News 10 September 2014
All the news for Wednesday 10 September 2014
Azlan reckons Malaysia can bounce back in Incheon
By Aftar Singh
Azlan Misron (left) hopes the Malaysia hockey team is able to reach the semi-finals at the Asian Games in Incheon. - BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR: Four years ago, Malaysia defied the odds to reach the final of the hockey competition in the Guangzhou Asian Games. They ended up with a silver medal after losing to Pakistan.
This time, in Incheon, South Korea, Malaysia may need a miracle to achieve the same.
The national hockey team have suffered two huge blows in recent times – losing all six matches and finishing last among 12 teams in the World Cup in June and suffering an embarrassing defeat to minnows Trinidad and Tobago (4-2) en route to finishing seventh out of 10 teams at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games last month.
But seasoned campaigner Azlan Misron is not about to throw in the towel for the Asiad. And he has asked all Malaysians “not to write us off, just yet”.
The Incheon Asiad is from Sept 19-Oct 4.
Azlan is also partly responsible for Malaysia’s poor performance – he was the skipper of the World Cup squad who finished last in The Hague.
“We let the entire nation down in the two tournaments and we’re sorry,” said the 31-year-old defender, who did not feature in the Glasgow Games.
“But please don’t write off us just yet. We have learned our lesson and will take every match seriously in Incheon,” said Azlan, who will be featuring in his fourth and last Asiad.
World No. 13 Malaysia will open their Group A campaign against Singapore on Sept 20 at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium. Their other matches are against Bangladesh (Sept 21), South Korea (Sept 25) and Japan (Sept 27).
Defending champions Pakistan are drawn with arch rivals India, China, Oman and Sri Lanka in Group B.
The Asian Games gold medallists will gain an automatic berth to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
So, can Malaysia bounce back and defy the odds once again?
“We will go to Incheon with one thing in mind – to qualify for the semi-finals. Only then will we even think about the final,” said Azlan.
The Star of Malaysia
Looking for a golden dawn?
S. Thyagarajan
The Indian men's hockey team has won gold just twice in 14 editions of the Asian Games despite being termed 'very talented'. File Photo
Competitive hockey came on board in Tokyo in 1958. Since then its fecundity in the Asian Games fascinates the aficionados.
Interestingly, only three, Pakistan, India and Korea, have bagged the gold in the 14 editions with Pakistan cornering a maximum of eight, followed by Korea (4) and India (2).
Chroniclers often are bewildered as to why India, inarguably a dominant force, claimed just two.
It was Western Railway’s Balbir Singh’s magnificent goal in 1966 that fetched India the first gold. The next surfaced 32 years later at Bangkok, thanks to the marvellous display by Ashish Ballal of Indian Airlines under the goal in the penalty shoot out.
Only once did India miss the podium. It was in 2006 at Doha, where the campaign concluded in utter humiliation at No. 5.
A close scrutiny of the ebb and flow underlines the narrowing gap what with Korea, Malaysia, Japan and China making an authoritative impact in the eighties. Korea’s ascendancy from 1986 to a world power is in itself a shining piece of history.
The enviable Asian aesthetics symbolised by the sub-continent transformed itself into an admirable synthesis of athleticism and adeptness by the Koreans. This approach influenced the thinking of coaches in Malaysia, China and Japan.
Statistics can no more be the measuring device for evaluating the chances of the teams in contention at Incheon. The new four-quarter-format is bound to lead to unpredictable results. Understandably, there is eager expectation in the air.
It is heartening to note that India has retained the squad that figured at the recent Commonwealth Games.
Optimism of a medal stems from the incremental progress recorded in recent months in the World Cup and the CWG. Yet to determine the hue of the medal can be hazardous.
Heavy burden
Sardar Singh shoulders a heavy burden of steering a hugely talented but a terribly under-performing unit. Cohesion and consistency are the essential ingredients to court success.
This appears to be a tall order given the trend of matches played at The Hague and Glasgow.
A lot depends on the synergy and systematisation among the layers. Admittedly, goalkeeper Sreejesh is in fine fettle. He should give the pack of defenders, Raghunath, Rupinder, Kothajit, Gurubaj, Birendra and the irrepressible Sardar adequate scope to smother, innovate and improvise.
Equally important is ensuring a modicum of fluency to the frontline whose only predictability so far has been its unpredictability. It is imperative for Sunil, Akashdeep, Thimmiah and Chandi to amalgamate their proficiency to reach the target successfully. Now they need to rework the strategy for every quarter.
Pakistan is back after missing the World Cup and the CWG overcoming several complex issues on the home front that need no over elaboration here, save for stating that it is the defending champion.
Malaysia’s display in the World Cup and CWG has seriously dented its image as a medal prospect. But the team to fear most is Korea on the home ground. It is a fact that India had prevailed over both Malaysia and Korea handsomely in the World Cup but resting on that laurels can only be described foolhardy.
After the gold medal at the 1982 inaugural edition in New Delhi, the women have been striving hard to thin down the chasm against the top three — China, Korea, and Japan. A silver medal in 1998 and two bronzes (1986 and 2006) only underscore the existing gap.
The confidence level is pretty high now though the results continue to be negative causing concern.
Ritu Rani is a name to conjure with on the world scene. She leads the pack which contains six players — Deepika, Ritu Rani, Rani, Poonam Rani, Chanchan Devi, Vandana Katariya — with 100+ internationals to their credit.
The Aussie coach, Neil Hawgood, appears to have worked very hard to enhance the energy level. Not surprisingly, he anticipates an exemplary performance.
A podium finish for both men and women is in the realm of possibility.
But only a gold medal will confirm the efficacy of coaching by the Dutch stalwart, Roelant Oltmans, and the Aussie strategist, Terry Walsh, apart from the time, energy and resources spent on shaping Sardar and his set of doughty warriors for this major task.
The Hindu
Whistling all the way to Incheon
Adit Ganguly
Action during the match between Westers Raiway and Central Secretriat on Tuesday, (inset) Javed Shaikh Salman Ansari DNA
A seven-goal hockey thriller in which the winning goal comes in the last minute is entertainment and excitement for any umpire. That's exactly what happened when Western Railway piped Central Secretariat 4-3 in a MHAL Super League game on Tuesday. Umpire Javed Shaikh couldn't have asked for more. In less than two weeks time, Shaikh will again be the man in the middle, but only this time, he will be hoping for the best Asian countries to provide the same thrill. The 39-year-old is India's representative at the upcoming Asian Games in Incheon starting September 19 and despite being an official for the past ten years, Shaikh's excitement is just the same as his first time.
"I've officiated at the Doha Asian Games (2006), Azlan Shah, Asia Cup over the years. But you just can't stop there. You need to have the same desire that you had when you first stepped out on the field. We are no less than players," says Shaikh who whose first international tournament was an U-21 tournament in Poland in 2004.
Though Shaikh isn't allowed to officiate any match where India plays, the former Mumbai and Maharashtra player has been keeping a close eye on Sardar Singh's men and he feels this their best chance of winning gold, "The squad can use the CWG silver medal as a springboard. They have done well over their Asian counterparts in recent tournament and I see no reason why the squad can't go all the way improving from their bronze medal performance in 2010," says Shaikh who officiated at a World Cup for the first time in his ten-year-career this year in Hague earlier this year.
The Asian Games sees a change in format compared to the World Cup with the two-halves of 35 minutes being shelved for a four-quarter format of 17 minutes each. Besides the players, the change has also been welcomed by the umpires. "Indians shouldn't have a problem adapting to the format of four quarters as many of them play the Hockey india League," says Shaikh.
Like players, umpires like Shaikh too need to keep improving every game. Competition is fierce amongst their peers as well at the very top level. "We have to keep ourselves on our toes during the whole course of the match.
Our judging panel keeps a close eye on us leaving us no room for error. It is based on our performances in one tournament that leads to our selection for future competitions," says Shaikh who will count on a good show in the tournaments between Incheon and 2016 to make the cut for the Rio Olympics that year. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Stopwatch: Western Railway 4 (Jaykaran 2, V Singh, A Rohidas) bt Central Secretariat 3 (K Kumar, S Ajmani, J Vessaonkar)
DNA
Hockey teams await air tickets
New Delhi: Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra today accused the Sports Ministry of delaying the air tickets of the Asian Games-bound hockey teams. Batra, in a letter to the Ministry, said the federation should not be blamed for the poor showing if the teams don't reach Incheon this week. “The teams need to go beforehand to acclimatise, make plans and peak at the right time,” he said .
The Tribune
Dutch legend Bovelander interacts with One Thousand Hockey Legs kids in Delhi
K Arumugam
Dutch hockey legend Floris Jan Bovelander interacted with hockey kids of Delhi based NGO, One Thousand Hockey Legs, in South Delhi today.
Floris is here in Delhi on a personal visit to India and has spent some precious time with the aspiring school kids.
Floris is both Olympic and World Cup gold medallist and an incomparable exponent of penalty corner execution.
Floris witnessed a match between two teams of the NGO and expressed happiness that the talent pool of India is really good.
“Some of the boys are really gifted, I can the spot the glimpses of making some great players here provided they are given proper support”, the legend said.
“Am happy to see the NGO has brought hundreds of kids to play hockey at school level. I am overwhelmed by the passion these kids show on the India’s premier sport that hockey is”, Floris opined.
One Thousand Hockey Legs is a flagship project of Hockey Citizen Group, which seeks to introduce the game of hockey to at least 500 school kids in every major city of India.
Currently, OTHL runs 25 schools in Delhi, over all 70 schools in India. OTHL operates in Kolkata, Kanpur (UP), Puducherry and Chennai besides Delhi.
OTHL is the only hockey NGO that fields its combined team in the Hockey India Sub-Junior National Championship.
The volunteer based NGO is founded by hockey historian and writer K. Arumugam.
"Floris visit has boosted the morale of my kids, and we will professionally interact with him in the days to come," confident Arumugam said.
Stick2Hockey.com
Top sides secure Ford NHL semi final spots
Auckland's Charlotte Harrison and Julia King, courtesy www.photosport.co.nz
Five teams have secured a place in the semi finals following results in Round 6 of the Ford National Hockey League today.
With just one round of pool play remaining the Auckland, Northland and Canterbury Women, as well as Midlands and Auckland Men have guaranteed a top four finish and will fight it out in Saturday’s semis.
On the women’s side today, Auckland were the big winners with a 3-1 result over the Central Mysticks helping them jump over Northland into top spot on the table.
Charlotte Harrison scored a double while Krystal Forgesson also found the back of the goal to boost her side up to 20 points with five wins and one loss.
Northland were held to their second successive shoot-out, but this time were beaten 3-1 by the Canterbury Cats. Northland led for much of the match after Maddison Rosser’s goal but Libby Masefield equalised 10 minutes from fulltime to effect a shoot-out.
Capital kept their finals hopes alive with a 6-1 thrashing of North Harbour, Captain Anita Punt and Georgie Morgan both scoring doubles with Felicity Reidy and Kelsey Smith also on the card. Shareena Nana scored North Harbour’s lone goal.
Midlands moved into fourth on the table with an important 3-0 result against the Southern Storm. Oriwa Hepi, Kate Kernaghan and Sam Charlton scored goals to keep the defending champions in finals contention.
For the men, Midlands retained top spot on the table with a 2-1 shoot-out victory over the Southern Dogs after a dramatic finish.
Captain Richard Petherick and Zac Woods both helped Midlands to a 2-1 lead before Southern striker Jeremy Morris scored a stunning field goal less than two minutes from fulltime to force the shoot-out.
Auckland assured their semi-finals berth after cruising past the Central Mavericks 3-0 with goals coming from Michael Ritchie, Ryan Archibald and Ben Radonovich.
The winless Central Mavericks and Northland both faced off to decide who would claim their first points of the tournament. Central come away convincing winner with an 8-3 score line.
The Canterbury Cavaliers rounded out the day’s play with an emphatic 5-2 victory over North Harbour. Fuelled by goals from Richard Bain, Fergus Watts, Cam Hayde, Trevor Garrett and Mitch Hayde, the result sees the Cavs move up to third on the table on 16 points.
The final round of pool play gets underway at 11.30am tomorrow with Canterbury vs Central opening the day for the women, before the Midlands vs Auckland men at midday.
CLICK HERE for the full draw, results, standings and goal scorers
FORD NHL RESULTS – WEDNESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER
WOMEN
Northland 1: (Maddison Rosser)
Canterbury Cats 1: (Libby Masefield)
Canterbury won shoot-out 3-1
Auckland 3: (Charlotte Harrison 2, Krystal Forgesson)
Central Mysticks 1: (Michaela Curtis)
Capital 6: (Anita Punt 2, Georgie Morgan 2, Felicity Reidy, Kelsey Smith)
North Harbour 1: (Shareena Nana)
Midlands 3: (Oriwa Hepi, Kate Kernaghan, Sam Charlton)
Southern Storm 0
MEN
Auckland 3: (Michael Ritchie, Ryan Archibald, Ben Radonovich)
Capital 0
Southern Dogs 2: (Campbell Paton, Jeremy Morris)
Midlands 2: (Richard Petherick, Zac Woods)
Midlands won shoot-out 2-1
Central Mavericks 8: (Ben Molloy 2, Matt Young 2, Steve Davison, Matt Brougham, Cameron Joyce, Nick Finlayson)
Northland 3: (Rowan Yeo 2, Harrison Lamb)
Canterbury Cavaliers 5: (Richard Bain, Fergus Watts, Cam Hayde, Trevor Garrett, Mitch Hayde)
North Harbour 2: (Brennan Alexander-Parker, Dave Green)
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Live streaming confirmed for Ford NHL finals
Hockey New Zealand has confirmed both the men’s and women’s Ford National Hockey League finals will be live streamed this Sunday.
The women’s final will be shown live from 12pm, and the men’s final from 2.20pm through the Hockey NZ website (www.hockeynz.co.nz), with replays and highlights available upon completion.
The live feed will also feature expert commentary from Bryan Waddle, who will be joined by Katie Glynn for the women’s final and Dave Kosoof for the men’s final.
Rounds 6 and 7 of the Ford NHL are being played today and tomorrow ahead of semi finals day on Saturday.
CLICK HERE for the Ford NHL live streaming page
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Sisters older and wiser after exit from Black Sticks
By David Leggat
Auckland sisters Samantha and Charlotte Harrison. Picture / Brett Phibbs
Among the distinctive memories of the New Zealand women's team at the London Olympics was the shock of blonde ponytails in the squad.
Emily Naylor, Anita Punt, Stacey Michelsen, Alana Millington, Gemma Flynn - and sisters Charlotte and Samantha Harrison. Some remain in the Black Sticks, but not the Harrisons, who are key players in Auckland's bid to win the K Cup national title this week at North Harbour.
The last time the pair played together for New Zealand was in London. They are now playing club hockey for Southern Districts, but since London there's been travel, business opportunities, overseas playing and coaching experiences.
London brought the last of Sam's 93 caps, but Charlotte played on until she was dropped after last year's World League 3 in Rotterdam.
The 25-year-old found it hard to take at the time as she felt she was playing well.
Her 50 goals put her fifth on the New Zealand all-time scoring list. In a sport which racks up internationals like no other, her 183 matches have been bettered by only five players.
"I definitely didn't see it coming," Charlotte said of her axing. "I was happy with how I'd played, I was really looking forward to going to the World Cup [in The Hague this year] and the Commonwealth Games.
"So I thought I'd get into business, which I'd always wanted to. That's going pretty well."
Harrison has a beautician business, but the hockey heartbeat remains strong, and she hasn't shut the door on a recall. However, that depends on national coach Mark Hager.
"I definitely haven't said no to Rio [2016 Olympics] and I could potentially go, but if I wasn't good enough to be in the squad last year I'm probably not this year either."
As for Sam, she took time out to play in England and Belgium after London. Now she's considering study options, and is coaching and nannying.
The 23-year-old hasn't given a lot of thought to a Black Sticks return, but "I feel like I'm playing better at the moment. I felt I needed a break and have no regrets.
"I'd played for New Zealand at such a young age [17] I wanted to see a little bit more, and it was great."
One person sure the pair should be at least considered for a recall is Auckland women's coach Jude Menezes.
"Once they are in or around the circle it's a threat for any opposition. We know they can score goals, they know their roles, have a lot of flair and invaluable experience," he said of the sisters who have shared five of Auckland's 11 goals in the NHL. "They've just got to stay focused and make use of every opportunity."
Auckland trail Northland by two points at the top of the K Cup, which resumes today, and face Central in their penultimate round-robin game. Northland play Canterbury in a clutch game. In the men's Challenge Shield, leaders Midlands play joint second-placed Southern, with Auckland, who share second, meeting Capital.
The New Zealand Herald
Bra spurred by dream of first EHL victory
Picture credit: Andrea Lusso
Hockey Club Bra coach Massimo Lanzano believes his side has learned keys lessons from their prior two trips to the EuroHockey League as they look forward to a group with Poland’s Grunwald Poznan and a fancied German Rot-Weiss Köln side.
Bra won their fifth Italian ‘Scudetto’ last spring to qualify for the EHL for a third time and are now bursting every sinew to potentially land a first win in the competition.
The coach knows it will be a hard journey ahead in Barcelona, lining out in one of the toughest groups, facing a Rot-Weiss side that put 11 goals past them back in 2009 and a Grunwald team who are an ever-present in the competition.
Lanzano says it was a “surprise” that his side qualifed this year but is relishing the games ahead.
“The news of being able to participate in the next edition was like a bolt from the blue,” he told EHLHockey.tv. “We are happy being drawn against good quality teams that will give us a hard challenge.
“For an Italian team, its already a great achievement to play in the EHL and we know that all opponents are very difficult for us.I and the club will be ready and will fight every single second of the games to be able to dream of getting a result.”
Looking back at that 11-0 loss to Rot-Weiss, Lanzano says that the game was a huge learning curve for his side and there is lot to draw from the experience.
“We knowthe immense quality of the Germans and I remember the game well in Paris.Unfortunately,we addressed that game thinking that we had already lost it from the start and we gave up too soon making things far too easy for them.
“We have learned our lesson and I think that it will not be repeated.They no longer have a lot of those players from that game but still have a very good team.The slightest mistake will cost us dear and we will work hard to make as fewer mistakes as possible; physically, tactically and technically thanks also to the help of more video analysis.”
Lanzano suggests his side will play a “compact game”, using “intelligence but without fear”, something that he hopes Bra can also show against Grunwald Poznan who feature a number of Polish internationals that he knows well from his time with the Italian panel.
He knows that the EHL is a big step up from the EuroHockey Trophy Bra played in June, in turn a big step forward from the Italian national league.
“Unlike our Italian league matches, at the European level there are no games that are more or less easy; if you do not play at 100% you do not win.
“Having played the trophy, we understand what it takes to compete at that level and it will be important to take care of every detail before, during and after the game.”
And if all those details align, Lanzano hopes his side can land that fabled first win.
“The spirit of sacrifice and teamwork were the secrets of our success last year. Every player has given hockey a high priority in his life despite many commitments: work, family,study, none excluded. The passion for this sport is really big and we have worked hard each training with great humility.
“We have been working hard for weeks and the commitment of the boys and me is huge.We dream of a great result: our first victory in this tournament and we will continue to work hard to achieve it.”
Euro Hockey League media release
Field Hockey Wins Pair of Contests at Home
By Orlea L. Miller
Sophomore Marissa Balleza fights for control of the ball in a 3-2 Harvard victory on Friday night against Bryant at Jordan Field. The forward finished with two goals in the game, including what proved to be the game winner in the 51st minute of play. Sarah P Reid
The Harvard field hockey team (2-0) opened its 2014 season with two games this weekend, emerging victorious against Bryant (0-4) on Friday night, and over Holy Cross (2-2) on Sunday afternoon at Jordan Field.
HARVARD 4, HOLY CROSS 0
The Crimson maintained control of the offensive end throughout Sunday’s game, taking 24 shots while limiting the Crusaders to a mere six.
“One of our main goals was to come out strong in the first five minutes,” captain Caitlin Rea said. “We were working on competing from the start. That’s what kept our tempo up the whole game.”
Harvard coach Tjerk Van Herwaarden especially noted the control his team demonstrated over Holy Cross, and he predicts the competitive, quick play the Crimson displayed will be evident going forward.
“Some nervousness is normal on the first game day,” van Herwaarden said. “That slowed us down against Bryant. That’s gone and I think we are clearly growing to the level we want to be and today was a great step in the right direction.”
The first goal over Holy Cross came from senior Kaitlyn Boudah in under 10 minutes. Boudah received the ball smoothly from senior Catriona McDonald, finishing right in front of the goal.
Freshman Hannah Wellington scored two goals during the first half as well, with her second coming unassisted as the forward dribbled through Bryant’s defense.
Rea capped off the day’s scoring on a penalty corner at 61:34 with assists from classmate Noel Painter and junior Madison Jung.
HARVARD 3, BRYANT 2
While Harvard looked like a completely different team in Sunday’s game, dominating offensively against Holy Cross from the opening whistle, one thing was clear at the weekend’s conclusion: the large presence of young talent on the field.
Before Wellington scored her two goals in Sunday’s game, a sophomore took center stage on Friday night as Marissa Balleza punched in a pair of scores.
“The team creates a great environment,” van Herwaarden said. “When the freshmen join each year, the seniors know that going to Harvard is overwhelming and the least overwhelming area of your Harvard experience should be the field hockey team. We’re all out here for the same goal. That creates a bond that I think showed today.”
In addition to Wellington’s goals, van Herwaarden recognized the importance of plays by sophomore Elizabeth Warner and freshman Ellie Cookson from the midfield as well.
“The whole team deserves a really big compliment of being able to create a situation where everyone could play,” van Herwaarden said. “All the freshmen played. The biggest thing was that we really came out as a team, and deserved this win together.
On Friday night, the Bulldogs started the game with a goal off a penalty corner in the first 10 minutes of play, followed by three additional shots and pressure on the offensive end.
Painter responded with Harvard’s first goal of the season at 21:12, carrying the ball up the field and finishing after a quick give-and-go from Balleza.
Balleza kept the momentum going with a goal five minutes later, following up on a blocked shot with her own that bounced right over the defenders’ heads.
The Bulldogs opened the second half with a goal in the 51st minute, again off of a corner penalty. But Balleza responded once more, adding what would prove to be the game-winning goal less than two minutes later.
With a team composed of 21 athletes, the Crimson prides itself on being 21 players strong. The bench saw significant playing time over the weekend, contributing on the field with assists in both games and a goal on Friday night.
“Our team has a level of respect,” Wellington said. “The freshmen aren’t too scared to step up and perform when we’re on the field. Because there’s the same consistency throughout all four years, it’s really fluid movement on and off the field. We’re all one unit.”
The Harvard Crimson
Tickets available September 15th for 2015 Pan-Am Games in Toronto
Only 2,000 seats available for field hockey
It is the biggest event to be held in Canada since the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, and this time at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Ontario our Field Hockey Canada Men's and Women's National Teams will be front and center.
The Games will take place in Toronto from July 10-26, 2015 and will feature the best summer sport athletes from our country and around the world.
For our field hockey National Team's, the tournament serves as a qualifier for the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. The winner of both the men's and women's field hockey competitions at the Pan American Games will automatically qualify for the Olympic tournament in Brazil the next summer.
Tickets
Requests for tickets open on Monday, September 15th and will run through October 6th.
The field hockey venue accommodates approximately 2,000 people so it is important to get your tickets fast for the chance to see our best athletes vy for an Olympic berth on home soil.
Not only does this give you early access to the best tickets at the best prices to see some of the world’s top athletes compete, you also have the chance to be in the stadium watching the Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies live!
Canada's globally celebrated cultural icon, Cirque du Soleil, is bringing its special blend of stagecraft, thrilling acrobatic athleticism and colourful cultural pageantry to the Opening Ceremony, while Live Nation will draw from top Canadian and international musical acts to support the Closing Ceremony for the Pan Am Games.
To see prices and more visit: http://www.toronto2015.org/tickets
Field Hockey Canada media release
Hockey stars of the future take centre stage today
Hockey5s made its debut on the international stage at YOG, Nanjing, China. Running from the 14th to the 27th of August, the competition saw 10 men’s and 10 women’s teams from 17 different countries participate in this exciting and dynamic format.
And it did not disappoint. Players, coaches and spectators, including recently retired hockey superstar Teun de Nooijer, our President - Leandro Negre along with the IOC President Thomas Bach, all enjoyed the spectacular action of the new 5-a-side format.
Players from around the globe told us that they found the game different, faster and extremely skilful. “5’s is so fast, you need fitness and speed, and there are boards, not like in 11’s, you can score from anywhere, that’s a really good advantage” Lala Ravatu, Captain, Fiji. “A good goal scorer can score from anywhere, so you have to pay attention and have good reactions” Maximiliano Mendez Falcon, Mexico, commented pitch side.
At FIH we are excited to sit down and review the experience from both a fan and player point of view as we continue our work to design a new small-sided game. This new entertainment-focussed game will be an evolution of Hockey5s designed to appeal to youth and generate new hockey playing nations. We will present our road-map and teaser at the FIH Congress in November this year.
With the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing bringing hockey’s young talent to the forefront, we are running a series of articles on our website where we meet with some of the rising stars of the game.
We already know from the number and breadth of entries into Hockey World League Round 1, just how popular our sport is becoming, but perhaps it takes the sight of 180 teenagers proudly representing their respective countries to really drive home the fact that hockey is becoming a sport for the 21st century and beyond.
In the articles we will get to meet upcoming talent from all over the world including a 14-year old from a developing African nation who until recently played with a borrowed stick but has since gone on to score against one of the sport’s top tier nations. We also meet a member of Japanese YOG team who had only nine days to prepare for the competition but who went on to make the semi-finals.
China celebrate their gold medal - credit Xinhau
FIH site