Swiss Hockey: Hi Ralph, nice of you to take the time for this interview. As a new board member, you took over responsibility for communications on October 1 of this year. What made you decide to get involved?

Ralph: Through my various activities at club level and also as team manager of Regio Central and now the U16 boys’ national team, I have realized how important voluntary work is for an association like Swiss Hockey. Without the many volunteers and the commitment of everyone, the sport of field field hockey could not exist. The process of finding new board members got off to a rather slow start. However, it soon became clear that something new, a new dynamic was emerging. I wanted to be a part of this and make my contribution.

Swiss Hockey: Thank you Ralph, and yes, the new dynamic can indeed be felt in many areas of the association. But tell us: How did you get into field hockey in the first place? Can you beat Stefan Bircher’s 140 caps?

Ralph: I don’t have any caps in field hockey. I originally come from basketball and played for the Berlin state team at U16 level. I got into field hockey through my son. When he was in first grade, we had a program in Adligenswil for Easter sports week. That must have been in 2017. Lukas wanted to try something new and so he took part in the introductory week at the LSC. After this week, he realized that this was “his” sport. I have been involved as a team manager since U12 and really appreciate the cooperation with the LSC, the players and the parents. When Lukas moved on to the Regio and team managers were needed, I got in touch again. This allowed me to get to know the association better.

Swiss Hockey: So, a basketball player … also a fascinating sport. You’ve been in office since October of this year. Can you tell us a bit more about your goals? What would you like to achieve with and for the Swiss Hockey family?

Ralph: In order to grow and be successful both nationally and internationally, we need to further expand our base – in other words, promote grassroots sport, make field field hockey better known and thus attract new players to this great sport. Figuratively speaking, the sporting pyramid threatens to topple if we don’t continue to strengthen the grassroots.

I would like to contribute my experience in communication and help to create more structure in terms of communication, as well as aligning the communicative content more with external impact. One of the first tasks will therefore be to work with the office to develop the Swiss Hockey

website with content that also appeals to field hockey newcomers and presents the sport to the outside world in a simple and exciting way. I would also like to help bring clubs and the association closer together. The expectations of the association are high – that’s why it’s important to define common goals and work together to get there. The last “presidents’ meeting” at the end of November showed that there is a lot of goodwill on both sides.

Swiss Hockey: “Goodwill” is an important asset to drive things forward. What do you think: what is already going well? What can be done even better? What needs to be pushed forward?

Ralph: The first impressions are consistently positive. The new board is very diverse and brings together expertise from many important areas. Not all of them come directly from field hockey, but that doesn’t have to be a disadvantage. Communication within the Board is good, but I think the dialog with the clubs should be even more intensive and not just take place at President level.

Swiss Hockey: We’re with you there. Communication is the be-all and end-all here. That’s why: What is on your wish list for Swiss Hockey to the Christ Child?

Ralph: I hope that we can maintain the positive dynamic on the board and that we can work together with the clubs to increase the enthusiasm for the sport of field hockey in Switzerland. From a team manager’s perspective, I would of course also be delighted if the U16 Boys were successful at Easter in Eindhoven/Valkenswaard and then at the Hockey5 European Championships in Alanya in July 2026.

Swiss Hockey: Thank you Ralph. In that case, we are already keeping our fingers crossed for the U16s and wish you a happy and reflective Christmas with your family and a happy new year in 2026.