Today, I'm delighted to announce that every England, Scotland and Wales match at this summer's FIH Hockey World Cup will be available live and free on Channel 4 Sport YouTube.

This is a huge opportunity for hockey!

At a time when many Olympic sports, and the recent Commonwealth Games are finding it harder than ever to secure free-to-view coverage, Channel 4 has backed our sport. They've invested because they believe hockey deserves to be seen by more people.

Now we need the hockey family to help and to show them they were right.

Two years ago, you answered a similar call when the Olympic Qualifiers were broadcast on BBC Sport. The response from our community helped open the door to what followed - two seasons of free-to-view England internationals on Channel 4 Sport YouTube.

Now we have another opportunity: the FIH Hockey World Cup lasts just two weeks, but what we achieve together could shape the future of hockey on television for years to come.

Today, our England internationals regularly attract between 12,000 and 15,000 live views. We know that consistently reaching above 50,000 views per game would fundamentally change the conversation about hockey's future on television. That isn't a target for England Hockey. It's a challenge for our entire community. If we can get there together, we'll have demonstrated beyond doubt that hockey can attract national television audiences.

Every time you press play, you're casting a vote for hockey on national television.

So here's my challenge to you all:

Don't just watch, encourage others to watch, talk about the World Cup, shout about it on social media, share every fixture.
Send the links to teammates, friends and family. Encourage someone who's never watched hockey before to tune in.

Let's show Channel 4 they were right to back hockey. Let's build the strongest case we've ever had for putting hockey back regularly on national television.

Making the game more visible is critical for the future of the sport at all levels. We are a collective bound by our love for the game. We need to come together with the common aim of safeguarding the future of the game by giving it the platform it deserves.

What better way could there be to spend pre-season?

Best wishes,
Rich

Where to Watch

England, Scotland and Wales matches: Live and free on Channel 4 Sport YouTube
Wales matches (Welsh commentary): Live on S4C
Scotland matches (Scottish Gaelic commentary): Live on BBC ALBA
All other World Cup matches: FIH Watch.Hockey with a subscription