As part of the three year deal, Harvester will support the EHB's Grow Your Own programme and will sponsor the annual Club of the Year Award.

Grow Your Own helps hockey clubs develop the right infrastructure and environment to be successful.

"Our hockey clubs are the lifeblood of the sport in this country," said Alex Teasdale, National Manager of Clubs and Facilities at the EHB.

"Through the Harvester Grow Your Own programme, we will be able to help clubs to continue to grow their own players, volunteers, funding and facilities."

With nearly 1,000 hockey clubs in England, the programme supports those that aspire to be well run, welcoming and successful, and that are proud to promote themselves to the local community and beyond.

Harvester's backing will enable the EHB to increase the scope of the programme to allow more clubs to benefit from free resources and advice, as well as heighten the impact of the EHB's National Club Open Weekend, which takes place each September.

Alex Meyer, senior marketing manager at Harvester, said: "We all know that the next 18 months will see an increased focus on sport throughout the UK and with more than 170 restaurants across the country we believe Harvester is well placed to help showcase hockey and the Grow Your Own initiative."

Central to the Harvester Grow Your Own programme will be the expansion of the Grow Your Own Club Day, a dedicated day as part of National Club Weekend on which hockey clubs showcase themselves to new and existing members, volunteers and the local community.

The Grow Your Own Club Day is supported and marketed at a national level by the EHB and will see England's international athletes join forces with EHB staff to lend hands-on assistance at clubs across the country throughout 2011.

As part of the relationship, Mitchells & Butlers, which operates the Harvester chain along with a number of other bar and restaurant brands, will create at least 20 hockey-themed venues for the duration of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

It has been revealed that 83 percent of hockey clubs do not own their own clubhouse facilities and the Hockey Houses will allow supporters across the country to come together to cheer on the Great Britain hockey teams at the Games.

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