News for 08 January 2020
All the news for Wednesday 8 December 2020
FIH Hockey Pro League 2020 edition all set for action
This coming weekend sees the return of the FIH Hockey Pro League, with the second season getting off to a flying start as inaugural women’s champions the Netherlands begin their title defence with two away games against China.
The opening fixtures, which take place at the Wujin Hockey Stadium in Changzhou on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 January, are the first of 144 matches that will be contested between January and June 2020, with the world’s finest men’s and women’s international teams fighting for the chance to win the respective titles.
The first edition of this trailblazing competition took place in 2019 and featured some fantastic hockey moments, with home fans embracing the opportunity to witness their national teams testing themselves against the world’s best on home soil.
The 2020 edition is set to be equally significant. Twenty venues in 11 countries will host FIH Hockey Pro League matches this year, providing a global spread of world-class hockey across multiple time-zones over the next six months. The fact that 16 of the 18 competing teams will also feature at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 adds even more spice to an event that is, as 2019 proved, rarely short of excitement. All of the competing teams will be acutely aware that a strong showing in the FIH Hockey Pro League would provide a significant boost to confidence levels going into the XXXII Olympiad.
Reflecting on last year’s inaugural edition, FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra said that the event had “allowed the sport of hockey to showcase itself like never before”, as growing stadium, broadcast and live streaming audiences were entertained on a weekly basis by shock results, sensational team performances and extraordinary individual achievements. However, despite being understandably delighted with many aspects of the first edition, Dr Batra believes that the learnings from season one will make for an even better second edition.
“It is not in our nature to maintain the status quo by simply standing still”, said the FIH President. “The 2020 edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League sees the introduction of a new match schedule, splitting home and away matches over two consecutive seasons to create a series of ‘double headers’ throughout the competition. This is an important move in terms of player welfare and sustainability, significantly reducing travel fatigue and environmental impact by cutting the number of flights by half, which in turn substantially lowers travel and accommodation costs for the competing teams.”
Another change from the inaugural edition is the removal of the end-of-season Grand Final event, with the respective men’s and women’s champions of 2020 being the teams that have accumulated the highest number of points by the end of the competition.
The FIH Hockey Pro League welcomes another powerhouse of international hockey to the competition this year, with India men (FIH World Ranking: 5) joining the fold. The eight-times Olympic champions will play their home matches at the iconic Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, the 15,000-capacity venue that so wonderfully staged the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2018. India will be keen to impress in a competition that features the nine top ranked teams in the world, with Pro League title holders and Oceania champions Australia (WR:1), World and European champions Belgium (2), Olympic champions Argentina (WR:4), the Netherlands (WR:3), Germany (WR: 6), Great Britain (WR:7), Spain (WR:8) and New Zealand (WR:9) all involved.
It comes as little surprise that the Netherlands (WR:1), the reigning World, European and FIH Hockey Pro League champions, are seen very much as the team to beat in the women’s competition. However, they are certain to be pushed all the way by the eight other teams who are determined to wrestle the trophy from their grasp. 2019 Pro League silver medallists Australia (WR:2) – the only team to defeat the Netherlands in the inaugural edition – could well be the team most likely, while Pan American Games champions Argentina (WR:3), European silver medallists Germany (WR:4), Olympic champions Great Britain (WR:5), Oceania champions New Zealand (WR:6), China (WR:10), Belgium (WR:12) and USA (WR:13) will all be looking to make their mark.
To find out how you can watch the action, please visit our broadcast page by clicking here. In territories where broadcast rights agreements are not in place, fans can watch live match action from the FIH Hockey Pro League via the FIH.live global broadcast platform. To visit FIH.live, click here.
To see the confirmed match schedule for the FIH Hockey Pro League, which includes links to ticket sites for each of the matches, please click here. For information about how to purchase tickets for the FIH Hockey Pro League matches, please click here.
Additional information about this FIH Hockey Pro League opener between China and the Netherlands can be found below. You can follow all the action as it unfolds via our live reporting service on the FIH website.
China v Netherlands (W)
Where: Wujin Hockey Stadium, Changzhou (CHN)
When: 11 & 12 January 2020, Both matches at 14:00 local time (GMT/UTC+8)
The essentials…
Current FIH World Rankings: China: 10 | Netherlands: 1
Final standings - FIH Hockey Pro League 2019: China: 7 | Netherlands: 1
Previous FIH Hockey Pro League meetings
3 March 2019: China 1-2 Netherlands– Wujin Hockey Stadium, Changzhou (CHN)
Scorers: CHN – Guo Qiu. NED – Lauren Stam, Freeke Moes.
10 April 2019: Netherlands 6-0 China– SV Kampong, Utrecht (NED).
Scorers: NED – Caia van Maasakker (3), Frederique Matla, Xan de Waard, Marijn Veen.
Head-to-heads in all competitions (since 2013 – 11 matches)
Wins: China 0 | Netherlands 11
Goals scored: China 3 | Netherlands 37
Match pages (squads & officials – available 48 hours before each match)
Match 1: click here.
Match 2: click here.
Team pages (squads & statistics)
China: click here.
Netherlands: click here.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Hockey Pro League via the event website and through FIH social media channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
#FIHProLeague
Official FIH Pro League Site
All US FIH Hockey Pro League Games to be Played in Chapel Hill, N.C.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The countdown is on until the second season of the FIH Hockey Pro League!
Extensive planning and preparation has gone into the second edition of the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) home-and-away league as some of the world’s best teams are set to play from January to June. With the ever growing demand to bring more visibility to the sport in the United States, USA Field Hockey has worked with the FIH to make sure all contractual obligations were met for the 2020 season.
Following evaluations of broadcast requirements and certification of the field and lights, it has been announced that all of the U.S. Women’s National Team FIH Hockey Pro League games will be played at Karen Shelton Stadium on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The state-of-the-art facility in Shelton Stadium meets all requirements and boosts the opportunity to play four double-header weekends of competition. The FIH required that for 2020 teams were to play all matches at one venue only. The combination of broadcast and venue requirements, along with the need to play one set of games in January led to the University of North Carolina being the right fit for the 2020 FIH Hockey Pro League matches.
“The 2020 FIH Hockey Pro League provides an opportunity for the U.S. Women’s National Team to develop by competing against the top teams in the world,” said Simon Hoskins, USA Field Hockey’s Executive Director. “The regular scheduled competition offered by the FIH Hockey Pro League allows both the athletes and coaches to meet international competition all while growing visibility for the sport. We are very grateful to the University of North Carolina for hosting Team USA.”
New in August 2018, the state-of-the-art facility includes chair-back-seating for 900 fans, with additional standing-room space for a total capacity of 1,000. The playing area includes a massive video board, European-soccer inspired benches and a three-level press box. The Polytan field is top-of-the-line and is a rarity among collegiate fields in being FIH-certified, attesting that it meets the high standards required for international competition. The accompanying team building provides more than 10,000 square feet of space and includes home and visitor locker rooms, a team meeting room/theater, coaches’ office, sports medicine room and an area for team meals and functions.
Although it is set that all 2020 FIH Hockey Pro League games will be played in Chapel Hill, N.C., the long-term ambition is for the team to travel to more venues throughout the season to allow regional exposure to the League and sport in the United States.
Tickets for the 2020 FIH Hockey Pro League season will go on sale on Thursday, January 9.
#FIHProLeague
#MyProLeagueMoment
USFHA media release
SPAR South Africa to take on Poland
Looking back at the 2019 calendar year the SPAR South African Indoor Hockey management team will be delighted. The year started off with the historic series victory in Switzerland and ended with captain Cindy Hack’s 100th game in front of a capacity crowd in Cape Town. They played a record breaking 28 test matches in the year, winning 22 and drawing three. Instead of sitting back, they are at it straight away in 2020 as they headed to Poland today for a five-match series.
Poland are currently ranked 6th in the world indoor hockey rankings and will be using this series to prepare for the 24-26th January where they will be competing in the EuroHockey Indoor Championship II in Croatia. Maciej Wrzesinski, the head coach of Poland, has used the opportunity to give debuts to several younger players and inspirational skipper Marlena Rybacha is unavailable for the series. They do however have Dominika Nowicka and Amelia Katerla in their ranks, both players having played more than 50 times for their country.
For SPAR South Africa, their remarkable run of form since the disappointment of the 2017 African Indoor Hockey Cup has been nothing short of remarkable. In that time the South Africans have gone to Croatia and won the Croatian Cup, beaten Namibia, Zimbabwe, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Ireland in test series. They have scored 276 goals in that time conceding only 62. Their programme that has been superbly supported by SPAR has led to the Africans showing the world just how good they are and exposing a host players to the pressures of Indoor Hockey.
In the South African ranks the experience is no longer limited to Jessica O’Connor (98 tests caps) and Cindy Hack (100 test caps). Kara Botes, a current dual international, and Amy Greaves have more than 50 caps, while the likes of Jamie Southgate, Cheree Greyvenstein, Zimi Shange and Robyn Johnson all have more than 30 games for the national team. Despite the plethora of experience in the squad, the average age of the squad though remains 25.09 remarkably.
The series against will also see Lennie Botha lead the SPAR South Africa women for the 100th time, a remarkable achievement and the first for an African Indoor Hockey coach. Lennie also previously coached the SA Indoor Hockey Men for just more than 20 games so stands as one o the most experienced coaches in International Indoor Hockey.
There will be daily updates on SAhockey.co.za, but the series is not being streamed.
SPAR South Africa vs. Poland Indoor Hockey Series
1st Test – 9 January – 19:00
2nd Test – 10 January – 11:00
3rd Test – 10 January – 19:00
4th Test – 11 January – 18:00
5th Test – 12 January – 15:00
SA Hockey Association media release
Pakistan men's senior hockey team to participate in only two international events in 2020
PHOTO: AFP
Pakistan men’s senior hockey team will participate in only two international events in the 2020, according to the recently published schedule by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).
The two international tours include playing in the 29th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in from April 11-18 in Malaysia, while the second event will take place from November 17-27 in Bangladesh namely Men’s Asian Champions Trophy.
Pakistani men’s team was unable to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, hence they will not be a part of the contingent travelling to the city.
Meanwhile, Pakistan women’s junior team will be travelling to Japan in April to participate in the Women’s Junior Asia Cup.
Men’s Junior Asia Cup will see Pakistan men’s junior team’s participation in June.
The PHF also published the domestic schedule which announces the dates of the National Women’s Championship (August-September), National Junior Hockey Championship (September 5-16) and National Senior Championship (September 20-30).
The interesting addition to the domestic schedule in the inaugural Pakistan Hockey Super League, which was supposed to be held in 2019.
The Express Tribune
India Hockey offered double profits to get 2023 World Cup
By Shahbaz M
Men’s World Cup is off to India once again PIC: WORLD SPORT PICS
India’s promise to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) of generating two times more revenue than their closest bid rival ensured they got the hosting rights for the 2023 World Cup.
The FIH’s decision to host back-to-back Hockey World Cups in India has received flak from several quarters, particularly from Belgium who too were in contention. However, The Hockey Paper has learnt that India has offered more than double profits than the world champions, who had an otherwise strong bid.
While Hockey India has promised the FIH 3.5 million Swiss Francs (approximately £2.7 million) as ‘guaranteed profit’ from the event, Belgium could assure only 1 million Swiss Franc. Malaysia, the third country in fray, did not make any financial promise but said they would provide free transportation to the participating nations, according to those in the know.
For FIH, who have been enduring a financially turbulent period, India’s offer was too hard to refuse even though they entered the race at the last minute. “The income-generation potential of each bid has played an important role in the decision,” FIH chief Thierry Weil had said in a statement.
A senior Hockey India official confirmed profits guaranteed to the FIH, saying it would be raised via sponsorships.
The official added the amount is a fraction of the budget for the tournament, which has not yet been officially revealed. The Odisha government had pumped in close to £45 million to host the 2018 edition.
An FIH spokesperson said the amount cited as ‘guaranteed profit’ is instead ‘hosting fees’ and added ‘those are not public.’
The world body has been criticized for not doing enough to spread the game after countries like Australia, Spain and Germany reportedly pulled out of the race following India’s multi-million pound bid.
The FIH, however, argued to grow the sport, it was imperative to make investments. “The primary mission of any International Federation is to grow the sport worldwide.
This of course requires to make investments. Therefore, financials do matter indeed, and not only for hockey. A World Cup usually is a major driver to generate income,” the spokesperson said.
India are likely spend millions more after it was announced in the last week of November that the 2023 edition will be held in two cities in the eastern state of Odisha.
Apart from Bhubaneswar, who hosted all matches in 2018, Hockey India has added Rourkela as the second venue.
Rourkela is a hockey hub but has never hosted a national or international tournament in any sport.
Conducting the World Cup matches there, however, could prove to be a logistical nightmare for the teams as the two cities are almost 350km apart and at the moment, the only option to travel from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela is by road.
There are talks to upgrade the airport, currently used only by VIPs, and introduce commercial flights between the two cities by 2021.
The Odisha government is also likely to refurbish the 25,000-seater Biju Patnaik Stadium. However, the biggest challenge would be accommodation, given the teams have faced health and hygiene issues in Bhubaneswar in the past.
This article first appeared in our December print issue. Be first with the news!
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The Hockey Paper
Indoor Hockey Festival – results
The medallists for the Open Division of the Australian Indoor Hockey Festival have been decided. Get all the latest results from the festival here.
After three days of competition, the Men’s and Women’s Open Division threw up some thrilling finales.
Men’s Open Competition
In the Men’s gold medal match, New South Wales prevailed in a scintillating encounter against the Australian Capital Territory. The Final went to a penalty shootout after scores were locked 7-7 at full time.
Remarkably, former Kookaburra Scott Govers looked to have scored the winner for NSW when he converted a penalty corner in the final minute, only for another former Kookaburra, Glenn Turner to equalise and secure his hat-trick with the last touch of the game after a phenomenal last gasp interception by Jake Staines.
NSW managed to hold their nerve to win the shootout 2-1 to be crowned champions and end the tournament undefeated. Click here to watch a full replay of the match.
The bronze medal match between Queensland and Victoria was also closely contested. A first quarter brace from Matthew Agent and a last quarter double from Jared Taylor gave the Queenslanders a 4-2 victory, Taylor’s second goal in the final minute sealing the result after Victorian captain Jake Sherren had netted both of his side’s goals to set up an exciting climax. Click here to watch a full replay of the match.
Women’s Open Competition
New South Wales Blue and Western Australia played out a seven goal thriller in the Women’s gold medal match, with the team in blue securing a 4-3 win.
Amazingly, six of the seven goals came in the final ten minutes after WA captain Lauren Austin opened the scoring with the first of her three goals in the 22nd minute. Kiarra Marsh drew NSW Blue level on the half hour mark before Austin replied with her second a minute later to regain WA’s advantage. But Emma Corcoran and then Litiana Field both struck to put NSW Blue in front, Marsh scoring her second in the final minute to effectively seal the result despite Austin completing her impressive hat-trick in the dying seconds. Click here to watch a full replay of the match.
New South Wales secured the bronze medal with a 4-1 triumph over Victoria. Amelia Leard, Emma McLeish both got on the scoresheet for the winners while Caitlin Burns scored a brace. Jessica Brennan scored Victoria’s solitary goal in a gallant performance against a NSW side that went unbeaten in the pool matches and only lost their semi final to NSW Blue 5-4 on penalties in a pulsating contest. Click here to watch a full replay of the bronze medal match.
All of the Men’s and Women’s Open matches were streamed LIVE on the Hockey Australia YouTube channel.
The Under 21 competition begins tomorrow (9 January 2020). The festival is proudly supported by Destination NSW and Destination Wollongong.
Men’s Open Division
Gold Medal – NSW
Silver Medal – ACT
Bronze Medal – Queensland
Women’s Open Division
Gold Medal – NSW Blue
Silver Medal – WA
Bronze Medal – NSW
Australian Indoor Hockey Festival 2020
4-26 January 2020
Illawarra Hockey Centre, Wollongong NSW
Open Men’s Competition (4-7 January 2020)
Teams – ACT, NSW, NSW B, QLD, VIC, WA
Click here for fixtures, results and standings
Open Women’s Competition (4-7 January 2020)
Teams – ACT, NSW, NSW B, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC, WA
Click here for fixtures, results and standings
U21 Men’s Competition (9-12 January 2020)
Teams – ACT, NSW, NSW B, QLD, VIC, WA
Click here for fixtures, results and standings
U21 Women’s Competition (9-12 January 2020)
Teams – ACT, NSW, NSW B, QLD, VIC, WA
Click here for fixtures, results and standings
U18 Men’s Competition (13-16 January 2020)
Teams – ACT, NSW 1, NSW 2, TAS, VIC, WA
Click here for fixtures, results and standings
U18 Women’s Competition (13-16 January 2020)
Teams – ACT, NSW 1, NSW 2, TAS, VIC, WA
Click here for fixtures, results and standings
U13 Boys Competition (18-21 January 2020)
Teams – ACT, NSW Lions, NSW Stars, QLD Shots, QLD Spurs, VIC
Click here for fixtures, results and standings
U13 Girls Competition (18-21 January 2020)
Teams – ACT, QLD Fire, QLD Flare, NSW Lions, NSW Stars, VIC
Click here for fixtures, results and standings
U15 Boys Competition (22-26 January 2020)
Teams – ACT, NSW, NSW B, QLD G, QLD M, TAS, VIC, WA
Click here for fixtures, results and standings
U15 Girls Competition (22-26 January 2020)
Teams – ACT, NSW, NSW B, QLD G, QLD M, TAS, VIC, WA
Click here for fixtures, results and standings
Hockey Australia media release
QPCC, Ventures target Ventures' repeats
by Nigel Simon
Kaitlyn Olton of Magnolias collects her ‘Most Goals’ in the women's Division receives her award from Jamaican Olympian Grace Jackson, Director of Sport at UWI St Augustine Campus at the end of the University’s Third annual Invitational Indoor Hockey Tournament which concluded on Sunday at UWI SPEC, St Augustine. SIS beat Magnolias 3-1 in the final.
Red hot Queen's Park Cricket Club men will be targeting a third straight title and successful defence of yet another crown when they compete in the 17th annual Invitational Indoor Hockey tournament to be hosted by Ventures Hockey Club at UWI SPEC, St Augustine, from Thursday to Sunday.
In November 2018, the Parkites, won the Diamond Mineral Water International Indoor Hockey Festival at the Cliff Anderson Indoor Sports Hall, Georgetown, Guyana followed by their triumph at the second UWI Indoor Hockey Tournament and the Ventures Invitational, both early last year.
And last November, the Parkites repeated as champions in Guyana and last weekend also registered a second straight lien on the UWI title to set up a chance of sweeping the three titles on the trot for yet another season.
But this weekend's bid for the Ventures' men's crown will be a tougher one for the Parkites to accomplish as they will be without UWI tournament hero, Evan Farrell, scorer of a treble in their come-from-behind finals win over Defence Force (4-3), who left earlier this week for a six-months studying sting in England.
The Parkites and Defence Force will renew their rivalry in the group stage along with Notre Dame while Police, Fatima, Malvern and Paragon will compete in the other pool at the end of which the top two teams will advance to crossover semifinals on Sunday.
The women's Open competition is expected to be wide open with host and defending champions Ventures coming up against Paragon and UWI in round-robin play while Malvern, Magnolias and the visiting Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) of Guyana do battle in the other.
And in the veterans, QPCC is also the reigning champions and will put their title on the line against Notre Dame, Shape, Police, GCC and Fatima.
Pools & Fixtures
Women's Open Division
Pool A: Ventures, Paragon, UWI
Pool B: Malvern, Magnolias, Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC)
Men's Open Division
Pool A: Police, Fatima, Malvern, Paragon
Pool B: Queen's Park Cricket Club (QPCC), Defence Force, Notre Dame
Veterans Division
Pool A: QPCC, Notre Dame, Shape
Pool B: Fatima, Police, GCC
The Trinidad Guardian
ABN AMRO U14 EHL Boys and Girls Line-up almost complete for Easter 2020
The entrants from the ABNAMRO U14 EHL Boys event last season and, above, from the girls event in Amsterdam
The line-up for the ABN AMRO U14 EHL is taking shape with the majority of places confirmed for the boys and girls competition at Easter 2020.
Each country ranked in the top six places on EHL ranking list was allowed to nominate their representative by a means of their choosing. For the first time, countries were allowed to open up entry to clubs whose adult team is not taking part in the current season of the EHL.
For the EHL U14 Boys, SV Kampong won a three-team playoff against HC Bloemendaal and HGC to become the Dutch representatives.
They are joined in the competition by Harvestehuder THC who got the German ticket by virtue of winning their Under-14 competition at the end of October.
Belgium’s place was decided by who finished top of their Under-14 competition after the first round in November, meaning Royal Leopold will line out in Amsterdam.
England and France will be represented by their national champion from last season with Surbiton and Lille MHC, respectively, taking up their spots.
The Spanish side will be taken up by the winner of their 2020 Under-14 championship held at the end of the January.
For EHL U14 Girls, HC ‘s-Hertogenbosch won the Dutch play-off game against AH&BC Amsterdam.
Germany’s HTC Uhlenhorst Mülheim were nominated due to their success at their finals at the end of October.
Surbiton complete a full-house for the club as the English girls, joining their boys side as well as their adult men and women, making for a serious party for the London club.
From Ireland, Dromore won a four-team playoff between the winners of last year’s regional champions, succeeding in a competition that featured Munster’s Catholic Institute, Leinster’s Corinthian and Connacht’s Greenfields.
HC Minsk will travel with their adult women’s team as the Belarus representative.
The Spanish Under-14 championship winners will be determined at the end of January.
Euro Hockey League media release
NST sportwriter Jugjet to join probe into hockey failures
The national hockey team failed to qualify for the 2020 Olympics
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) have appointed NST sportwriter Jugjet Singh to join a panel to conduct a post-mortem into the failures of the national men’s and women’s teams to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
The decision to conduct a thorough investigation into the debacle was made at the MHC executive council meeting on Dec 14.
The post-mortem, to be held on Jan 14-15 at the National Sports Institute, will allow MHC to make strategic plans for the 2022 Asia and World Cups as well as the 2024 Olympic Games.
New Straits Times
Carl Ward
England Hockey were saddened to learn that Carl Ward had passed away in November 2019 at the age of 73.
Carl was the All England Women’s Hockey Association Director of Coaching from 1989-1997, prior to that he was a Regional Coach for The Hockey Association in the West of England. Carl was heavily involved in developing coach education schemes at a national level during this period.
Carl was a great exponent of the indoor game and won 62 caps for England indoors between 1975 and 1984. He also played for and coached Firebrands at many Indoor Finals’ Nights in the 1980s where they were twice runners-up. Outdoors he played for Firebrands, Somerset and the West and coached the club to the Sun Life West league title and into the National League in 1990.
His Funeral Service will be held at Westerleigh Crematorium, Westerleigh, Bristol BS37 8RF, in the Waterside Chapel at 1.15pm on Friday 10th January 2020 and afterwards at Courtyard Health and Fitness Ltd, 12 Parsonage Street, Dursley GL11 4EA. Donations in lieu of flowers to Cancer Research UK (Children and Young People) may be sent c/o Dursley Funeral Directors, 35eParsonage Street, Dursley GL11 4BP.
England Hockey Board Media release