News for 03 March 2020
All the news for Tuesday 3 March 2020
Azlan Shah Cup postponed to Sept
By Jugjet Singh
THE Azlan Shah Cup became the latest Covid-19 sporting casualty yesterday.
The tournament was supposed to be held in Ipoh on April 11-18 but has been postponed to Sept 24 to Oct 3.
Organising chairman Datuk Rahim Ariff, in a statement yesterday, said the decision has been conveyed to the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF), the International Hockey Confederation (FIH), the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHF) and competing teams.
“The health and the well-being of all teams, especially those competing in the Olympics (Canada, Australia and Japan), were taken into consideration,” read the statement.
The national team, however, had started their preparations hours before the statement was issued yesterday.
The teams who were supposed to compete in Ipoh were World No 2 Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Pakistan and Malaysia.
The national trainees reported to coach Roelant Oltmans in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
Among those not in the team are seasoned players Saari brothers, Faizal and Fitri, Shukri Mutalib, Nabil Fikri Noor and Joel van Huizen.
The Saari brothers said they will not play for the national team as long as Oltmans was in charge.
“It’s their choice, and it would have been nicer if they had said that before they were dropped,” said Oltmans.
New Straits Times
No go for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup next month
KUALA LUMPUR: The 29th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh from April 11-18 has been postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Organising committee chairman Datuk Abdul Rahim Mohd Ariff said they have rescheduled the tournament from Sept 24 to Oct 3.
“We did this in the best interests of the players and officials as the Covid-19 is still spreading in South Korea and Japan, ” said Rahim.
“The health and well-being of the teams especially those from Australia, Canada and Japan should be taken into consideration as we don’t want to jeopardise their preparations for the Tokyo Olympics.
All three teams have qualified for the Games from July 24-Aug 9.
“The decision to postpone the tournament to September has been conveyed to the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Asian Hockey Federation (AHF), Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) and all participating teams, ” he added.
The Star of Malaysia
Coronavirus fears delay Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament
LAHORE: Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament has been postponed due to coronavirus fears — a disease that has taken over 3,000 lives across the globe — the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) confirmed on Monday.
The tournament was scheduled to begin from April 11 in Ipoh, Malaysia but is now expected to be staged from September 11 to October 3. The administration has delayed the event as a precautionary measure, keeping in mind the players’ health. After the COVD-19 outbreak, major sporting events across the world have been affected.
It was expected that the PHF would announce its team for the upcoming tournament yesterday, whereas their camp was scheduled to start on March 5.
“Consideration and serious thought is being given to planning out new activities for the hockey team,” said the team’s head coach Khawaja Junaid.
The novel coronavirus has affected many sporting events, including the Italian Serie A, World Athletics Indoor Championships, Cycling’s UAE tour and World Rugby Sevens Series among others.
The Daily Times
Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament postponed due to coronavirus
The Azlan Shah Cup, which was scheduled to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from April 11 to 18, will now be held from September 24 to October 3.
The Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, on Monday, became the latest sporting event to be affected by the novel coronavirus outbreak, pushed from April to September in the wake of the deadly disease, which is spreading across the world.
The tournament, which was scheduled to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from April 11 to 18, will now be held from September 24 to October 3, the organisers said in a statement. India, a regular, has pulled out of tournament due to its participation in FIH Pro League.
"It is in the best interest of the players, officials and all parties involved that the 29th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Men’s Hockey Tournament 2020 is postponed,” organising committee chairman Dato’ Haji Abd Rahim Bin Md said in a statement.
“The outbreak of COVID-19 which is spreading rapidly in Korea and Japan. The health and well-being of the teams, especially Australia, Canada and Japan should be taken into consideration as not to jeopardise their preparation for the Tokyo Olympics,” he added.
The Organising Committee apologised for the inconvenience but said the decision was taken keeping in mind the current crisis across the world.
“The decision has been conveyed to FIH (International Hockey Federation), AHF (Asian Hockey Federation), MHC (Malaysia Hockey Confederation) and the participating teams,” the statement further read.
The Azlan Shah Cup is the latest sporting event to be hit by the deadly coronavirus, which has claimed more than 3,000 lives and infected 86,000 people across the world.
Formula One’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on April 19, Asian Boxing Qualifiers, The World Table Tennis Championships, due to be held in South Korea from March 22-29 March, Singapore and Hong Kong events in the World Rugby Sevens Series are some of the global sporting events which have been postponed or shifted due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Azlan Shah Cup is an annual men’s international invitational field hockey tournament.
The participating teams in this edition’s tournament were Australia, Canada, Japan, host Malaysia, Pakistan and South Korea.
Australia has won the title 10 times, followed by India, with four, and Pakistan.
South Korea is the defending champion after it beat India in the shoot-out in the summit clash last year.
Sportstar
India men achieve all-time high in FIH World Rankings
Lausanne, Switzerland: It has now been two full months since the International Hockey Federation (FIH) introduced its new match-based model for the calculation of the FIH World Rankings, and February saw various movers and shakers amongst the teams competing in the FIH Hockey Pro League.
The Netherlands have retained their position at the top of the women’s FIH World Rankings, but there been some changes beneath them, most notably from the only team to have beaten them so far in this season’s FIH Hockey Pro League. Argentina’s impressive 2-0 triumph over the reigning World, European and Pro League champions in Buenos Aires helped them rise up to second in the rankings. However, the results of their double-header against New Zealand at the weekend, where Las Leonas claimed just two points from a possible six, has seen Argentina fall back to third position, with Australia returning to second place in the rankings.
Germany and England occupy the fourth and fifth positions respectively, while New Zealand – who currently sit second in the FIH Hockey Pro League – have climbed from seventh to sixth place, moving ahead of Spain after claiming a draw and a win against Argentina at the weekend.
In the men’s FIH World Rankings, Belgium – who in January defeated Australia in Sydney to wrestle top spot from their opponents – remain in pole position, with the Kookaburras (2) and the Netherlands (3) also holding their positions in the top three. The headline story comes from the national team of India, whose excellent form in the FIH Hockey Pro League has seen them move from fifth to fourth position, their highest placement since the creation of the FIH World Rankings in 2003. India’s ascension comes at the expense of Olympic champions Argentina, who are now in fifth place.
Germany and England remain in sixth and seventh position, while New Zealand – who have earned two wins in their last three FIH Hockey Pro League matches – have regained eighth place after briefly dropping beneath Spain to ninth in February.
The new model for calculating the FIH World Rankings was introduced on 1st January 2020, moving away from the previous tournament-based rankings system to a dynamic, match-based model where opposing teams exchange points in official, FIH sanctioned games. The number of points exchanged depends on the result of the match, the relative ranking of the teams and the importance of the match.
FIH World Rankings: The new model explained
- Based on the Elo rating system, which is used as the basis of many other sports ranking systems
- When two nations play against each other, a number of ranking points are exchanged between them
- In every match, the number of points gained by one team is exactly matched by the number of points lost by the other
- Teams will win more points for beating teams ranked above them, and therefore teams will lose more points for losing to a team ranked below them
- Teams will win less points for beating teams ranked below them, and therefore teams will lose less points for losing to a team ranked above them
- If a draw occurs, the lower ranked team will gain a small number of points and the higher ranked team will lose the same number of points
- The number of points exchanged is dependent on the result of the match (win, lose, shootout win/loss or draw), the importance of the match (part of a major tournament, or a test series for example), and the relative difference in ranking points between the teams before the match
For complete information about the new match-based FIH World Rankings system and to see the latest Rankings , please click here.
To see our frequently asked questions information document, click here.
FIH site
Indian men’s hockey team achieves all-time highest ranking
India’s rise comes at the expense of Olympic champion Argentina, which dropped to the fifth place. - PTI
The Indian men’s hockey team achieved its all-time highest ranking when it climbed up a place to fourth in the recently released FIH world rankings.
India’s excellent form in the first three rounds of the second edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League has seen the team move up a place from fifth in the rankings, a system that was introduced in 2003.
India’s rise comes at the expense of Olympic champion Argentina, which dropped to the fifth place.
World champion Belgium — which in January defeated Australia in Sydney to wrestle top spot from its opponent — remains in pole position, with the Kookaburras (2nd) and the Netherlands (3rd) also holding their positions in the top three.
Germany and England remain in sixth and seventh position, respectively, while New Zealand, which has earned two wins in its last three FIH Hockey Pro League matches, is static at eighth place after briefly dropping below Spain to ninth last month.
In the women’s list, India occupies the ninth spot. The Netherlands is at the top followed by Australia, Argentina, Germany and England.
The new model for calculating the FIH world rankings was introduced on January 1 2020, moving away from the previous tournament-based rankings system to a dynamic, match-based model where opposing teams exchange points in official, FIH sanctioned games.
The number of points exchanged depends on the result of the match, the relative ranking of the teams and the importance of the match.
Sportstar
Zidane is tough as Ironman
By Jugjet Singh
Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Abdul Jalil has earned 299 international caps. NSTP FILE PIC
KUALA LUMPUR: Ironman Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil checked in for national training today, even though his doctor told him his cracked jaw will need another three months to heal.
He picked up the injury on Jan 12, when HockAdemy’s Pakistan import Ali Rizwan made a dangerous clearance.
The Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) forward was declared out for the rest of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) season.
However, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, also known as Zidane, picked himself up and played for UniKL two weeks later, even scoring goals to help his team win a treble.
“My jaw has yet to fully recover. The doctor has advised me to rest for three months. But since I have received a national call-up, I am here for training,” said Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin today.
The player with 299 caps, who turned 34 on Jan 5, will hit a milestone 300 if he earns another cap.
He has been with the national team for 13 years. His last outing was the 9-3 aggregate defeat to Britain in the two-leg Olympic qualifier in London last year.
Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin played with a rugby head-gear in the MHL, and just to show that his broken jaw is not a bother, he scored the winner for UniKL in the 2-1 win over Terengganu Hockey Team in the TNB Cup final.
New Straits Times
Tengku Ahmad won’t slow down as he eyes 300th cap
Lend me your ears: National hockey coach Roelant Oltmans instructing his players at a training session in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
KUALA LUMPUR: Age is no barrier when it comes to chasing dreams for national hockey forward Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin Tengku Abdul Jalil.
The 34-year-old, who played for Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL), is on a mission to earn his 300th international cap by featuring in the six-nation Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh from Sept 24-Oct 3.
Tengku Ahmad is the oldest player out of the 34 called up for national training by coach Roelant Oltmans after the MHL season ended.
In the MHL, Tengku Ahmad helped UniKL bag a treble - the Charity Shield, TNB (overall) Cup and the league – even after he broke his jaw when he was hit by a ball in the match against Hockey Academy of Kuala Lumpur on Jan 12.
Although not completely recovered, Tengku Ahmad reported for the first day of national training at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
“It will take three months to fully recover from the injury but I’m all ready to play for Malaysia for the 300th time at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, ” said Tengku Ahmad, who scored eight goals during the league.
“I”m happy that my service is still needed.
“I’m always ready to serve the national team.
“I will be happy if given a chance to play in Ipoh, I’ll fight for my spot.”
“I’m the most senior in the national team but I’m not too eager to wear the armband. What’s important is to play well in all matches for Malaysia, ” he added.
The national team will train for three weeks before nine players will be dropped. The final squad of 18 players will be named after a friendly match against Canada just before the tournament begins in Ipoh.
The Star of Malaysia
Surbiton on the double once again as men and women qualify for Europe next season
Surbiton’s 7-0 victory over Brooklands MU on Saturday clinched top spot in the Men’s Hockey League Premier Division, giving them home advantage in the play-offs and securing their place in Europe for the 2020-21 season.
It makes it a double-return for the London club whose women were confirmed as their national league winners seven days earlier.
Four goals from Luke Taylor plus two from Alan Forsyth and one from Ben Boon helped them secure a comfortable victory – their 14th in the league from 16 matches.
It means they retain the regular season title and they will look to add the playoffs title in due course amid a famous season in which they emerged from the EHL KO16 last October.
Two wins in two days mean that Old Georgians have secured the fourth and final spot in the play-offs, while also confirmed in the top four are Hampstead & Westminster and Wimbledon.
Wimbledon dropped to third in the table after losing out 3-2 at Beeston on Saturday, while Hampstead & Westminster leapfrogged them into second.
Adam Dixon had given Beeston the lead on 11 minutes until Ben Francis levelled for Wimbledon in the 32nd minute. Sam Apoola restored Beeston’s lead a minute later, but Ben Arnold scored on 47 minutes to make it 2-2.
The game appeared to be heading for a draw, until Apoola popped up to score his second and take the win.
Sam French hit a hat-trick for Hampstead & Westminster as they beat the University of Exeter 6-3.
Their other goals came from Josh Kelly, Matt Guise Brown and Will Calnan, while Kiran Patel, Rhys Bradshaw and Charlie Taylor were the visitors’ scorers.
Euro Hockey League media release
Bowdon Hightown's 30-year top-flight stay ends
Altrincham-based side are relegated from the Investec Women's Premier Division for the first time in their history
By Rod Gilmour 
Bowdon Hightown had spent 30 years in the top flight Credit: HOCKEYTODAY.CO.UK
One of English hockey's longest-running records ended at the weekend when Bowdon Hightown were relegated from the Investec Women's Premier Division for the first time in their history.
A 2-0 defeat to University of Birmingham, who have now won three in a row in their bid for survival, not only consigned Bowdon women to the second tier in the 30th anniversary season of the women's national league, but also meant there would be no northern representative in next season's top flight. As they say in hockey circles, the English Premier Division is fast becoming the 'M25 league'.
"We are gutted," said Tina Cullen, Bowdon's long-serving player turned coach. "We were in contention for most games but to concede at one end and not to score at the other you are always going to go down."
Bowdon had the better possession in the first half against Birmingham despite going a goal down. As the minutes ticked by, Bowdon went for the equaliser and Birmingham were awarded a penalty corner in the last second. Lauren Hunt then scored with the last play of the game to confirm Bowdon's plight.
"We didn't get relegated because of Saturday and it's been the story of our season," added Cullen, 50, who joined the club as a 19-year-old when Bowdon joined the inaugural Typhoo National League in 1989.
Indeed, Bowdon's three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player earlier this season had left the Altrincham-based side on the back foot. "It put the pressure on us a bit more but we win together, lose together and the girls' attitude has been excellent. They haven't criticised each other and they kept going until the end."
Rather than revel in relegation, the hockey fraternity rallied round Bowdon. Former player Kate Richardson-Walsh said on Twitter: "They gave me the best foundation in hockey and life. So many brilliant people at the club, I know they’ll be back doing the North-West proud."
Meanwhile, former international Mel Clewlow said: "For me this is a blow to hockey in the north and is another step closer to creating a Premier League centred around the M25."
Cullen praised the support given to the club and admitted that the northern element to Bowdon's relegation was a key factor. "We have produced quite a few players who have gone on to play junior and international level, as well as the Olympics, and we are pretty friendly most of the time," she said.
"But this has been a long time coming, perhaps four or five years. It was hard work to keep going and we knew eventually it would come. It has worked its way up the country, with Sutton Coldfield, Olton, Cannock, Leicester [all being relegated]. We are are the only team now you can't play for and be in the GB programme [due to geography]."
Bowdon have relied on home-grown talent and fielded five Under-17 players on the bench at the weekend. The hope now is to achieve a winning mentality away from the Premier Division for a team which has lost 10 of 16 league games thus far.
"It's a tough environment to learn in but they will be back stronger next season," added Cullen. "We hope to not only bounce back to the Premier Division but also bounce back to winning.
"We could have done things differently, at the end of the day I am the coach and it stops with me. But we need to play the next two games, keep our heads high and give the youngsters some exposure and see how it goes."
Race on for survival
With two matches remaining, five clubs are in a fight to finish outside the second relegation spot. It could not be tighter, with four clubs currently sitting on 17 points and Beeston one point ahead. Whoever finishes in ninth will face a play-off against the winner of Division One North and South.
Meanwhile, Beeston, who sit in fifth place, could even reach the play-offs if they can win their last two matches, though Buckingham realistically need one point to secure the fourth and final play-off berth. Beeston are currently the most northerly side left in the Premier Division and will secure top-flight status if they beat in-form East Grinstead this weekend.
The regional divide in domestic hockey also stretches to the men's game, where Beeston men could also be the most northerly team left in the men's Premier Division if Brooklands Manchester University are relegated.
Play-off home hopes in balance
At the top of the table, East Grinstead women lead the race to join Surbiton and secure a home berth in the play-off semi-finals against Hampstead. Sophie Bray's fine season continued with a hat-trick in a 6-0 thumping of Loughborough Students as she moved past 20 goals for the season.
East Grinstead leapfrogged Hampstead & Westminster into second place after the Londoners lost to rivals Surbiton 3-2 at Paddington Rec. Hannah Martin and Eloise Stenner made it 2-0 within five minutes before Hampstead battled back to level through Fran Tew and Mel Wilkinson. Georgie Twigg then netted the winner in the 52nd minute, with Surbiton now two matches away from another unbeaten season as they chase a seventh successive Championship title.
What's on this weekend: Saturday March 7
Investec Women's Premier Division
Buckingham v Hampstead & Westminster, 12pm
Surbiton v Clifton Robinsons, 12pm
Holcombe v University of Birmingham, 1:30pm
Bowdon v Loughborough Students, 1:45pm
Beeston v East Grinstead, 4pm
The Telegraph
Hockey clubs need to report all injuries and concussion
By The Hockey Paper
Should face masks be introduced in open play? PIC: Garry Bowden/SIPPA
England Hockey respond to questions posed by The Hockey Paper’s readers around safety in our sport
Are concussions on the rise?
The incidence of concussion in elite level hockey is low, estimated to be at 0.2 – 1.5 episodes per 1000 playing hours. This is similar to, if not less than, other comparable contact sports. The rates in hockey are far below those reported in rugby. RFU reported an incidence of 15.8/1000 playing hours in 2015/16. Most concussions in hockey come as a result of a direct collision with another athlete which is an inherent risk in any contact sport; i.e they are not related to stick/ball activity as such.
How do clubs report injuries?
Clubs at all levels can report injuries at englandhockey.co.uk/injurymonitoring, and this is mandatory for all competitions run by England Hockey. We kindly ask all members to please complete the injury monitoring form in as much detail as possible when injuries are sustained. This will allow EH to continue to monitor head and face injuries in the sport and to analyse the data for trends. It is shared with the FIH. This information will empower the England Hockey Board and the FIH to implement changes to the rules when and where the evidence supports it.
Should face masks be introduced in open play?
We adopt the official Rules of Hockey written by the FIH as we have always believed that we should all play the same rules. The current FIH research into head/face injuries has concluded that the drawbacks associated with wearing face masks during general play i.e. a greater risk to players due to the possibility of impaired vision, a danger to their opponents and the so-called “gladiator-effect” whereby players take up positions that are more likely to incur injury due to feeling they are protected, outweigh the risk of injury as a consequence of not wearing a face mask during general play. This is being continually monitored and is a key priority for the FIH Health & Safety Committee.
Am I insured if I’m injured playing hockey?
It depends on whether your club has taken out personal accident cover for its players. This is offered to those clubs that use the EH scheme administered by Howden Group. If your club has not taken out the Howden scheme it would still be possible for them to take out personal accident cover. All schemes are different and provide different levels of cover for different types of injury. All players should be aware of the insurance cover provided by their club and take out their own Personal Accident insurance if required.
What are the rules regarding juniors playing adult hockey?
England Hockey policy is that players must be aged 13 or over to play in adult hockey, i.e. Saturday league hockey. This does not include” badgers” style activity where both teams have a set number of junior and senior players.
This originally featured in a previous Hockey Paper edition. Don’t miss out. Subscribe in print or in digital format.
The Hockey Paper
Leading hockey coach backs reverse stick debate at junior level
By Richard Bright
Another leading coach has added weight to the debate over the dangers in junior hockey as calls grow for a summit to discuss the reverse stick rule.
Former GB coach Jon Royce says that ‘mismatches’ in skill at junior level becoming too dangerous for the modern game.
It follows GB Olympian John Shaw’s comments to THP that the reverse stick was effectively a ‘coconut shy’ for the next fatality in the sport.
“The problem on a junior pitch particularly is that you have players of vastly different standards,” said Royce, a coach at Brighton and Hove HC.
“The reverse stick [rule] came in without any feeling for the consequences in the sport. Everyone has to go to work on Monday morning. No one wants to go to hospital. It’s just plain dangerous.”
Shaw’s concerns at grass roots level are such that he believes the only way to stem danger would be for coaches to air their views with England Hockey.
The national governing body told THP that it would be open to a meeting, but it stressed the need for clubs to report all injuries to its monitoring service first.
A statement said: “With the best possible information over a sustained period of time, we can then engage in informed conversations around safety in the sport, and make informed decisions.”
Calls to look into the reverse stick seem plausible given that the rule – unlike the penalty corner – has never been looked into properly by the FIH.
Royce added: “Why did hockey introduce the backhand hit? I can only guess it was to increase the goals scored and make the game more understandable and accessible to play on the forehand and backhand.”
You can read the full coverage in the latest edition of The Hockey Paper, via a digital subscription
This originally featured in our latest Hockey Paper edition. Don’t miss out. Subscribe in print or in digital format.
The Hockey Paper
Hockey Wales Men’s Club Championship: Weekend 2
The second match in the new format Hockey Wales Men’s Club Championship competition took place on Sunday with Whitchurch playing Swansea at the National Hockey Centre, Cardiff.
Whitchurch opened the scoring in the second minute with a goal, from open play, for Michael Venn.
Attacking moves, at both ends of the park, were well defended, but in the 58' of the 60-minute match, Swansea equalised with Ben Hancox scoring from a Penalty Corner.
With the final score 1 – 1 it will be all to play for in the third and final round robin match when Penarth play Whitchurch at the National Hockey Centre on 28th March.
The winner of the pool will play Cardiff & Met, our highest ranked England Hockey (National) League team, in the Hockey Wales Club Championship Final on the weekend of 2/3 May 2020.
Hockey Wales media release
Thompson sisters fire Paragon to indoor final
by Nigel Simon
Thompson sisters, Kristin and Gabrielle combined for all three goals to lead Paragon to a 3-1 come-from-behind win over Malvern in their women's Open Division semifinal of 2020 T&T Hockey Board Indoor Championship at the Woodbrook Youth Facility, Woodbrook, on Sunday.
The Malvernites took a shock seventh-minute lead through Kherdine Gonzales which they held until the 18th minute when national forward Kristin drew Paragon level.
Nine minutes later, Kristin handed her team the lead for the first time and a minute before the end of the 40-minutes encounter, her younger sibling Gabrielle added a third item to set up the title match on Sunday against Magnolias, who were awarded a 5-0 win by default over last year's winners Ventures in the other semis.
A day earlier, the Boys Under-19 age-group finalists were also decided with Fatima and Paragon booking their championship showdown contrasting fashion.
Fatima secured a spot in the boy's decider after edging past Malvern 3-2 on sudden-death penalty stroke shoot-out while Paragon trashed Queen's Park Cricket Club 5-0.
The men's Open Division, Trinity men and women and mixed Veterans semifinals will take place on Saturday, March 7, along with the women's Open bronze medal match ahead of Sunday's finals in all six divisions.
RESULTS
On Sunday
Open Men:
QPCC 5 (Aidan De Gannes 14th, 17th, Marcus Pascal 16th, 28th, Shawn Lee Quay 22nd) vs Paragon 3 (Kelon Skerritt 7th, Joel Daniel 20th, David Coker 33rd)
Open Women semifinals
Paragon 3 (Kristin Thompson 18th, 27th, Gabrielle Thompson 39th) vs Malvern 1 (Kherdine Gonzales 7th)
Magnolias 5 vs Ventures 0 - by default
Mixed Veterans
Police 7 (Roger Daniel 4th, 7th, 38th, Antonio Quashie 5th, Kerwyn Hume 14th, Suzette Pierre 15th, Lorna Cooper 23rd) vs Malvern 4 (Anthony Marcano 16th, 26th, Marlon Jackson 29th, Korry Barnett 34th)
Defence Force 12 (Anthony Morales 2nd, 10th, 22nd, 34th, 39th, Aaron Mc Kenzie 16th, 30th, 32nd, Sherbert Mc Kie 4th, 7th, Kathleen La Rode-Francois 6th, 21st) vs Notre Dame 4 (Nigel Noel 7th, 29th, John Lewis 17th, Garth Baptiste 33rd)
On Saturday
Under-19 Boys semifinals
Fatima 4 (Matthew Perreira 14th, 32nd, Ghardel Elcock 7th, Roshane Hamilton 26th) vs Malvern 4 (Jovan Wren 9th, 36th, Shawn Phillip 18th, Idi Akii Bua 24th) - Fatima won 3-2 on penalty-stroke shoot-out
Paragon 5 (Esan Babb 7th, 39th, Tariq Singh 26th, 36th, Tarell Singh 35th) vs QPCC 0
Mixed Veterans
QPCC 14 (Darren Cowie 1st, 8th, 13th, 13th, 19th, Petra Zandvliet 5th, 6th, 20th, Gary Chin 12th, 33rd, Ryan Cowie 29th, 38th, Raphael Govia 37th, 40th) vs Defence Force 4 (Aaron Mc Kenzie 35th, 37th, Kathleen La Rode-Francois 30th, Anthony Morales 17th)
Malvern 7 (Andrea Jackson 12th, 18th, Anthony Marcano 21st, 36th, Korry Barnett 4th, Colin Byron 22nd, Gary Hercules 37th) vs Fatima 6 (Alan Young 8th, 17th, 20th, 40th, Cristina Abreu 15th, Shawn Tang Ming 34th)
Police 30 (Wayne Legerton 2nd, 4th, 8th, 11th, Antonio Quashie 2nd, 3rd, 12th, 29th, 32nd, Solomon Eccles 14th, 21st, 27th, 35th, 35th, Nicholas Wren 15th, 15th, 17th, 23rd, 31st, 37th, 39th, Kerwyn Hume 22nd, 39th, Roger Daniel 23rd, 29th, 33rd, 36th, Kevin Joseph 30th, 36th, 38th) vs Shape 1 (Sheridan Beckford 5th)
Trinity Women
Paragon 4 (Shania Gajadhar 16th, 36th, 37th, Danielle Thompson 36th) vs Magnolias 1 (Michelle Leotaud 8th)
The Trinidad Guardian
Investing in youth for future success
Uruguay
Sarah Juggins
Danae Andrada (URU)
Uruguay is a relative newcomer on the international hockey scene. The national association’s first appearance at a PAHF competition was at the women’s Pan American Cup in 2001, with the men making their first appearance three years later in 2004.
The Uruguay Field Hockey Federation itself is 23 years old this year and in that time, its two national teams have risen up the rankings. The women are now a high respectable 25th in the world, while the men are hovering in the mid-50s after hitting an all-time high at 40th in 2006. In addition, two of the current women’s national team members, Teresa Viana and Manuela Vilar were nominated for the PAHF Elite team.
The Federation’s current President, Danae Andrada, is a former junior and senior national team player and, not surprisingly, she is a passionate advocate for developing hockey at all levels of the game and across the entire country.
“I have held a number of positions on various boards and committees, including PAHF and FIH, but for me the most important thing is helping develop hockey, in whatever capacity I can. When I think about the future of the sport, I dream of a world where everyone has the opportunity to participate in hockey. I know that for different nations, that means different things. For some nations it is about facilities, for others it is about education.”
While Danae is keen for people of all ages to enjoy the sport, she says that attracting young people into the sport is the most important factor when it comes to developing hockey. At grass roots level, junior hockey in Uruguay is spreading from the capital city to the outlying provinces. What began as the sport of choice in girl’s private schools, is gradually extending its reach. Among boys and young men, football remains the number one team sport, but, says Danae, she and fellow coaches and development officers continue to beat the drum for hockey as a sport for both genders.
“We are working hard to get the game to spread to both the state schools and also attract more boys to the game. I say to them, if you understand the tactics of football, then you can understand the tactics of hockey. We can teach you the skills of the game. And there are many ways that hockey do things better than football, particularly when it comes to things such as off-side.”
Uruguay has a number of coaches working across all levels of the game. There are a number of high performance coaches who are doing great work with the national teams. Uruguay’s youth teams perform particularly well on the international stage, with a sixth place finish at the women’s 2014 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires a particular highlight.
However, Danae is also pleased with the committed team of coaches who work at the grass roots level of the game. “Yes, we have high performance coaches but we also have a lot of coaches working in development. We have people who are interested in developing players at different ages and that is really important. We must make sure that we are supporting our young players with the appropriate training at the correct age and ability.”
One factor that has proven a major barrier to Uruguay’s growth as an international side to be reckoned with has been the lack of a water-based turf and headquarters for the national teams. That barrier is soon to be removed as the federation presses ahead with plans for a new hockey centre at Lavalleja Park, in the municipality of Montevideo. It is a moment that can’t come soon enough for the President. The new pitch will mean that Uruguay can host top flight international teams – something essential to any nation’s development.
Hand-in-hand with a lack of facilities has been a lack of regular international competition. Uruguay is a regular competition at all major PAHF events, winning a gold medal at the 2016 South American Championships.
However, the participation by the women’s national team at the recent FIH Series Finals held in Japan, were an enormous strain on the finances but, says Danae, it was case of everyone pulling together to make it happen, because playing at that level of competition is crucial to the team’s growth and development. Uruguay finished sixth in that event, after proving themselves competitive with teams ranked many points higher.
Danae herself is in position to take a wide view of the sport. She sits on the executive board of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and so sees how other nations are doing in comparative terms. She says: “As a member of the FIH Executive Board I have learnt to see hockey not from a national viewpoint, or even a continental viewpoint. Now, I have to look at hockey across the globe.
“I see there are are some countries in our hockey family who cannot even afford to travel for competitions. My dream is for the global hockey community to be so strong that everyone has the same opportunities. I would love to be able to look back in 20 years time and say that the FIH has managed to open up hockey to every nation.”
Back to hockey in Uruguay and Danae says that she has a simple formula for successful hockey development: “Junior, grassroots hockey is where it starts,” she says. “Build your strong foundations and the rest will follow. Invest time into providing a quality experience for young players and they will stick with the sport and you will have a wider talent pool to draw from. In turn, that means stronger national age group teams and ultimately a stronger national team.”
Danae is also an ardent fan of team work in all its guises.
“It is no secret, it is all about working as a team and following a process, and all the people involved in that process working really, really hard.
“One of the most beautiful things about our game is the team work it involves. I am not just talking about the players in the squad, it is about the coaches, the manager, the officials. It is about all the things that come together to make the sport happen. Yes, it even means the federations and the other institutions involved in the process.
“I am so passionate about hockey. It is a game that has modernised and changed as necessary. It has not been scared to make those changes so that it becomes a better spectacle. For me, these are the things that attract people to hockey and make our sport unique.”
Uruguay’s next international challenge will be for the women’s team at the Indoor Pan American Cup in March
Pan American Hockey Federation media release
Hockey as a vehicle for social change
International Women's Day gives the global hockey community the perfect opportunity to showcase and celebrate some of the great work being carried out by women across the world. Many of the women celebrated during our week-long recognition of achievements have become leaders within our sport and are the driving forces behind change, progress and development.
Whether it is having the vision to provide leadership experience opportunities through coaching hockey or whether it is developing the skills to lead a national team, these are all instances where the hockey community is demonstrating yet again, its huge and uncompromising approach to equality in all aspects of life.
Day one - Oceania Hockey Federation
Combining hockey coaching with leadership and personal growth is the aim of the Aspire to be Deadly programme that is effecting change across Oceania. And the initiative is being driven and led by three women who have the vision to see hockey’s potential to drive social change as well as attract more people into the sport.
Under the scheme, young women and girls use hockey as a vehicle to improve their health and well-being; to improve their educational aspirations and achievements; to experience and enhance leadership skills; and to enable them to access more opportunities both in work and personal growth.
Clare Prideaux, is President of the Oceania Hockey Federation (OHF), and she is a passionate advocate of harnessing the potential of hockey to accomplish social change.
“It’s a pleasure to be working with the eight nations of Oceania to develop and grow hockey, to support coach education and to support a pathway for umpires,” says Prideaux.
“Hockey is a great way to be able to develop community, to build an active and healthy lifestyle, to really bring people together socially, and also to promote well-being.”
Under Prideaux’s leadership, the OHF is working closely with both Hockey Australia and Cairns Hockey Association to develop the Aspire to be Deadly programme. This programme seeks to use hockey as the platform to enhance the education and leadership opportunities for young women and girls in the Oceania region. It is an all-encompassing programme that delivers hockey and its associated health benefits but also enables young girls and women to develop their skills of leadership.
Julie McNeil is Operations Manager at Cairns Hockey Association in North Queensland and the general manager of the Aspire to be Deadly programme. She explains what the programme hopes to achieve and how.
“Aspire to be Deadly is a community service, designed to drive social outcomes in education, health and well-being and leadership, as well as professional development for indigenous young women who don’t always get opportunities. A unique part of the programme is that we use the sport of hockey – a very inclusive sport – to drive this outcome and give these girls opportunities that they wouldn’t normally have.
“One of the key principles we found as we developed this programme over the years is that we can’t be ‘a fly-in, fly-out’ programme. We can’t just be there for five days a year and expect anything to progress. We have built into the programme sustainability. It delivers education and training, leadership and an understanding that there are levels you can progress through.
“We think that approach builds capabilities, strength and personal growth. If you connect that to our social outcomes, you can connect with schools, health centres and you can drive some really good personal and professional development with your people.”
The programme is certainly delivering some great measurable outcomes. Five regions participate in Aspire to be Deadly, there are more than 1,500 young women and girls doing the programme. 40 girls are currently in specific mentoring programmes and the programme has 10 ambassadors.
Offering practical support is Melanie Woosnam, the president of Hockey Australia. The national governing body is donating 200 kits of hockey packs to support the work of the programme. In the pack is a hockey stick, a hockey ball, a pair of shin pads and a reversible singlet.
Woosnam says: “The work [of Aspire to be Deadly] really goes towards promoting an active lifestyle for these children who probably don’t get the opportunity to participate in a lot of different sports. There are health opportunities, social opportunities and the pleasure of just having some fun and enjoying sport. That is what we are really trying to promote as well – a lifelong love of, and participation in, sport.”
The final word goes to McNeil, who says: “While the programme has been running for many years, this collaboration with OHF is new and very exciting. I believe we have a model programme that could be instrumental in the growth stages of the Oceania nations. In particular for us, we think the opportunities for our young female leaders travelling to deliver the hockey coaching across Oceania, to Papua New Guinea and the other island nations will very much help and support their growth potential and self confidence. In turn, we hope the young women will be able to help hockey grow and develop in these Oceania nations.”
#IWD2020
#EachForEqual
FIH site