A story without borders

To know more about the original project Hockey Without Borders/Hockey sans frontières, Eurohockey.com contacted one of the founders, former hockey player Fred Perowne, a Canadian with Serbian passport that was a key figure in best moment of Serbian hockey in 2008-09 when national team won IHWC Div.II in Novi Sad and was promoted in Division I for the first time in its history. Perowne worked many years as player and coach in Novi Sad when defunct team Vojvodina dominated Serbian hockey, before to go back to Canada and started the Hockey without Borders project along with some other Canadian players with experiences in European minor leagues

Eurohockey: Fred, can you tell us what is exactly Hockey Sans Frontieres and how it born?

Fred Perowne: Hockey Without Borders is a registered non-profit organization established to affect positive change in the lives of children and youth by using the values of hockey to promote health, development and peace. We believe that sport can foster health, integration, volunteerism, leadership and cooperation which are essential to the well-being and development of children and communities. To maximize our impact; our approach focuses on sending coaches abroad, organizing grassroots initiatives, engaging in local clinics and sending equipment to underfunded hockey communities around the world. Several Canadians, had moved to Serbia to pursue our  hockey careers in the Serbian league. Aside from playing and enjoying the life there, we got involved coaching the kids and started to support the hockey program in Novi Sad. After returning to Canada in 2010 we recognized that the best way to continue to support the hockey community in Serbia would be to send young volunteer  coaches  for the duration of the hockey season. HSF started with this simple idea and now it is gaining traction both here and overseas. 

Eurohockey: Is this your first "mission" in Europe? How you have been welcomed in the countries you visited?

Fred Perowne: In 2011, we sent our first two coaches to Subotica, Serbia. The program was incredibly successful and well-received by our host club HK Spartak. The positive word spread throughout the Balkans and for the 2012-2013 season we had 3 coaches in Subotica and 2 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also HSF ran clinics in Ankara. This summer HSF coaches will return to Turkey. Clubs from a number of countries have expressed interest in hosting HSF coaches next season. There is an application form on our website. 

Eurohockey: do you plan another trips, maybe outside Europe?

Fred Perowne: Absolutely! We have been contacted by under-resourced hockey clubs around the word about forming partnerships. There are many hockey communities that can benefit from our program and we encourage hockey clubs to contact us.

Eurohockey: How do you support HSF activities?

Fred Perowne: To date, all Hockey Without Borders activities have been funded by the volunteer participants, but we have begun fundraising initiatives to help support the program.

Eurohockey:  you played some years ago in Novi Sad and for Serbia national team during a "golden era" for Serbian hockey when Serbia was promoted in I Division, while today the reality of Serbian hockey is very somber and your club Vojvodina is defunct: what didn't work? and have you a solution for saving Serbian hockey?

Fred Perowne: I'm not so pessimistic, there is a great new generation of players coming up through the ranks - more and more young players have gained experience outside of the country. They will bring that hockey knowledge with them to the junior and senior national team. There is also a transition that will be happening in the Federation which will give new energy to the clubs and nation team. 

Eurohockey:  How people can get involved? and how clubs can contact you?

Fred Perowne: It's very simple, for playing and coaching we have a plan called "Travel, Play and Volunteer" in some of the most interesting parts of the world. Programs are for male and female students aged 20-30 who have finished high school or university but have a desire to gain important international experience before moving on with the game of life. It's just fill our application form. Any club can contact us through our website becoming a partner club

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