FishOMania to return to Hayfield Lakes, July 24 2021

FishOMania will return to Hayfield Lakes, Doncaster for the fourth consecutive year on Saturday, July 24, 2021.

The annual £50,000 match is a staple of the English sporting summer and will again feature 24 anglers battling it out for the title, including defending champion Andy Bennett who made it back-to-back titles after winning one of the closest FishOMania matches in history on Saturday.

Hayfield Lakes first hosted FishOMania from 1997 until 2007 and the biggest match in the angling calendar returned to the Doncaster fishery in 2018. This year the event was successfully staged in a Covid-compliant environment in line with government guidance and it was Bennett who took the crown, while Sarah Taylor took the NXTGEN title.

Emily Frazer, Managing Director of Matchroom Multi Sport, said: “We’ve had an extremely successful day of fishing here at Hayfield where within moments of the all-in we witnessed a quick and exciting start to FishOMania, despite slow predictions due to our weather forecast.

“The event has fished superbly with some staggering weights causing shock jumps in the leaderboard. The team at Hayfield Lakes work relentlessly throughout the year to ensure we are fishing in the best conditions possible for a competitive and thrilling match.

“We have lots of plans for July 24, 2021 as we aim to rebuild the event to welcome spectators back and to create the biggest, most enjoyable day-out of fishing in the calendar working with our partners at Hayfield Lakes and Angling Trust.

“Despite some changes this year due to the current climate, we have been able to be innovative on areas we didn’t anticipate and that we can focus on moving forward as we look to develop the event further.

“What a fantastic day of fishing and what better news than to set our 2021 FishOMania and NXTGEN date and announce our return to Hayfield but stay tuned – always expect something new and different from us!”

Robin Goforth, Chief Executive of Hayfield Lakes, said: “Hosting FishOMania is the most wonderful thing that could happen. Noelle especially keeps the lakes so pristine; it shows it off. We’re such a friendly lovely area in Yorkshire that everyone’s welcome. And next year with a bit of luck and we cross our fingers that Covid-19 is under control we’ll have the crowds back again.”

Jamie Cook, Angling Trust Chief Executive, added: “FishOMania is the pinnacle of UK coarse competition angling and offers a shop window to showcase the superb talent in the sport. The Angling Trust have worked tirelessly to ensure a safe, compliant return to competitive angling and the commitment of our stewards, staff and partners has led to another fantastic event.

“We are excited to work with Matchroom Multi Sport, Sky Sports and Hayfield Lakes to build on this yet again in 2021. Congratulations to all who qualified and to Sarah and Andy.”

Details on FishOMania 2021 qualifiers will be announced later this year. Spectator tickets for the event will be available via www.fishomania.net from spring 2021.

For the latest news and exclusive content, follow FishOMania on Facebook and Twitter. Archive footage from previous FishOMania finals can be viewed free at https://Matchroom.Live and on the Matchroom Multi Sport YouTube channel, where the draws can also be viewed.