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All the news for Wednesday 7 May 2014

Canadian women look to clinch series with Wales on Wednesday

Shaheed Devji


Photo credit: Peter Smith

After splitting two test matches against England on the first leg of their U.K. tour, the Canadian Women’s National Team have gone undefeated in their first two games versus Wales, setting up the opportunity to win the test series on Wednesday.

“The main focus will be to ensure we finish what has been a very productive tour with another good performance,” says Women’s National Team head coach Ian Rutledge.

On Sunday, the Canadian women faced off against Wales for the first time and came out with a 2-1 victory thanks to a second half goal by Sara McManus (Tsawwassen, B.C.).

Canada opened the scoring in the seventh minute on a goal from Madeline Secco (Victoria, B.C), before Wales’ Alys Brooks tied the game in the thirty-second minute.

Tuesday’s match saw Canada lead for the majority of the game, after McManus scored again to open the scoring beating goalkeeper Margaret Rees in the twenty-fourth minute.

The pressure mounted from the Welsh as the game went on and in the second half, Canada was forced to go down to eight players for five minutes and nine for the final two.

With the advantage, Wales’ Leah Wilkinson capitalized in the final seconds on a penalty corner.

“Today’s game was a hard fought affair,” says Rutledge. “Despite the way the game ended, I was pleased with our team’s discipline and focus to stay on task and the eight players worked tirelessly to keep Wales out against all odds.”

Canada and Wales will play a third and final test match on Wednesday in Cardiff. Canada has a chance to win the series with a victory, while Wales will be looking to even it up. Canada enters the game with 1W-2D-1L in five games of their U.K. tour and will return home to Canada on Thursday.

“The last two games have given the team a chance to refine our play ahead of a seven week training block to finalize the final sixteen players for the Commonwealth Games and test out new combinations.”

Field Hockey Canada media release

Investec SA women's hockey team named for World Cup



The names of the players who will represent the Investec South Africa women’s hockey team at the 2014 Hockey World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands from May 31 to June 15 were announced at a farewell for the team held at Investec Bank in Johannesburg Tuesday afternoon.

The players were also presented with their brand new adidas World Cup playing, training and leisure clothing by kit sponsor adidas.

“The South African women’s hockey team wear the Investec name as role models, as athletes and individuals and they complement the brand effectively and with integrity. We put our total support behind the team and share their anticipation, dedication, energy and talent as the World Cup draws closer,” said Janet Larsen, Head of Marketing at Investec South Africa.

The team is unchanged from that which represented South Africa at the Champions Challenge in Scotland, where they won the bronze medal by beating Spain in Glasgow on Sunday.

“The Investec South Africa women’s hockey team, ranked 11th in the world, is one of our two flagship teams and as a national body we wish them everything of the best for the World Cup and we know the South African public will be right behind them,” said Marissa Langeni, CEO of the South African Hockey Association.

Investec South Africa women’s hockey team
Anelle van Deventer, Lisa Deetlefs, Marcelle Manson, Nicolene Terblanche, Lenise Marais, Marsha Cox (capt), Shelley Russell, Bernie Coston, Tarryn Bright, Dirkie Chamberlain, Celia Evans, Sanani Mangisa, Quanita Bobbs, Illse Davids, Kelly Madsen, Lilian du Plessis, Kathleen Taylor, Sulette Damons.

SA Hockey Association media release

Wake-up call for Korea's medal hopefuls

Things haven't gone Korea women's way of late, but Mi Hyun believes that a few days rest is the answer

Park Mi Hyun is Korea's prolific striker, who has scored so many goals in the decade she has spent as an international that she has lost count. When we spoke, the 28-year-old from Seoul was not happy. "I am very dissatisfied with our performance," she said. Korea were playing in the Champions Challenge 1 in Glasgow and had come into the tournament as favourites to win. "We wanted to qualify for the Champions Trophy," said Mi Hyun, "But we have not played well and now we are just playing for minor places." (Korea finished fifth, after beating Belgium in their final game.)

Even more galling for Mi Hyun was the fact that her own performance was hampered by injury. She picked up an ankle injury when playing in the Hawkes Bay Festival of Hockey in New Zealand three weeks previously. "I can not make the movement for my teammates to find me," she said, and despite her coach's protestations she was clearly blaming herself for her team's failure to perform in Glasgow.

Once the Champions Challenge 1 finished, Mi Hyun and her team were looking forward to a two-week break before the intensity was ramped up again. "We finished playing in New Zealand and then came here. We have played a lot of high intensity hockey in the last few weeks and the whole team is tired," said Mi Hyun. "Personally, I need two weeks to make a full recovery from my ankle injury. I want to be on top form for the World Cup."

Korea women are currently ranked 8th in the world, and both Mi Hyun and her captain, Jong Eun Kim have high aspirations for The Hague. "Sure we want a medal," said Mi Hyun, but where Jong Eun was reserved and just said that any colour would do, Mi Hyun smiled and said "Gold."

Mi Hyun has a degree in physical education but she is currently a professional hockey player, receiving funding from the government. "It is good money and I love playing hockey," she says, adding that she has no plans to stop playing and start teaching for a while. "I will coach when I finish playing, but I am only 28-years-old and I hope to keep playing, at least until Rio 2016."

Whenever the end of her career does come, the striker hopes that hockey will have a higher profile in Korea. "Currently Taekwondo is the biggest sport in South Korea, with football, baseball, volleyball and basketball, also popular. I would like to be seen as a role model  who inspires young girls to choose hockey, but to do that we must win medals."

FIH site

HTHC complete perfect season

Harvestehuder's incredible season continued last weekend as they won their first German national title in 14 seasons as they dethroned reigning champions Rot-Weiss Köln 5-1 in the final with a brilliant second half performance.

The EHL champions had made it through the semi-finals last Saturday in Hamburg on penalties over UHC while Rot-Weiss beat Mannheimer with a Christopher Zeller golden goal.

But the final was nowhere near as close in the final reckoning though Harvestehuder did have to come from a goal behind to win the day.

After a cagey first half hour, played out in a major midfield battle, Moritz Trompertz shot home a brilliant reverse-stick shot to give Rot-Weiss the lead. HTHC replied quickly, Moritz Polk shooting home on his backhand just before half-time to make it 1-1.

Tobias Lietz scored from their first penalty corner to put them in front 11 minutes into the second half with a switch to the left, dragging the ball home with a low shot.

And the killer blows came in the closing nine minutes when Tobias Brockmann got on the end of Polk's long ball into the circle. Four minutes later, Brockmann was again in the perfect place to score from close range and Michael Korper closed out the win at the end for an emphatic-looking scoreline.

An overwhelmed Tobias Hauke was named MVP and said afterwards: "I can still not quite grasp it. It is the greatest thing to achieve with your club team! With us, every player has gone to the limit. That was the deciding factor! "

Euro Hockey League media release

Double delight for reigning champs Polo

Real Club de Polo de Barcelona claimed the Spanish Honours Division title in dramatic fashion over the weekend as they saw off Egara 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out after normal time in the final had ended 1-1.

The victory confirmed the double, adding to the Copa del Rey title they won earlier this term as they retained the national crown.

In normal time, Xavi Lleonart scored in the 22nd minute from a penalty corner after a number of early chances. Egara replied well and were back on terms by the half-time break thanks to Pep Romeu.

The second half was evenly matched and produced no further goals while extra time also passed with the scoreboard untroubled.

It led to a penalty shoot which witnessed some great efforts - none better than Pepe Arch's for Egara. That made it 3-3 but Matias Rey went on to bag the next penalty and the ultimate winner for his club.

Polo's captain Alex Fabregas was the man responsible for lifting the title in his last game as a player before retiring.

Euro Hockey League media release

English Hockey League structures

The structures of the Now: Pensions Men's League and Investec Women's League for the 2014/15 season have been announced.

Southgate and Brooklands MU return to NOW: Pensions Premier Division

Southgate and Brooklands MU return to NOW: Pensions Premier Division after one season as the formation of the NOW: Pensions Men’s Hockey League for 2014-15 has now been agreed by the League Committee.

In the Conferences the committee have again looked to avoid teams changing Divisions season on season and therefore there are no changes.

As for promotions and relegations: Sheffield Hallam and Loughborough Students have both been relegated to Conference North from the Premier Division, while Doncaster has earned promotion back to North Conference after a season’s absence. Barford Tigers and Whitchurch also return from the Midlands and West & South Wales Leagues, again after only one season outside of the NPMHL, and they’ve been placed in Conference West, The other newcomers, Chichester (South) and West Herts (East), join NOW: Pensions Conference East.

Below you’ll find the layout for all of the teams in the NOW: Pensions Men’s Hockey League for the coming 2014/15 season.

Holcombe and Buckingham are newcomers to the Investec Women’s Hockey League top flight

Holcombe and Buckingham are newcomers to the Investec Women’s Hockey League top flight, and now the formation of the Investec Women’s Hockey League for 2014-15 has been agreed by the League Committee

In the Conferences the committee have again looked to avoid teams changing Divisions season on season, but they’ve chosen to make one change – Stourport are now returning to the West Conference after a season in the North, due to the number of more northern-based teams in the league. This includes Liverpool Sefton and Cannock, who return as winners of the North and Midlands Regional leagues respectively.

The other promoted teams are Cheltenham (West), who join the West Conference, and Bedford (East) and Maidenhead (South), who are placed in the East Conference. Below you’ll find the layout for all of the teams in the Investec Women’s Hockey League in the 2014/15 season

England Hockey Board Media release

Opportunity to join FIH team as Facilities Coordinator


(Photo: (c) Koen Suyk )

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) have an exciting opportunity for a Facilities Coordinator to join the FIH team.  The newly-formed role will work with and be a member of a team of sport and development professionals who are based at the FIH offices in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Our calendar is packed with exciting events, kicking off this summer with the biggest event in hockey, the Rabobank Hockey World Cup. Following this will be a number of the Hockey World League Round 1 events, the Hockey World Congress and the end of the year sees the return of the illustrious Champions Trophy.

We require a Facilities Coordinator who can work independently off-site, be available to travel to the FIH office in Lausanne on an agreed basis and work with National Associations and their clubs to make informed decisions with regards to securing facility provision. Someone who is knowledgeable within this field as well as an excellent communicator, who can quickly establish credibility and strong relationships across a wide and complex network of stakeholders both within the sport and externally is ideal.

For more information and to view the job description click below:

2014 FIH Facilities Coordinator – Job Description

Background:

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is the world governing body for hockey, recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Founded in 1924, FIH today has 127 member National Associations and is responsible for the biggest hockey events in the world including the much anticipated Hockey World Cup and the illustrious Champions Trophy.

FIH site

Roos take on Kokoda

Hockeyroos to combat the Kokoda in the name of charity.



Ashleigh Nelson and Rachael Lynch are embarking on a new venture along side their upcoming hockey commitments of World Cup and Commonwealth Games preparation by ditching their hockey shoes for a pair of hiking boots.

On Thursday it was announced that both girls would be walking the Kokoda Trail after Commonwealth Games from the 11th – 22nd of August 2014, raising much needed funds for the mental health awareness group R U OK?

The Kokoda Trail is 96km’s in length and passes through the rugged jungle terrain, which was the site of fighting between Australian and Japanese armies in World War 2. Nelson advised, ”it will be a very difficult challenge given there will be little time to physically prepare, and we will rely heavily on the hard work we will be completing in lead up to Commonwealth Games.”

With Nelson and Lynch being health professionals, the Occupational Therapist and Nurse have both been exposed to the significant impact mental illness can have. Lynch stated she was passionate about walking for R U OK? As she “recognises the importance of mental health and learning to check in with people at hockey, or for the general population - in the workplace.”

With suicide being the biggest killer of people under the age of 44 in Australia and over 65,000 attempted suicides last year, Nelson believes this is a highly relevant issue for many which needs to be addressed. “If we can raise awareness and get just one or two more people to ask the question, Are you ok? and save a life than the walk is worth it.”

Nelson further acknowledged that there is a need to address mental health in sport with many athletes struggling to transition into life after sport as displayed recently in the media. “Transitioning from professional sport is a difficult process and seeing many athletes recently advise they are struggling psychologically just adds more relevance to the walk.”

Both girls are paying their own way to travel to Papua New Guinea to walk the trail and therefore all donations received will go directly to R U OK?, to help fund mental health awareness initiatives including R U OK? Day held on the 11th of September 2014.

To make a donation head to the fundraising website:
http://walkingkokoda.gofundraise.com.au/page/NelsonA

If you would like to know more about the R U OK? campaign head to:
https://www.ruokday.com

Hockey Australia media release

T&T hockey umpire gets indoor upgrade


Donny Gobinsingh...FIH umpire

T&T hockey umpires continue to excel on the international scene. Donny Gobinsingh, a sarjeant in the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, was recently promoted to the Indoor Grade I Promising List by the International Hockey Federation.

He is the first local umpire to achieve both FIH indoor and outdoor badges. Gobinsingh received news of his upgrade following the Pan American Indoor World Cup Qualifier last month in Montevideo, Uruguay, which he attended. Also in April, Ayanna McClean became only the second Grade I female outdoor umpire in T&T.

The Trinidad Guardian

Secret Umpire: one father's great act of hockey sportsmanship gives hope for common sense

The Secret Umpire, ensconced somewhere in the UK, is ready to lay down his whistle for the summer, but not before revealing a true act of sportsmanship

By The Secret Umpire


Centre of attention: Secret Umpire wants all officials to understand the players’ intentions  Photo: ADY KERRY

For those of us not on the international treadmill, time is virtually up on another season with the whistle.

The shirts are all packed away (ironed!) and unless the calling comes to dust off the whistle over a few summer league games, then it will be pre-season friendlies in early September before we meet again.

With the World Cup this summer, swiftly followed by the Commonwealth games there will be plenty of opportunity to put rules and umpires under the spotlight and undoubtedly there will be many decisions to debate during the course of tournaments.

What can I take from this season? Firstly, any coverage of hockey in the national press is good coverage and if it develops lively debate then surely that is a positive development for the sport and umpiring.

In an earlier column I questioned the validity of some annual tinkering by the FIH.

However, I discovered in the February 2014 FIH Umpire Briefing some very salient advice that all umpires might reflect upon before next season.

• Be yourself at all times
• Help the players – the players need to understand what you want
• Teamwork and co-operation are critical – let’s help and support each other
• Be aware of the areas of the pitch where your colleague could need assistance
• If you have to, take time in making decisions
• Try to get the decisions correct and consistent between the two of you
• Use common sense – understand the players’ intentions

Perhaps if we all - umpires and players - just used a little more of the last bullet point, the game would be hugely improved for everybody.

Take this for an example of common sense, but more importantly great sportsmanship.

During the West of England under-16 Tournament in early March, a coach agreed that a disputed goal scored by his daughter should not stand and indicated his observations to the umpires (one of which was his partner).

The goal was then disallowed and eventually the match was drawn.

His team came joint top of the competition, level on points and goal difference, but lost out on goals scored (by one).

A true honest sportsman and a fitting end in which to lay my whistle to rest for a few months.

The Telegraph