounds promising.

Rob Mudde, the new President, will open the event. His key message: events such as the General Assembly serve to get to know each other better, deepen relationships and strengthen cooperation. Everyone involved could only agree with this.

After the formalities had been completed (presentation of the agenda, determination of the clubs present and the quorum by Asad van Gelderen, the new Secretary General), Rob looked back on the past year: many sporting successes, a new management team and a new board, as well as the adoption of a strategic framework for Swiss Hockey, which will form the basis for the work over the next five years. Another highlight from 2025: for the first time since 2020, Patrick was able to report a positive result as Chief Financial Officer. It was therefore gratifying to see the General Assembly’s participants approve the actions of the Executive Board and the finances.

After the brief review of 2025, things then moved into high gear: Jair Levie, Head of Competitive Sports, presented the 2026 planning for his area, including some new measures such as theJair Levie presented the 2026 plans for his division, including some new measures such as coaching and staff development, ambitious junior development and the launch of the Swiss Hockey Alumni Network, a community for former national team players. Also great news: Swiss Hockey has been awarded the contract by Eurohockey to host the U18 Girls Championship (B Division), which will take place from July 11-17, 2027 in Zurich at the Buchleren. A major event from which all clubs in Switzerland can benefit.

Punleuk Kam outlined the association’s three-year plan for grassroots sport. The measures developed with Sabrina So-lomons-Maillard (Vice-President and popular sport on the Board) focus on the topics of country field hockey as a school sport, country field hockey as a girls’ sport and a new launch of the Swiss Hockey Junior Council (SHJC) to boost membership growth. Important here: the joint efforts of the clubs and the association as a decisive criterion for success in grassroots sport.

During the lunch break, the participants were able to gain inspiration from the ZHAW student consulting team on how other associations / sports have been able to win over “Gen Z and Gen Alpha”. The further development of the Swiss Hockey tag-line of “One Team. One Dream.” to “One Team. More Dreams.” certainly made one or two people smile.

The “Operations” plans were then presented, with highlights such as

• The review and – if necessary & given – replacement of the Clubee match operations platform.
• Programs to develop “NextGen Coaches” and “NextGen Umpires”, whereby NextGen is understood to mean juniors and amateurs
• A concerted and consistent marketing and communication plan, with “Play Hockey!” as the main campaign from August this year.
• The “Swing4Good Trophy”, an exclusive golf charity event on October 10, 2026, hosted by Swiss Hockey
• The “Swiss Hockey Clinicis”, an offer to all clubs with national team players to upgrade their training / event
• The volunteering program to inspire more volunteers and recruit them for the clubs and the association

The 2026 budget was also presented, with the key message here being that we must continue to act in a very cost-conscious manner, especially in light of the switch to the new association funding model at Swiss Olympic.

The General Assembly ended with the consultation process

• Measures to promote respect and fair play on and off the field
• A moderate increase in referee compensation
• The appointment of Guido Steiner (GC) as a new member of the audit team

Other topics were also discussed, including

• Leaving the license at an annual license
• Hockey5 as no focus for competitive sport, clubs can continue to practice it
• reactivating the use of Drillster (and Planettraining) by the clubs as part of the planned training measures (NextGen Coach and NextGen Umpire)

All in all, the 126th General Assembly (for some also the 1e) was very well received by all participants. There were many constructive discussions and the plans and measures presented were met with very positive feedback. Now it’s time to tackle and implement them together.