Forward of the essential FIH congress on November 4 & 5 of 2022 we introduced collectively a few hockey individuals from world wide, from totally different walks of life and with totally different roles in our recreation of hockey. The concept was to ask them the identical questions I requested the 2 candidates for the FIH presidency some weeks in the past and pay attention to every others views. Examine each presidential candidates in our column “A conflict of cultures“. What would you wish to proceed? What would you want to alter? What can be your priorities?
We hope this provides all directors from the NA’s attending & voting on the FIH congress subsequent week some further meals for thought…
Who participated within the spherical desk speak?
We went for a various panel with hockey individuals from all around the world to share their views from totally different views. The individuals who attended our spherical desk had been:
- Katrin Kauschke from Germany. Former worldwide participant and presently vice chairman for the German NA (nationwide affiliation)
- Leandro Martinez-Zurita from Spain. President of the EHCO, the European hockey golf equipment organisation
- Jorge Dabanch from Argentina. Having coached high division golf equipment in Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium he presently is the pinnacle coach for Chile
- Rajpal Singh from India. Former captain of the nationwide staff for India
- Paul Kelly from Australia. Sponsor & enterprise companion to hockey amongst many different sporting organisations
- Jade Bloomfield from the UK. Editor for Hockeyworld Information
- Tyron Barnard from South Africa. Editor for Hockey The Journal & podcaster
- Jimmy Bhogal from India. Social media & twitter voice from India as Give Me Hockey
- … and yours actually: Ernst Baart from the Netherlands & dwelling in Belgium. Founding father of each studiohockey.com – the place it’s all about sharing insights and opinions relating to the larger image for hockey & thehockeysite.com – the place it’s all about sharing data amongst coaches from all around the world.
All of us spoke in our personal names, not as a consultant for any organisation. Just a few individuals who love our sport & take the time to mirror on it… We didn’t agree with all that was stated, as was to be anticipated. However we did discover widespread floor on some issues. Generally a lot to our personal shock… Some wise remarks had been made that need to be heard by those that will determine the destiny of our sport for the years to return subsequent week.
We touched on many matters, so I picked the views from totally different those that caught with me following our speak. I may not comply with the fullest myself with all of those, however thought they had been value sharing…
Leisure & skilled hockey
As I discussed in my earlier column ” A conflict of cultures”, hockey is seen and lived in very other ways world wide. Leandro Martinez-Zurita and myself talked about our love for the household focussed golf equipment.
The custom from over 100 years of households coming collectively to get pleasure from our sport. Dwell a wholesome way of life and make connections. Present our youngsters with the “village we have to elevate our kids” within the type of golf equipment, protected havens as part of their training. These golf equipment include leagues for all ages to play on a daily schedule for no less than 6 months of yearly. I feel, with some native accents, this can be very recognisable for international locations like Argentina or Australia. Not so for Asia…
Rajpal Singh painted a really totally different image for India when he acknowledged:
“We don’t have a league. We now have tournaments. There aren’t any household based mostly golf equipment. We’re completely skilled gamers. If somebody provides us cash we are going to play, in any other case there aren’t any household based mostly golf equipment.”
(Rajpal Singh, India)
Paul Kelly made it very clear hockey in Australia remains to be very a lot an newbie sport. Identical remarks from Jorge Dabanch in Chile.
The gamers in Chile are engineers, medical doctors,… they work in different issues, they examine. They can’t attend worldwide competitions and simply depart for hockey. They don’t seem to be fascinated about incomes cash from hockey. And that’s totally different in each nation. And each nation wants to search out the way in which to develop. And in Chile the one means is sharing life and hockey.
(Jorge Dabanch, Argentina / Chile)
It’s clear the way in which sport and hockey are perceived world wide are very totally different. It’s clear these variations are right here to remain as effectively, no less than for the foreseeable future. So we’ve got to cope with these. It means – for my part – there might be nobody FIH coverage to handle our sport for all the world. We’d like totally different approaches. However… and this can be a huge however… the totally different approaches must be managed and harmonised in such a means they don’t conflict. The place attainable they need to reinforce one another. I don’t assume that is attainable except we transfer away from the fetish of worldwide hockey. I consider that is solely attainable if world wide we be certain home hockey – in no matter form or kind – comes first! It means the FIH for some is barely there to handle the worldwide pinnacle occasions and for others it might extra a assist in sharing experience on find out how to develop our sport, wether that’s on a leisure or skilled degree (or a mixture) makes no distinction, it simply will depend on native tradition.
Home & worldwide hockey
It means NA’s (nationwide associations) ought to give attention to their home development and second to that on their nationwide groups. Not the opposite means round. It means the FIH ought to be there to assist its NA’s, not compete with their home hockey. Worldwide hockey will not be the tip objective, only a means to develop home hockey.
Home hockey can tackle many shapes and types. Clearly I’m an enormous fan of the golf equipment and leagues we’ve got in most European international locations. It combines leisure hockey with in some international locations totally different ranges of semi-professionalism. However it doesn’t must be the identical elsewhere. If India – and/or different (Asian) international locations – see sport solely as a attainable profession, I can think about the system of regional tournaments with money prizes may use a lift from their NA to get extra individuals selecting up a stick or attending these occasions. If they will handle expectations a bit higher I do consider a renewed Hockey India League (HIL) can be very helpful to the game. In some international locations home hockey can be about company or franchised groups and tournaments or about faculty & college leagues.
Regardless of the format you like I strongly consider hockey has NO future if it’s not construct upon the foundations of home hockey. Any NA, no matter your state of affairs ought to all the time have its home hockey as the #1 precedence and know worldwide hockey is however a way to an finish. It’s the cherry on high of the cake, sure. A really engaging and horny cherry. However with out the cake to assist it, our sport would go hungry and die. No one can dwell on only a cherry 😉
It means NA’s (nationwide associations) ought to give attention to their home development first. And second to that on their nationwide groups. Not the opposite means round. It means the FIH ought to be there to assist its NA’s in the way in which that works finest for that NA. The FIH ought to by no means compete with their home hockey.
Paul Kelly, a sponsor and enterprise companion to many sports activities in Australia, shared his ideas in regards to the Professional League:
The considered bringing a Professional League was nice, but it surely was so costly and I feel the construction was simply so incorrect. It really took our greatest gamers out of our golf equipment and even our Nationwide League for prolonged intervals of time. So it didn’t permit us to advertise our personal gamers. So our golf equipment and nationwide leagues didn’t have our greatest gamers…
(Paul Kelly, Australia)
So what in regards to the Professional League?
Most (if not all) of our panellists had been satisfied the Professional League, as is, has no future. The time has come all of us have to face the info this was a megalomaniac venture. On my finish I liked the unique idea. I nonetheless do. Shifting away from tournaments to dwelling & away video games solely, so each worldwide recreation would all the time be performed in entrance of a house crowd made sense to me. Sadly the idea suffered from:
- Poor politics: refusing (!) the sponsor who was there earlier than it began and would have made it financially viable
- Poor administration: altering codecs, guidelines and calendars at each flip, typically with out significantly consulting these concerned; not pondering of the impression on these not concerned
- Poor advertising: not with the ability to safe a brand new international sponsor; nonetheless believing old fashioned media options (TV) would make a distinction; promoting third fee TV productions to typically unreliable media companions so even onerous core followers world wide typically have a tough time attempting to look at the video games dwell.
Some recommendations from Paul Kelly:
An instance that works very effectively is volleyball. Australia is within the Volleyball Nations League. It’s a global occasion with 16 nations and principally 4 weeks the place they play all 15 different international locations in that interval. In order that they get actually a excessive degree competitors however they’re solely away for 4 weeks. So FIH wants to take a look at this instance and never compete with home leagues, taking away their gamers and never dominate the time of the worldwide gamers all around the world. It could permit enterprise to take a position once more in home hockey and nationwide packages, as a result of that’s the place the expansion goes to return from.
(Paul Kelly, Australia)
Are you taking part in Professional League or taking part in on your membership? That shouldn’t be a query gamers must reply. There ought to be set intervals so we are able to get one of the best of each. However in the mean time the Professional League is inflicting points to permit us to develop the sport. We’ve bought to strengthen our nationwide leagues and I feel Professional League is taking away from that.
(Paul Kelly, Australia)
Tyron Barnard gave us some African perspective:
We had pinnacle occasions. The World Cup and the Olympics had been our pinnacle occasions. Subsequent you’ll have the totally different continental championships. And you’ll have 1 different factor and that was the Champions Problem (or Champions Trophy for the highest nations). Now it simply appears like there’s too many issues taking place. That has devalued hockey.
(Tyron Barnard, South Af rica)
Or in regards to the consequence for international locations not within the Professional League, Tyron Barnard:
What occurred for us in South Africa is international locations, due to finances spend in Professional League, stopped coming to us for apply video games which used to present us nice publicity. The extra one of the best groups play solely one another within the Professional league, the extra you create an even bigger and greater chasm with the following tier of countries.
(Tyron Barnard, South Africa)
Right here additionally Jorge Dabanch is weighing in as the pinnacle coach for Chile:
For us the issue is, we’ve got not sufficient competitors. We solely have 1 occasion each two years. Lately we performed the South American occasion the place we had 7 video games, however just one actual match. The ultimate towards Argentina, as a result of the degrees are very totally different. The Professional League is exhibiting too many so referred to as huge matches. For those who present the large video games solely ever 2 or 3 years, the persons are . However in the event you play these each 3 weeks, the persons are not .
(Jorge Dabanch, Argentina / Chile)
In regards to the impact of Professional League on decisions for the NA’s, Paul Kelly:
Australia wasn’t certain about competing within the Professional League as a result of it was so costly. However once they did, they actually had no extra finances for anything. It had an impression on our Australian nationwide league, there was no extra money for touring with the U21 or U18 growth groups. As a result of all the cash went to the Professional League.
(Paul Kelly, Australia)
…or once more Tyron Barnard:
South Africa solely took the latest invite for the Professional League as a result of it was a 1 12 months deal and a neighborhood TV channel (Tremendous Sport) already had invested within the broadcasting rights. The finances was roughly 650K US greenback. For that cash our nationwide groups may have performed over 50 take a look at matches. Now the Nations Cup is developing. The prize for successful the Nations Cup is a ticket into the Professional League… and a large, huge invoice…! So is it value it successful the Nations Cup in the event you don’t have that sponsor lined up?
(Tyron Barnard, South Africa)
The message FIH retains sending is so complicated in line with Jade Bloomfield from Hockeyworld Information:
First they informed us the Professional League was our flagship match. Now it has simply been determined successful the Professional League will get you a spot for the World Cup or Olympics. So absolutely the World Cup ought to be that flagship occasion, not the Professional League. So the place are we going with this, how are they promoting the competitors? They’re going to the media with a totally confused message. So no marvel broadcasters are saying: You don’t even know your individual sport, so how are going to push your sport?
(Jade Bloomfield, UK)
And let me add on a private notice it’s fully unacceptable that an invitational occasion like Professional League turns into a qualifying occasion. That’s one thing that goes towards all guidelines about equity and sports activities conduct…
Tyron Barnard agreed with Bloomfield relating to the significance of the Professional League:
For those who ask any hockey participant, the top occasion is the Olympic Video games and subsequent the World Cup.There’s not a single participant saying the top is the Professional League. A lot in order that gamers fairly fortunately miss a take a look at match within the Professional League recreation as a result of they wish to play their membership recreation domestically.
(Tyron Barnard, South Africa)
Katrin Kauschke is responsable for tophockey within the German NA and has the expertise of a former worldwide participant herself. She additionally shared her ideas on the Professional League:
In Germany we’re excited about how can we afford all these worldwide video games? And the way can we safe the assist from our golf equipment affiliation to go along with us this fashion in worldwide hockey. The format of the Professional League in all probability must be rethought. And I feel this progress already began. Possibly the ultimate resolution could possibly be a return to the Champions Trophy. Which was a format I very a lot favored. Possibly it’s one other format.
(Katrin Kauschke, Germany)
She goes on describing the opportunity of returning to every nation deciding themselves when to go and play overseas. Primarily apply video games, however these could possibly be branded as some sort of Take a look at Sequence or Professional League video games. However in any case the weighing of this format ought to be rethought. It may give again which means to occasions just like the Sultan Johor Cup in Malaysia or the Summer time Sequence in South Africa…
Some ideas shared about the way in which our recreation is managed by FIH…
Tyron Barnard shares an African perspective about Hockey5s, the synthetic third format of our recreation the FIH is so desperately attempting to push down our throats:
I’m an enormous fan of Rugby 7s as a decreased type of the unique Rugby 15s. However they’ve taken not one of the basic values of the sport out of the principles! Indoor hockey or Hockey6s does the identical factor. They’ve stored the elemental spirit of hockey. Hockey5s doesn’t! Simply taking away circles and quick corners… it doesn’t. We’re additionally not a large enough sport, that we want a third variation. I take a look at the fairytale story of Namibia or those from Trinidad & Tobago or Kazachstan. These are guys who won’t ever qualify for the 11-a-side world cup. However they do get there in Indoor hockey. They don’t want hockey5s for that… they’ve bought indoor hockey.
(Tyron Barnard, South Africa)
And a facet notice from me to this assertion from Tyron Barnard. Everyone knows indoor hockey doesn’t must be performed indoor. It may be performed on any outside clean area of play. It shares the identical pitch measurement with sports activities like handball or futsal. We in all probability ought to cease advertising it as indoor hockey and name it Tremendous Sixes or one thing like that to make that clear to the uninformed. In my perception there’s NO added worth from Hockey5s that would not even be attained by the present quick format of hockey that already has a legacy and following world wide. This pointless third format is costing us…
Jorge Dabanch was simple in his message to FIH in regards to the notion we must always compete with the large sports activities with a venture like Professional League and the priorities for FIH:
We’re not an enormous sport! And that’s vital! We misplaced this race. We misplaced it. Hockey will not be an enormous sport! Hockey is a small sport. And FIH must care for what’s the strategy to develop in each nation.
(Jorge Dabanch, Argentina / Chile)
Jorge Dabanch additionally has one other message for FIH in managing worldwide hockey occasions and the continuous altering of guidelines & laws:
I’m a global coach and even for me it’s obscure how we play the following World Cup. For those who take a third place, it’s a must to change the town. And it’s a must to play a 1st ranked staff who has been ready for 1 full week for one more match, with out matches. And also you say why??? Simply play two teams, semi finals and finals. Everyone understands that. It’s straightforward!
(Jorge Dabanch, Argentina / Chile)
FIH adjustments the principles too typically. Generally the sport is healthier for it. But when your grandfather wakes up and sees a hockey recreation, they won’t recognise something. That isn’t conventional. This 12 months they began speaking about altering the quick nook? The quick nook is the center of area hockey! And these sensible guys wish to change the quick nook? These persons are loopy! 🙂
(Jorge Dabanch, Argentina / Chile)
And in regards to the struggles of being the coach for a 2nd tier nation like Chile:
It’s too tough to go up within the rating. It’s inconceivable! We now have no matches. What’s the means for us to take factors? When you have no competitions? For those who ask one other nation for a match, they are saying no to official matches. Solely friendlies, as a result of else they danger to lose factors.
(Jorge Dabanch, Argentina / Chile)
I referred to as the presidential election developing a “conflict of cultures” however Leandro Martinez-Zurita thinks it’s extra about continuity or change:
Continuity or change? I feel change would come when Marc Coudron will get elected… and I want that. If Tayyab Ikram stays in workplace we are going to see extra continuity of the identical. I feel we want change. Financially the crimson numbers at FIH are rising. There’s a huge gap and the Professional League has been a catastrophe, amongst different initiatives like Hockey5s. They’ve been pulling cash away from growth. Cash within the Basis and different accounts completely devoted for growth has been invested in Professional League. With the excuse the Professional League can be hockey growth. However sorry, that isn’t growth. Whoever will get elected will face an enormous monetary problem.
(Leandro Martinez-Zurita, Spain)
Two different vital tendencies introduced ahead by Leandro Martinez-Zurita had been the transfer away from waterbased pitches, as a result of this isn’t a sustainable possibility for the (close to) future. And the necessity for the FIH to provide you with a brief format, possibly a combination between Hockey5s and indoor hockey, to function a developmental format to assist international locations with out hockey to develop the sport.
Jade Bloomfield, from the UK, agreed with most of what Leandro Martinez-Zurita stated:
The subsequent election is about proceed or change. Everybody right here is in settlement that the game will not be in an ideal place. So realistically there is just one factor that ought to occur and that’s Marc Coudron getting voted in so he can begin that change that’s wanted.
(Jade Bloomfield, UK)
There’s means an excessive amount of worldwide hockey, performed in Europe. However as Jorge stated in Chile or South America, there’s not sufficient. It’s the FIH’s job to make sure a unified method for hockey internationally and the quantity of video games being performed. I nonetheless wrestle to get my head round how a global participant that has been taking part in 2 or 3 years on the high can get to 50 caps. In soccer a participant can go for a complete profession and never get to that quantity of caps. There’s an excessive amount of worldwide hockey ! And that goes again to attendance, individuals watching the game. GB needed to change considered one of their venues for a Professional League recreation scheduled in an enormous rugby stadium. For that match they’d offered solely 486 tickets… in a stadium that seats 12.000. It reveals persons are not that anymore in worldwide video games except it’s at an enormous occasion just like the World Cup.
(Jade Bloomfield, UK)
The obsession with India
There is no such thing as a denying India has been on the centre of consideration for the FIH these final years. And most will agree there are good causes for this as effectively. However an excessive amount of is an excessive amount of, even for India.
Jimmy Bhogal, often called “Give Me Hockey” sharing insights on twitter from the Indian perspective, recognises it’s not sound to wager all of it on simply the one nation. Even when it has this huge potential:
FIH has this India-centric method. Which is definitely nice for us in India. However in the event you take a look at the game as a complete, it’s actually, actually dangerous! I perceive India has the largest market, a lot of the cash is right here. However that doesn’t imply you depend on simply this one factor!
(Jimmy Bhogal, India)
We don’t have a home construction, so FIH provides us extra worldwide video games. So we’ve got extra followers tuning in. However is that this the identical factor all through the world? No, the reply is not any! Everyone right here agrees that membership hockey is essential for the expansion of our sport. However it works for some international locations and it doesn’t for some international locations. So FIH wants to search out an method to appease everybody. I perceive FIH has elevated Professional League to present us extra worldwide video games, extra Indian followers tuning in, extra alternatives for them to earn some cash. However that isn’t the precise method for hockey.
(Jimmy Bhogal, India)
Champions Trophy was the largest occasion following World Cup and Olympics. However you play these tournaments as soon as in 4 years and Champions Trophy was extra common. But when in the event you take the Professional League the place India is taking part in Australia at present and subsequent week India is taking part in Belgium… That takes out all of the enjoyable !
(Jimmy Bhogal, India)
Jorge Dabanch shared his opinion on India as effectively:
With out India, hockey can be killed. The individuals who watch hockey are in India.If they’re with out these sort of worldwide tournaments, we’re out of the Olympic Video games. And if hockey is out of the Olympic Video games, we’re killed. So we have to discover one thing in between the Indian view and the remainder of the world view. If not we are going to proceed to be a small sport, yearly smaller…
(Jorge Dabanch, Argentina / Chile)
Ultimate remarks
If I recap, all of us agreed hockey will not be in one of the best of locations proper now and a change is required. We predict Professional League, as is, is not going to be the answer however relatively is an enormous a part of the issue. Financially the FIH is in hassle, made some odd decisions… and we urgently have to rectify this with sustainable wholesome funds. We’d like individuals working the game who realise we aren’t one of many huge sports activities on the earth, so we must be smarter within the decisions we make. We don’t want ( and may’t deal with) a third aggressive format in our sport. What we do want is a tailor-made method for the totally different wants of our sport world wide. Tailor-made to the wants of the totally different NA’s. We’d like an FIH focussed on supporting the NA’s in rising their home recreation first, regardless of the format for this that fits totally different international locations.
I wish to share the remarks from Katrin Kauschke for the ultimate remarks coming from this spherical desk speak with hockey individuals from world wide…
A few of us stated in regards to the one who can be elected it will likely be change or continuity. I simply hope it is not going to be that selection. I hope the one who’s extra about continuity can be open minded and keen to have some adjustments. As a result of I feel that’s what we have to have. A standard sense in our selections, making our selections pondering of all nations and other people. That’s the reason I hope every of the alternatives can be open for ideas like that.
(Katrin Kauschke, Germany)
After all we all know the above is however a pattern of ideas. We may simply discover others with much more totally different opinions. However I do consider there’s some worthy meals for thought for the individuals managing our sport within the quotes above. Let’s hope they vote with a effectively knowledgeable and open thoughts for the nice of our sport…
