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News for 06 January 2017

All the news for Friday 6 January 2017


Butali Warriors land tourney’s pool of death

By BRIAN YONGA


Sliders women's hockey team player Beryl Atieno in action during their training session at the City Park Stadium on January 5, 2017 ahead of the Africa Cup Club championship that begins on January 7, 2017. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |  NATION MEDIA GROUP

Kenya’s Butali Sugar Warriors have been drawn in arguably the pool of death for the Africa Cup of Club Championship that gets underway on Saturday at the City Park Stadium, Nairobi.

According to the fixtures released on Thursday, Butali men’s bronze medallists in 2007, have drawn 23 times record winners Sharkia from Egypt, Ghana Police and Nigerian champions Niger Flickers in Pool B.

Butali, who missed the last two editions due to financial constraints, will open their account against Sharkia on Saturday evening in what should be a cracking encounter before they take on Ghana Police on Monday and finish their pool matches with a date against Niger Flickers on Wednesday.

Kenya’s second men’s team in the competition, Kenya Police are in Pool A that has champions Eastern Company (Egypt), Ghana’s Exchequers and the Ugandan duo of Wananchi and Weatherhead. Police will face Wananchi on Saturday night in their opening encounter.

PLEASED WITH DRAW

Police coach Kenneth Kaunda was pleased with the draw saying they stood a chance of making it to the knockout stages.

“The key is to have a good start in the competition and I think playing at home gives us the confidence of being able to go as far as possible,” Kaunda told Nation Sport.

The top two teams from the two pools will advance to the semi-finals.

In the women’s fixtures, Kenya’s Telkom Orange and Sliders have been placed together in Pool A.

Other teams in the pool are Sharkia, Weatherhead and Nigerian club Elrufai. Orange, who are the defending champions, will be favourites to top the group.

However, Orange coach Jos Openda has warned against any complacency.

“Every team at this competition is tough and we will need to be on top of our game if we want to win ninth title, “Openda said.

His Sliders counterpart, Felix Okoth believes his side will be the surprise team of the tournament.

“We are making a comeback to the competition and no one knows what to expect from us and this gives us an edge,” he said.

In Pool B, Ghanaian rivals Ghana Police and Ghana Customs are together alongside Nigerian club Heartland, Tanzanian club and Wananchi. By Friday, it was only the Ghanaian and Ugandan sides that had yet to arrive in Nairobi.

The Africa Hockey Federation is conducting a two-day umpire clinic for the men and women that will take charge of the matches.

Daily Nation



Hockey getting more popular in Odisha due to HIL: Tirkey

NEW DELHI: With no international exposure before playing in the 2014 Hockey India League, Dipsan Tirkey from Sundargarh village in Odisha had to make use of the opportunity he was handed when he was picked to play for Kalinga Lancers, a HIL franchise based out of Bhubaneswar.

"It was a big platform for me as I had not played any international match for the junior team yet. All I had was match exposure at the national level when I got picked for the Kalinga Lancers in 2014," recalled Tirkey who was called for Junior India camp in 2013, Bengaluru, but had not made it to the national side.

It was post his HIL performance that Tirkey made it to the junior India team for the Sultan of Johor Cup, where he debuted, in 2014.

"I got to learn a lot from foreign players and built a personal rapport with them. Glenn Simpson from Australia and I shared a special bond as he would always correct me and would tell me how you mark man-to-man while playing defence. These aspects helped me improve my game and my confidence," he said.

Playing in the HIL was not only a learning curve for this 18-year-old India defender but it also gave him recognition.

"Until then, people didn't know much about hockey. Of course, Padma Shri Dr. Dilip Tirkey was most popular but the people of Odisha had never gotten to watch big ticket international level hockey. Bringing Coal India HIL to Bhubaneswar ensured people thronged the stadium during matches. With more and more international matches like the FIH Champions Trophy being played in Odisha, people have started to follow hockey regularly and have started to recognise young players like me," said Tirkey who hails from a farming background.

According to Tirkey, hockey was popular among tribal belts like Sundargarh but had failed to attract the urban dwellers until HIL kicked off.

"During HIL, the entire city has posters and hoardings of hockey players. There is a lot of buzz created and people do get excited with the level of hockey that's being played. They get to see the biggest players in international hockey and the matches are all high intensity. Cricket, until now, was the obvious choice of sport but I feel that's changing now as people get to see that a career can be made from hockey too," Tirkey said.

The Times of India



Follow the Australian Indoor Festival of Hockey

Wollongong gets stuck into indoors

Lawrence West



It’s finals weekend in Wollongong as the first competitions in the Indoor Festival of Hockey come to an undoubtedly thrilling climax on Sunday.

The Illawarra Hockey Centre will be packed with participants and supporters as the men’s and women’s Open Indoor Australian Championships conclude on Sunday with home favourites New South Wales aiming to back-up their double grand final appearances from 2016.

Thursday’s day one action saw an incredible 76 goals scored and there is plenty more hockey to be played before the medal round with 16 games in each of the men’s and women’s events across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

There’s even more at stake than national bragging rights with Australian team selectors watching on and places in the Australian indoor hockey team up for grabs.

There are plenty of ways to follow all the action via online media.

The Altius competition portal is where you can find all of the fixtures, results, stats and more. Click here for the men's Open competition, here for the women's Open competition, and here for the full list of upcoming Indoor Australian Championship events.

Twitter has live score updates throughout the event. Follow @HockeyAustralia on Twitter and use the #AusChampsHockey hashtag.

Facebook is where to go for amazing action photos thanks to Click InFocus photographers and where you can check out video interviews with some of the stars of the competition. Visit Facebook.com/HockeyAustralia.

Supported by Destination Wollongong, Illawarra South Coast Hockey Association, the University of Wollongong and Hockey NSW, the Indoor Festival of Hockey is a three-week extravaganza of indoor hockey, showcasing the best players in the country at Open, Under 21, Under 18, Under 15 and Under 13 level.

Now in the second year of an initial two-year agreement, more than 1000 participants, spectators and volunteers will be involved over the next three weeks.

Hockey Australia Senior Manager – Events and Operations, David White, said local support for the event has been a big part of the event’s success.

“We launched this new festival concept last year with the support of Destination Wollongong, Illawarra South Coast Hockey Association, the University of Wollongong and Hockey NSW. It takes a lot of work to pull this many teams and participants together in one place and their support played a big role in the success of our first year.

“We’re hoping the local community will embrace the event even more this year and come out and cheer on the teams. There’s a lot of local pride at stake with New South Wales having reached the finals of both Open competitions last year.

“The Australian indoor hockey community is a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic community, and we at Hockey Australia are very proud that we can bring everyone together in the one place to showcase the best players and teams in the country over action-packed three weeks.”

Wollongong locals and visitors are encouraged to get down to the Illawarra Hockey Centre over the weekend to take in the action, which is fast, furious and highly skillful.

Weekend presentation information - Sun 8 Jan 2017 - Open Age 
Women’s Gold Medal Match: 1:30 pm
Men’s Gold Medal Match: 2:45 pm
Presentation: 3:50 pm

Indoor Festival of Hockey schedule
5-8 January: Open Indoor Australian Championships (men & women)
9-13 January: U21 Indoor Australian Championships (men & women)
12-15 January: U13 Indoor Australian Carnival (boys & girls)
17-21 January: U18 Indoor Australian Championships (boys & girls)
21-25 January: U15 Indoor Australian Championships (boys & girls)

Spectator entry
Entry to the Illawarra Hockey Centre is free of charge all weekend.
Matches on Saturday begin at 8:00am and conclude at 9:00pm.
Matches on Sunday begin at 9:00am with the trophy presentations scheduled for 3:50pm.

Hockey Australia media release



Men's Super 6s returns to action this weekend


David Condon and Dom Bowden celebrate in the Super 6s final

With the men’s semi-finals and final of the Super 6s almost upon us, this weekend we will find out who will take their place in the showpiece at the SSE Arena Wembley and if anyone can break East Grinstead’s stranglehold on the tournament.

Grinstead are going for their ninth title in a row and started their campaign in strong fashion with four wins from four in week one. Adam Seccull led the way for the Sussex outfit with five goals but was able supported by the ever-reliable Ross Stott who slotted in four of his own. The champions won all four of their matches in the first weekend including consecutive 7-4 wins over Wimbledon and Loughborough Students. They lie in second place going into the weekend with matches against Bowdon, Reading, Surbiton and Sevenoaks to come.

Top of the pile via goal difference are Surbiton. Led by East Grinstead legend Mark Pearn, the side from Sugden Road also won four from four and plundered an impressive 29 goals in those four games. An 11-1 drubbing of Reading in their second game set the tone and Surbiton have not looked back. Scotland star William Marshall netted eight times, Brendan Creed and David Beckett both chipped in with six each. Surbiton’s fixtures for the second week will be no picnic with East Grinstead and Wimbledon both on the horizon but they have given themselves a fantastic chance of qualifying.

In third place with three wins from four are Wimbledon. The Wombles, who are of course reining champions in the outdoor game impressed in the first week with only East Grinstead able to take points off them. Peter Millar proved a revelation, scoring seven times. Nathanael Stewart scored five times to provide plenty of support to Millar. Wimbledon have strengthened their ranks with Simon Mantell, Steven Ebbers and Ben Arnold’s considerable talents added to the squad whilst goal machine Tim Davenport is also set to feature.

Last year’s semi-finalists Sevenoaks currently occupy the fourth qualification spot with two wins from four. Wins over Bowdon and Canterbury were separated by losses to Wimbledon and Surbiton. A group of players who have had a taste of finals day will be very keen to get themselves back in the frame this year.

Reading are level on points with Sevenoaks but are behind on goal difference after their heavy defeat to Surbiton. They have their fate in their own hands but will face Wimbledon and Canterbury on Saturday before rounding things off with what could prove to be pivotal clashes with Sevenoaks and East Grinstead.

Team Bath Buccaneers head the cluster of teams on three points, followed by Bowdon and Canterbury. The Kent side will be looking to Craig Boyne-the competition’s leading scorer to fire them up the table whilst Loughborough, currently rooted to the bottom of the table with no points will be aiming to avoid the drop with some big performances.

The matches take place at Nottingham University Sports Centre and begin on Saturday morning. All the live updates can be found via our online results service.     

The drama doesn’t end this weekend however. The four best teams progress to the semi finals at the SSE Arena Wembley to fight for the title on the action packed, dramatic unmissable finals day.

England Hockey Board Media release



Finals day beckons in Women's Super 6s


Tina Cullen celebrates after scoring in the indoor final

The second weekend of qualifiers for the Women’s Super 6s Finals is all set for action this weekend with the finest teams in the English game fighting tooth and nail to secure those four coveted semi-final spots at the SSE Arena Wembley on January 29.

Leading the way are 2015 champions Bowdon Hightown. The Seahorses showed their undoubted class with three wins and draw from their opening four matches. Unsurprisingly with the firepower they have their disposal Hightown are the top scorers in the competition with 24 goals in four games, conceding just 12, the second meanest defence in the tournament. Sally Walton, last season’s top scorer has helped herself to seven goals whilst the legendary Tina Cullen has plundered six. Charlene Mason’s four goals have also proved very handy for the Red and Black attack.

Hightown’s campaign this weekend starts with a clash against holders East Grinstead followed by an evening showdown with Slough and then games against Canterbury and Sutton Coldfield.

Currently sitting in second place, Sutton Coldfield will hope to make a return to the finals for the first time since 2013 when they were runners up. With nine points from their opening four games, The Mighty Pinks, spurred on by the goals of Captain Vicky Woolford are just a point behind Bowdon going into the weekend. Despite a heavy defeat to Slough in the first weekend, Sutton won against Reading, Buckingham and reigning champions East Grinstead to give themselves a good chance of qualifying.

Tucked into fourth place just a point behind Sutton are Slough. The club with a proud indoor history can boast 13 titles in their history but have not won the trophy since 2008.  The Pink and Blacks started out with a draw against East Grinstead followed by wins over Sutton and Canterbury and a further draw with Reading. Dilly Newton was in red hot form, plundering six goals across the first weekend. Their fixtures include some tough challenges this weekend but Captain Kat McGonigle will be hopeful she can lead her side to Wembley.

Canterbury’s young guns currently occupy the fourth qualification spot after two wins and two losses in their first weekend of action. They were thankful for the goals of Grace Balsdon (6) and skipper Sarah Kerly (6) in the first weekend and despite testing clashes against Buckingham, Reading, Sutton and Bowdon the Polo Farm outfit will be giving it all they have to return to Wembley.

The chasing pack is headed up by Reading, who have amassed five points from their opening four games with Georgina Bathurst on target seven times, making her the leading scorer in the whole competition. Reigning champions East Grinstead have work to do to make it to finals day to defend their title with four points on the board whilst it is very tight amongst the bottom three with Holcombe, University of Birmingham and Buckingham all on three points.

The matches take place at Phoenix Sport and Leisure Centre, Telford and begin on Saturday morning. All the live updates can be found via our online results service.     

The drama doesn’t end this weekend however. The four best teams progress to the semi finals at the SSE Arena Wembley to fight for the title on the action packed, dramatic unmissable finals day.

England Hockey Board Media release



World Grand Masters come to Glasgow



The Scotland LX Hockey Club, under the auspices of Scottish Hockey, is delighted to have been nominated to organise and run the World Grand Masters European Hockey Cup at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre and at Clydesdale Hockey Club, Glasgow.

The event will run from the 19th to the 27th August 2017 and will involve around 55 teams from across the world in both ladies and gents competitions.

This will be the largest ever hockey participation event ever to be held in Scotland with about 1000 athletes and officials in attendance, plus family, friends and supporters.

As found in the past, the success of any championships is largely down to the fantastic volunteers who have given their time to make the competing teams and their supports feel welcome to Scotland and Glasgow in particular, and to leave with great memories of their visit.

There are a number of different roles that require to be performed during the event. For example: Hospitality team members,  Merchandising team member,  Event information, Field of Play, Event Support, Access control,  Athlete support,  Announcer,  Opening & Closing ceremony team members. And more roles will evolve as our preparations continue.

Scottish Hockey Union media release



Wales travel to Kuala Lumpur ahead of World League Round 2

Wales Senior Women travel to Malaysia this Saturday to finalise their preparations for the second round of the prestigious FIH Hockey World League, which is set to take place in Kuala Lumpur from Saturday 14th - Sunday 22nd January.

The tournament is a crucial event in Wales’ competitive calendar and will provide the opportunity to earn valuable world rankings points and progress to the Semi-Finals, where there will be the chance to qualify for the FIH World Cup. For Wales and other Commonwealth countries, it will be world rankings that determine qualification for Gold Coast 2018, with the top 10 Commonwealth nations automatically qualifying in late 2017.

On the announcement of the squad last month, Head Coach Kevin Johnson commented: “As a group, we are aspiring to play better international tournaments more often and World League Round 2 will be an ideal opportunity to challenge ourselves and further our development.

“As individuals, the players will learn a great amount playing in the high temperatures and humidity of Kuala Lumpur, as well as experiencing different types and styles of opposition from around the globe. It will be an invaluable experience and after our recent gains, we are fully confident in our ability to perform well.”

On route to qualifying for Round 2 the squad enjoyed a successful summer of international test matches, where Wales secured impressive home victories over world top 20 ranked nations Italy and Poland, as well as a valuable away draw with Italy. At World League Round 1 in Douai (France) in September, a confident Wales performed well to finish in second, just behind Russia and ahead of hosts France, to qualify for Round 2.

In their pool Wales, who are currently 32nd in the world, face Thailand and Singapore along with familiar rivals Italy, while a strong Irish side heads up Pool B which features Malaysia, Kazakhstan and Hong Kong.

You can find tournament schedule and live results here, or for updates via Twitter follow us @HockeyWales or Wales Senior Women @HociCymruWomen. A summary of Wales’ playing schedule (with times adjusted to GMT) is available below.
http://www.fih.ch/events/hockey-world-league/2017-women-hockey-world-league-round-2-kuala-lumpur-mas/
Details of streaming and availability of images will be confirmed early next week.

Match Schedule

Saturday 14 January      Italy v Wales                   Local time 13:45 (05:45 GMT)
Sunday 15 January         Wales v Singapore          Local time 18:15 (10:15 GMT)
Tuesday 17 January       Wales v Thailand           Local time 16:00 (08:00 GMT)

Thursday 19 January      Quarter-finals   TBC
Friday 20 January           5-8 Play offs       TBC
Saturday 21 January      Semi-finals         TBC
Sunday 22 January         Finals    TBC

Wales Senior Women Squad
Kuala Lumpur 2017

Rose Thomas (GK), Wimbledon
Ella Jackson (GK), Buckingham
Xenna Hughes, East Grinstead
Tina Evans, Birmingham University
Natalie Blyth, Swansea City
Jo Westwood, Swansea City
Leah Wilkinson (VC), Holcombe
Sian French, Bowdon
Beth Bingham, Loughborough University
Sarah Jones, Holcombe
Danielle Jordan, Clifton
Hannah Cozens, Loughborough University
Julie Whiting, Reading
Abi Welsford (C), Swansea City
Eloise Laity, Clifton
Lisa Daley, Swansea City
Phoebe Richards, Buckingham
Natasha Marke-Jones, Swansea City

Hockey Wales media release



Dharmaraj to use three friendlies to finalise women’s squad

by Aftar Singh



Coach K. Dharmaraj (pic) has chosen 15 players from the 23-woman training squad and he will use the three friendlies – against Ireland (Monday) and Wales (Tuesday and Thursday) – to finalise the other three players.

Eight teams will feature in the World League Round Two and world No. 21 Malaysia are in Group B with Hong Kong, Ireland and Kazakhstan.

Group A comprises Italy, Wales, Thailand and Singapore.

World No. 16 Ireland are the top ranked team in the tournament.

All eight teams will automatically feature in the quarter-finals.

“It’s important that we top our group in the preliminary rounds so that we will meet a lower-ranked team in the quarter-finals,” said Dharmaraj.

“We are looking to finish in the top two in the tournament and qualify for the World League Semi-Finals.”

The Malaysian women’s team have never gone past the World League Second Round.

The eight are Mas Huzaimah Mohd Zain, Siti Noor Hafiza Zainordin, Norbaini Hashim, Nor Zafirah Abdul Aziz, Fatin Naimah Zaki, Noraslinda Said, Nor Syafiqah Mohd Zain and Nurul Shafiqa Mat Isa.

The Star of Malaysia



UniKL confident they can defy the odds to lift crown

by S. Ramaguru

KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) are confident they can emulate Sapura’s title win last year when they open their Tan Sri P. Alagendra Knockout Trophy campaign against UITM-KPT today

Sapura defied the odds to upstage the bigger teams to win the inaugural title last year, but they do not have a team in the Malaysia Hockey League this year.

UniKL have signed up five foreign players, but only one – Argentine striker Ignacio Santiago Salas – will feature today.

Midfielder Mohammad Tousiq and defender Mohammad Aleem Bilal, both of Pakistan; Australian youngster Lachlan Gerald Stick and Argentina reserve goalkeeper Tomas Matias Santiago are expected to arrive next week.

Santiago, though, looks set to be UniKL’s key signing.

Goalkeeping has been a bane for the UniKL team and that’s one of the reasons they’ve gone for a top quality keeper.

Santiago was a member of the Argentina team who finished third in the 2012 Sultan of Johor Cup. He went on to keep goal in the 2013 Junior World Cup in New Delhi.

UniKL coach A. Arulselvaraj is not worried about not having his foreign legion for the opening match.

“We had some good warm-up matches ... the players are eager to prove themselves as they fight for a place in the team,” said Arul.

“It won’t be easy against UITM as they have several experienced players besides their four foreign players.

“We need to take our chances and not put ourselves under pressure by conceding soft goals.”

UniKL have added three Sapura players – Marhan Jalil, Mohamed Azrul Hasbullah and Faridzul Afiq Mohamed – to their ranks and will also continue to rely on regulars like Baljit Singh, Izwan Firdaus Ahmad Tajuddin, Sufi Ismat Rohulmin, Najmi Farizal and the evergreen S. Selvaraju.

“The team will no doubt look to Marhan for leadership and guidance in midfield. I believe we have the material to match the best this year,” said Arul.

The Star of Malaysia



Hockey development director urges departmental revamp

By Nabil Tahir


NEW BLOOD NEEDED: Alam has linked Pakistan hockey's dearth of new talent with departments' insistence on sticking with their current players. PHOTO COURTESY: PHF

KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation’s (PHF) director domestic and planning Naveed Alam has cited the talent drought of the last five years to stress on the need for a revamp in departments.

Talking to The Express Tribune about the outcome of the National Hockey Championship, which PIA won to complete a hat-trick of titles, Alam said, “I have visited many districts and regions and have found many talented players but the problem is that the departments are just not interested in nurturing that talent for future use.”

He further elaborated the problem, saying: “They have had the same players for the last five years and need to replenish their ageing squads by holding trials and giving jobs to emerging players, who can then hone their skills in domestic competition.”

As per Alam, the recent championship’s best emerging player Sharjeel — who scored three hat-tricks for Police — is unemployed and was contracted by his department just for the championship.

“Sharjeel does not have a job. He was picked out of nowhere and he turned out to be the best player,” revealed Alam.

Alam also questioned the credentials of the talent pool of juniors. “90% of NBP’s team was composed of players who attended national junior camp for three months and even then they lost in the final, which has forced us to reassess and look to induct new players,” he informed.

Alam, who has travelled extensively within Pakistan for the game’s development, also made the announcement that the PHF will be organising a National Championship for the divisions in March, for which 59 teams have already registered.

“I went to each district and division and asked the Deputy and Assistant Commissioners to use the allocated 4% of the total budget for sports development and for holding divisional championship. This has already started and the top teams will now take part in March’s event,” he said.

Meanwhile, following the conclusion of the National Hockey Championship, the selectors are planning to make a combined pool of seniors and juniors, who will then be put through their paces in a training camp for the preparation of the FIH Hockey World League Semi-Finals, which will be held in London from June 15 to 25.

The Express Tribune



Wellington ratepayers stump up more than $2m for new hockey turf

COLLETTE DEVLIN


Wellington Hockey Association chief executive Trafford Wilson on site at the National Hockey Stadium, where there will be a new $2.7 million turf. KEVIN STENT/FAIRFAX NZ

Wellington hockey fans are celebrating after receiving a funding boost that will see a new artificial turf ready before the start of the season in April.

Wellington City Council has stumped up almost $2 million for the turf at the National Hockey Stadium in Berhampore, while the Wellington Hockey Association will contribute a further $800,000 that came from various grants.

Deputy Mayor Paul Eagle said the council saw the need to fund one of Wellington's key sports, which was growing significantly.

The association, which leases the land from the council, would pay for new dugouts and changing rooms, he said.

READ MORE: New Wellington hockey turf means the end of Phoenix Foundation rehearsal space

"There is a real desire to reinstate the 30-year-old stadium as the national stadium to host events."

Extensive drainage work was currently being done before levelling the field and laying the turf.

Completion was weather dependent, but was expected to be finished by the end of March, he said.

Wellington Hockey Association chief executive Trafford Wilson said players were thrilled to be getting a new turf.

It had taken about five years to build up a case and to get the funding for the project, he said.

There were six clubs affiliated with the stadium and, in the past few years, membership had grown about 30 per cent.

The new turf would support the growth of the Wellington association, which was operating at 90 per cent, resulting in teams playing games late in the evening.

"It will make a wonderful difference to the sport."

The association's participation programmes had opened the game to more people and spurred the growth, he said.

"With three turfs on site we are also likely to be considered for more tournaments and events."

There were currently 14 clubs in Wellington playing on six turfs and there was a strong growth in the sport throughout the country, he said.

Stuff



Global Projects 2016: Oceania


Read about some of Oceania's most inspiring hockey projects from 2016 Photo: Oceania Hockey Federation

As part of our series looking at some of the standout Global hockey Projects from 2016, we look at some projects in Oceania that have the potential to inspire others in 2017...

Two internationally recognised development programmes gives hockey a boost in remote regions of Oceania.

Hockey to give soccer the boot?

“It’s played like soccer, however, hockey is more physically challenging as it involves both the upper and lower parts of the body.”

So says Alan Temoa, one of the recruits to the Solomon Island national team. In 2015, the Solomon Islands came fourth in the Pacific Games. For a first appearance, the results were the cause for optimism.

This year, both the men’s and women’s teams entered Hockey World League Round 1 – a first for the women’s team.

Now, the Solomon Islands Hockey Federation has launched two hockey leagues, one for adults and one for schools.

With the population spread across the many islands, one venue is the focal point for the leagues – all matches take place at the Ports Authority Sports Ground in Kukum. Nine schools signed up for the inaugural league and it is expected that number will grow each year.

So impressive has the Solomon Island’s engagement with hockey been that the National Association was honoured at the 2016 FIH Congress, where it won the Theo Ykema Award for increasing participation levels among women and at all levels from school and club to international events.

Underlying how far the sport has come in a short while, international player Alan Temoa says: “I love hockey very much and representing the Solomon Islands was a great honour for me indeed."

Joseph Iniga, the SIHF Development Officer, goes further: “There are definitely lots of new talents that we are seeing. With the right training and providing more game time, Solomon Islands can become a powerhouse in hockey in the region.”

Going above and beyond

For the girls and young women living in indigenous communities in northern outreaches of Australia, sport – mainly football – was something the boys did. Not for them the life lessons offered by sport – lessons in team work, problem-solving, winning, losing, competing and making life-long friends.

A new programme however is changing all that. Aspire to be Deadly is a project initiated and run by Cairns Hockey that offers mentoring and opportunities to indigenous populations, particularly in remote regions such as Torres Strait Islands, Cairns and Cape York as well as communities in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The programme aims to link mainstream hockey through a development programme that is educational as well as sporting. Paying all respect to the culture of the local community, the programme has gradually introduced sports activities and competitions to the region providing the youngsters with a chance to participate in healthy activities.

In recognition of its work, Cairns Hockey was shortlisted for the prestigious international 2016 Beyond Sports Awards. While Cairns didn’t win the award, the programme has garnered international recognition and praise for the work it is doing with the indigenous communities.

Among the projects run by Cairns Hockey is an U11 Festival of Sport in the northern town of Karumba, part of the Gulf Savannah Region.

This region is where Cairns Hockey, in partnership with RIHP Hockey, was first invited to develop its programmes and invited by the community to assist in the development of hockey across the region.  There was little enthusiasm for female sport. No facilities, no equipment, no awareness, no resources and certainly no hockey programmes or competitive opportunities.

That has all changed in the past 10 years as Cairns Hockey and the community has found a balance that works. This year, 13 teams from schools in the region, plus two teams from Cairns, contested a three-day competition played on two grass pitches marked between the tee and green of the first hole at Karumba Golf Club.

FIH site



Global Projects 2016: Asia


Read about some of 2016's most inspiring hockey projects in Asia Photo: One Thousand hockey Legs

As part of our series looking at some of the standout Global hockey Projects from 2016, we look at some projects in Asia that have the potential to inspire others in 2017...

With large, teeming cities and rural communities that suffer serious deprivation, introducing a sustainable hockey programme is a huge challenge in many parts of Asia. Here we meet three organisations that are determined to make a difference.

Pakistan seek to regain former glory

Pakistan Hockey is going through a rebuilding process after the men’s team failed to qualify for the Rio Olympics.

Determined to do something to restore the sport to its former place as a national sport, in July, the Pakistan Hockey Federation announced it would be laying 100 mini synthetic turfs in schools and colleges across Pakistan as part of a development programme to strengthen the country’s national game.

PHF Director (Development and Domestic) and Olympian Naveed Alam said that the Federation has already completed the first phase for implementing this project.

“We began the first phase before Ramadan, which has been completed now,” he said. “We had asked the provincial associations to inform all government and private schools about this project, and send the list of schools which have space and are willing to contribute in this project.”

PHF will now begin a survey on the collected data, and narrow down the number of schools and colleges which will be getting mini synthetic turfs.

“The list will be further shortened to 100 on the basis of space as well as whether it is public school or a private one,” said Alam. “However, higher preference will be given to government schools,” he added.

“This whole project is for five years, which includes 500 mini synthetic turfs across the country as well as five-a-side tournaments between the schools and colleges,” said Alam.

“Many incentives will also be provided to players participating in these tournaments, including scholarships,” he added.

Project gathers pace in India

One Thousand Hockey Legs is a project based in India that introduces hockey to school kids.

It's a programme that was started by K Arumugam, the founder of the non-governmental organisation Hockey Citizen Group, with the aim of providing children with an opportunity to understand, play and enjoy hockey.

The programme structure includes forming one or two teams per school, conducting friendly matches between schools, forming a team in each city, participating in state and national level competitions, holding exhibition matches, organising an annual hockey run and mentoring talent for the national team.

The sub-plot of One Thousand Hockey Legs is to help lift disadvantaged children out of poverty and give them an opportunity for a better life.

Explaining in greater depth just what One Thousand Legs hopes to achieve, Arumugam says: “The chief target of the NGO is to bring 500 new kids into hockey in each city in India. The idea is to start and then run hockey teams in at least 25 schools in each city.”

Currently, OTHL is working with teachers in 80 schools across five cities. This target has already been reached in Delhi, and an additional target was met when three young players from Delhi were selected to play in the 2015 Junior National Championships.

“It is an uphill task, but so far, we have introduced about 2,400 children to the sport.” said Arumugam, who received the Hockey India Outstanding Achievement of the Year award in 2014.

The most recent initiative is the new Sunday league which OTHL runs to encourage young people who have dropped out of the formal hockey programme because of academic overload or an inability to make the school teams. This accounts for about 25 per cent of the students who started playing the sport and is an informal and fun way to re-engage with the students.

Hockey scores in villages

Hockey Village India was founded by Andrea Thumshirn in 2010, with the first hockey village, Garh Himmat Singh, opening in Rajasthan. Since then, four more Hockey Villages have opened across India, always in rural areas with high levels of deprivation.

Andrea, who was a German national junior player, outlines what life is like for the children in these areas. “Most of our kids are from poor farmer families. We provide them with everything from shoes, socks, shorts, shirts, sticks, shin pads, track suits. We provide transport, accommodation and food when we go out for matches and tournaments. We even bought three cows to provide milk so the little ones get some proteins. These kids are smaller in size and more skinny than the same age group kids in the cities.”

Through the Hockey Villages, the pupils are given a basic, modern education, including English, mathematics and computing as well as drawing and arts. Then the pupils get sport – hockey - every day.

Andrea explains: “Besides education, we believe in sports, as sports is important for a healthy body, for so many important skills in life like team spirit, motivation, going to our limits and achieving something.”

For more information about hockey in the Asia region, visit the Asian Hockey Federation website by clicking here.

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