News for 17 April 2020
All the news for Friday 17 April 2020
FIH Hockey Pro League season postponed until at least July due to COVID-19 pandemic
By Liam Morgan
The FIH has extended the suspension of the Hockey Pro League because of the coronavirus ©Getty Images
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has extended the postponement of the Hockey Pro League until at least July in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
A spokesperson for the FIH told insidethegames the governing body and participating nations were looking at restarting the season in July and the beginning of August.
The tentative resumption date depends on the health situation across the world improving amid widespread international concern over the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hockey Pro League, a home and away competition launched to much fanfare by the FIH in January 2019, had been suspended until May 17 at the earliest.
Matches in the FIH Hockey Pro League will not resume until July and August ©Getty Images
"Following the uncertainty of the evolution of the global COVID-19 pandemic, at present, all matches planned in the current FIH Hockey Pro League schedule are on hold until further notice," the FIH spokesperson said.
"FIH and the participating National Associations (NAs) will keep on monitoring the situation closely and update athletes, fans, commercial and broadcast partners, media and the hockey community in its globality as soon as possible.
"FIH and the participating NAs are considering playing Pro League matches in the month of July and the beginning of August 2020, if the health situation improves."
Before the league was initially postponement until April 15, New Zealand and Australia had already decided not to travel to Europe for their scheduled matches on the continent.
The Australian women's team's contests in China, where the virus originated, had also already been called off.
According to latest figures, the COVID-19 virus has infected more than two million people and killed over 135,000 worldwide.
Inside the Games
SA Indoor Hockey Sides Announced
The SA Hockey Association have announced the SPAR South Africa Womens Indoor Hockey Side and the South African Mens Indoor Hockey side today. These squads will attend camps and will be used to select the final African Qualifier side later this year. The African Indoor Hockey Cup of Nations will take place in South Africa this year with the current date under review due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The squads were selected based on performances at the recently completed Indoor Hockey IPT in Kwazulu Natal. 
SA Hockey Association media release
Indian hockey team analysing previous matches to maintain connect
The men’s team had been priming for a solid show at the Olympics and are continuing those efforts by studying video footage.
With the national lockdown in India depriving teams of practice sessions, the Indian hockey men’s team has instead decided to browse through videos of their previous matches to analyse their performances.
“We are carrying out post-mortem for our previous matches. There is a software called myTPA, wherein we can analyse them,” veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh told the Indo-Asian News Service agency.
“We watch the videos in our rooms and give our feedback. We answer questions online given to us by the coaches.”
This way, not only do the players stay in touch with the sport but studying video clips of past matches also gives them an opportunity to increase their knowledge of playing styles.
“We also have to identify different patterns of play on the areas that we need to improve," captain Manpreet Singh added when speaking to the Hindustan Times.
Coach Graham Reid sees that as a way to particularly prepare for the Tokyo Olympics.
“During this time, we will be able to give them deeper knowledge on the scenarios that may come up in the Olympic cauldron,” the former Australian hockey player told the Times of India.
Both the men’s and women’s Indian hockey teams are residing at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus in Bengaluru where they were undergoing training camps when the lockdown was announced, meaning they could not return to their respective homes.
And though they are trying to make the best of the situation by building their own bonds, it is made difficult by the social distancing protocols.
“We keep a distance in the canteen and only two persons sit at one table. We are doing everything in a very hygienic way so that none of us get infected,” said Sreejesh.
“The players are carrying out general fitness drill and bodyweight workouts in our rooms. We are even trying to do all exercises in a group of two.”
All focus on the Olympics
The Indian hockey men’s team is the most successful in Olympics history, winning eight gold medals along with a silver and a bronze but have fallen off in recent years, with their last Olympic medal coming at the Moscow Games in 1980.
This time around, they were looking in good shape as they began what was originally supposed to be an Olympic year with top-notch performances against the Netherlands, Belgium and Australia in their maiden FIH Pro League campaign.
Their tally of two wins, two losses and two draws saw them garner 10 points and sit fourth in the table before the campaign was pushed forward due to the pandemic.
With their eyes firmly set on a medal, the Indian hockey men’s team had been focusing their attention on their Olympics preparation for the past one year and Sreejesh revealed the players are doing all they can to be ready when it arrives.
“Everyone is preparing mentally for the Olympics. We need to focus, work really hard from day one and we need to focus for 365-400 days to achieve something,” he said.
The Tokyo Olympics probably represent the last chance for several senior players to earn an Olympic medal and with a good blend of young blood in the team, they would be hoping to finally achieve that dream.
Olympic Channel
S.V. Sunil close yet far from family in Bengaluru
India hockey team forward S.V. Sunil's family is 20 km away from the SAI centre but he has decided not to meet them due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
S.V. Sunil during a training session at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Bengaluru. - FILE PHOTO/K. MURALI KUMAR
India hockey team forward S.V. Sunil believes the extension of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic will help his side improve as a collective unit.
“We were all expecting the lockdown period to be extended, and it is justified given the extent of the damage that the pandemic has been causing not just in India, but around the world,” said Sunil.
“We have been staying here at the SAI Centre Bengaluru for the past month-and-a-half and I think spending more time with our teammates and coaching Staff has really brought the group together. We have also been working on analysing our performances from the past couple of seasons, and we have been doing a lot of self-analysis as well, which I'm sure will help us in improving a lot before we set foot on the pitch again," he added.
Sunil’s family lives 20 km away from the SAI centre but he has not been able to meet them. “Most of the players here in camp would have loved to be with their families, and even though my family doesn't stay very far from here, my wife and I decided that it was in the best interest of our family that we stay put where we are, and follow the guidelines strictly. I do miss my wife and daughter, but these are trying circumstances and we just have to take the positives out of it, and continue adjusting to it,” he said.
“I remember when I've had the two injuries before, once in 2010 and in 2018, it was always really tough for me because I had missed the World Cups on both the occasions and that long journey back from injury was really depressing at times. But when you compare that to the circumstances that so many people around the world are facing now, you realize how lucky you are to only have injured your left fibula or had a LCL Grade 3 tear, and not had a life-threatening experience,” he added.
On the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, Sunil said, “We have spent these four years building up to the Olympics, and working hard to peak at that time, but obviously now we all have to make adjustments, for which we are ready. It has been a few days since I've made that run on the flanks and put a ball into the striking circle, so I really hope that things can go back to normal very quickly for everyone to do what they love doing, which includes me stepping foot on the pitch again soon.”
Sportstar
Indian women''s hockey team to raise funds for poor affected by lockdown
The Indian women''s hockey team on Friday launched a fun fitness challenge to raise funds for the migrant labourers whose families have been affected by the nationwide lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 18-day challenge aims to raise money through crowdfunding to feed at least 1000 families while also encouraging people to adapt to an active lifestyle during the nationwide lockdown that has been extended till May 3.
"...every day we are reading in the newspapers and social media about so many people struggling for food, we decided to do something to help these people as a team," captain Rani Rampal said in a Hockey India press release.
"...we thought an online fitness challenge would be the best way to do it and this way, we can also urge people to stay active during the nation-wide lockdown. Through this initiative, our goal is to raise enough funds to feed at least 1000 families," she said.
The money from the crowd-funding effort will be donated to a Delhi-based NGO Uday Foundation and the proceeds will be used to provide basic necessities for patients at various locations, migrant workers and slum dwellers.
Apart from providing food/dry ration, the fund will also be used to provide sanitary kits that will include soaps and hand sanitisers.
The challenge will see members of the Indian women''s hockey team come up with fitness tasks that range from burpees, lunges, squats to spider-man pushups, pogo hops and more.
Each day, a player will give a new challenge and tag 10 people on her social media handles to take up the challenge and donate Rs. 100 for the cause.
"Everyday, we will give a fun new challenge that can be done by anybody. Those who take up the challenge can donate Rs 100 or more to the fundraiser. We really hope people support us in this cause, vice-captain Savita said.
"All of us in the Indian Women''s Hockey Team come from poor economic backgrounds and we have seen days when we have struggled for food and other basics. Today we are in a position to help and we want to ensure poor people get basics like food and sanitary kits," she added.
Agreeing with Savita''s views, Rani said, "A few days back when I was talking to my father and he said ''if you did not play hockey and lift us out of poverty then maybe we also would have been in the same condition as so many poor people today who are struggling to get food''.
"When he said this to me, it broke my heart. Everyone in the team has faced so many challenges due to poverty and we know the pain of not getting food. It''s thanks to hockey our lives are comfortable today but not everyone is this fortunate."
Rani''s father worked as a cart-puller in Shahbad Markanda, Haryana.
Outlook, India
GB Hockey men train heroic in adapting to life in lockdown
GB men have used training app to keep players fit and healthy on road to Tokyo 2.0
By The Hockey Paper
Paul Stretch, GB Hockey men’s lead strength and conditioning coach, says it was a “tough hit” when news filtered through that the Tokyo Olympics would be delayed by one year. “As a member of staff, I had spent over two years optimising our performance in this one moment,” he says. “We were on a positive trajectory as a team. We had to get our head around what was next.”
Luckily for the GB coaching staff they made some key and swift decisions early on as the pandemic set in. Following their transit back through Singapore in early February, there followed two weeks of training ahead of a planned 12-day warm weather camp in South Africa.
“It was a tough decision not to go. At the time, as a playing group we were keen on going,” says Stretch, who joined the programme prior to the 2018 World Cup, which presented its own health issues. “You could easily get this all wrong. We could have been in South Africa and could have carried on training.”
Added to this, the trip was seen as an important step towards Tokyo. There was Olympic selection, firstly those selected for the tour and then the trimming of the squad. As it was, the players were decentralised before the trip, which gave coaching staff time to assess contingency plans, with options to mimic the South Africa trip, though that was quickly squashed with the current environmental factors at play.
Stretch and Co mapped out a training plan over two weeks before postponing a return to training. This was taken before lockdown, meaning the group weren’t affected early doors. The advent of the Pro League has meant that training has been sporadic and frequent (rather than training in lengthy blocks in between tournaments) with the players now used to training on their own accord outside of Bisham and, in turn, coaches having added confidence in their charges.
Once gyms started to close doors, staff set in motion a series of training resources. The players now use a new app called Train Heroic, which has been trialled with the elite development programme and is seen as a handy tool for remote programming.
Essentially, it is tailor made for each centralised player, with programmes uploaded and current physical capability, positional demand, injury history all factored into the app. When lockdown came, says Stretch, the players “could hit the go button on the app which gave the guys something novel to play with.”
Now that reality has kicked in, Stretch notes that younger players would have seen this phase as an opportunity to break through while senior players may have had plans after this years proposed Games. “But from a physical perspective it was a message of staying mentally and physicall well in this tough moment,” he adds.
Contact time with the squad has been via Microsoft Teams, with player interraction via WhatsApp and Streth making sure everyone is “on the front foot”.
In Olympic year, it’s naturally been a “can do” attitude as the players adapt to training remotely and come up with individual improvisation. And as a keen cyclist himself, Stretch adds that he has shared advice to the players on the second hand bike market. Be-spoke advice in these challenging times.
Help keep independent journalism alive in these uncertain times. Ahead of the new season, please subscribe in print or in digital format.
The Hockey Paper
Train like a GB hockey Olympian
By The Hockey Paper
Paul Stretch, GB men’s lead strength and conditioning coach, gives us an insight into hockey-specific training
The main potential issue for the GB players in this outbreak period is a lack of intensity, expressed through velocity or high magnitude of load. While they don’t readily have 160-200kg to lift it’s how we can get something that will get a physical outcome with a slightly different equipment set up.
There might be improvisation with heavy resistance bands, electrical muscle stimulation (compex) and manipulate time under tension, pauses and holds. In velocity, it’s all about sprinting. Our guys are pretty well conditioned and they will spend a significant amount of time above 19km/h, above 26km/h in a typical training week. Of course, in lockdown it’s difficult to maintain this.
As part of the warm up in field-based conditioning sessions – generally lasting 30 minutes – 10 minutes of this will touch top speed with various drills. For the amateur cohort, there is the opportunity to express max velocity at a specific frequency per week.
I have two examples of field based conditioning, one that’s really going to hit the lungs, one-to-one work-rest ratio, and one that will enable a more explosive, higher quality of work at a 1 to 3 work rest ratio.
15 seconds on pitch length, 15 seconds off. Go again. 30 seconds per rep.
The GB players will be set circa 3 sets of 5 minutes. You can build towards 8 minutes.
A warm up with running drills would include two flying 25 yards at the end of the warm up. I like to use build 25, flat out 25, cruise down 25.
So, 25 yards and back x3 equates to 25 yards x 6 (150 yards).
You are looking for that to take 27 seconds, you go every two minutes and looking at a 90 second recovery. If you can do eight of them, that is pretty solid (seniors will build to 12) . If you can keep this under 30 seconds, it gives you a target.
A typical GB week in isolation
Set out six conditioning sessions per week, with four circuit sessions. So this could include one of each running example alternating on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. “Off feet” conditioning which is primarily bike based, steady state, 40 – 60 minutes on Wednesday and Saturday.
Gym/Circuit work
Monday and Thursday: Go with Body weight type, volumous, continuous circuit work (squats, lunges, steps ups, squat jumps, press ups, pull ups, core work etc. You could build up to, say, five sets of 20 reps on each of those exercises.
Tuesday and Friday: High intensity gym/circuit work, these are the sessions that are mostly equipment specific, so something heavy for the legs, hips and upper limb and perhaps four set of five reps if really heavy. Check out Henry Weir’s HITT videos on Instagram.
The Hockey Paper
Eat like a hockey pro: Banana oat muffins recipe
Muffins don’t have to be high carbohydrate and high fat cake-like productions. By avoiding flour and including higher protein ingredients like Greek yoghurt and oats you can produce something that tastes decent and is well under 100 calories.
If you have some whey protein lying around, this can be added too, for extra protein, although I’m not a massive fan of this and tend to use normal skimmed milk powder.
Another high-protein option is to use egg whites rather than whole eggs. But experience shows that I just tend to eat the egg yolks later in some sort of super-omlette. And anyway whole eggs are generally not an issue in most people’s diets.
Try this as a basic mix. You can adjust the ingredients to your own taste later.
Ingredients
Two ripe bananas
2 eggs (or 4 egg whites)
3/4 cup low-fat Greek yoghurt
3/4 cup porridge oats
2 tablespoons of skimmed milk powder (or two scoops of whey powder)
2 tablespoons of Truvia sweetener or equivalent (this is as sweet as about 6 tablespoons of sugar)
4 drops of vanilla essence (leave out if your whey protein is ‘vanilla’)
2 teaspoons of baking powder
To make
Heat the oven to 180C (170 fan). Use a cooking spray to lightly oil a non-stick muffin tray. Then use a food processor to blend all the ingredients together.
This should make a mix that can be spooned into the tray. Cook for 20 mins until the tops are lightly browned. They do tend to stick in the tray a bit – leaving for five minutes or so to cool makes the muffins easier to remove.
Typical nutrition per muffin is (makes 12): calories 85, protein 5.5g, carbs 12g, fat 1.5, fibre 1.5g
Substituting whey powder adds 2.5g more protein per muffin and takes away 2.5g of carbs. Using egg whites means about 0.5g less fat and about 0.5g more protein per muffin.
The Hockey Paper regularly gives you the best tips, advice and healthy eating in our print or digital editions
Help keep independent journalism alive in these uncertain times. Ahead of the new season, please subscribe in print or in digital format.
The Hockey Paper
"I was embarrassed and ashamed of how it went"
Gleghorne at Rio 2016
With 164 GB and England caps, several medals and plenty of spectacular goals to his name, there has been a lot for Mark Gleghorne to celebrate in his international career.
But it’s not been all plain sailing, with the Antrim-born player having to overcome several serious injuries.
However, in the latest episode of Inside The Circle: The Podcast, he opens up about how the Rio 2016 Olympics was the most difficult period of time for him so far.
“We went in there ranked fourth in the world at the time, we had got to the medal games in pretty much every tournament we’d played over the previous four years,” he recalled.
“That was a really good team in my opinion. But we just massively underperformed.
“What went wrong? Probably lots of little things rather than one big thing.”
While the women went on to win gold that year, the men failed to make it out of a difficult group that included Belgium, Spain, Australia and New Zealand.
They only lost two of their five games – the same number as Australia and New Zealand – but only registered one victory, meaning they couldn’t improve on their fourth-placed finish from London 2012.
Having waited so long for his chance to realise his dream and play at an Olympic Games, Gleghorne admitted he struggled to come to terms with what happened for a long time after the event ended.
“That was a really difficult time because the Olympics is the big thing, that’s the dream,” he said.
“You never expect it to go as wrong as it did. When I think back, at the time I was very embarrassed and ashamed of how we played and how it went. And that’s not something you ever think about when thinking of playing an Olympic Games. You think it’s going to be the pinnacle, the best.
“We’d obviously tied to make sure we peaked at that time and that was so disappointing. We then had quite a long break from hockey afterwards - part of the problem with that then was that that was all you could think about.
“I wasn’t really interested, I was really down in the dumps. I think a lot of the guys and staff were because it went so horrendously wrong for us.
“I wasn’t interested in going back and playing hockey but that was the worst thing for me because then all I was thinking about was how that went rather than focusing on the moment, what’s right in front of you.
“That break was a bad time but once I got back playing hockey that was better because when you get back into training and get a goal or are trying to improve you’re back in the moment playing and forgetting about what happened in the past.”
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics may have been pushed back a year but the former Ireland age-group cricketer still harbours strong ambitions to emulate what his aunt Jackie McWilliams did in 1992 and win an Olympic medal with Great Britain.
You can hear the full podcast by clicking on the following links:
You can also watch the entire video on our YouTube channel:
Great Britain Hockey media release
A cry for blue skies and open space
By Jugjet Singh
Assistant national coach Amin Rahim (right) keeps in touch with players to monitor their training.
THOUGH Malaysian national hockey players diligently follow a regimented exercise routine at home during the Movement Control Order (MCO), their enthusiasm is fast waning.
Sure, the first week of the MCO was refreshing, as they had never trained so hard in front of their families and it was kind of fun as well.
But as days turned into weeks and more than a month, and no sign of the Covid-19 scourge going away, many of them now yearn for open space and blue skies.
Amin Rahim, the assistant to national coach Roelant Oltmans, said: “All 28 players are still putting in the same amount of efforts they started with at the beginning of the MCO, there is no question about it.”
“However, like everybody else, my players are also feeling bored, cooped up at home and they want to return to the blue turf and hit the ball as hard as they used to.
“In short, they want the MCO to end as soon as possible so that they can do what they do best, play hockey in an open field and not train in confined quarters,” added Amin, a former national penalty corner ace.
To keep their enthusiasm up until the MCO ‘misery’ ends, Amin said they talk to their players via a social media application every Friday.
“Tomorrow (Friday) coach Roelant Oltmans will lead our normal video session with the players and this is one of the ways we motivate them to keep up their training sessions so that when the MCO is lifted and sports allowed back on fields, they will be in as good a physical shape as they were before the MCO,” said Amin.
And what about the players who need special drills to keep their muscles at optimum level like goalkeepers and penalty corner flickers?
“Goalkeepers and penalty corner flickers of course have different set of needs when it comes to training and nothing beats doing the real drills on the pitch.
“But since one needs at least a pusher, stopper and flicker to train a penalty corner flick... this can't be practised at home right now.
“So, there will be a little setback for Razie (Rahim) and his penalty corner battery when they return to the pitch. Razie might find that he has lost some strength in his arms.
“But for a seasoned person like Razie (national No 1 flicker) he will only need a short time to get back his power as compared to, say, a junior who has only been flicking for a year.
“Goalkeepers also train without their padding now and feel much lighter, but all these are small hiccups.
“The important thing right now is for the players to keep following Oltmans' training schedule, and also keep their enthusiasm burning.
“This is the only way to emerge from the MCO physically and mentally stronger,” said Amin.
New Straits Times
Cancellation of Welsh Hockey until 30.06.20
Following the decision to suspend all hockey activity on the 16 March 2020, Hockey Wales has continued to take advice and guidance regarding the COVID 19 pandemic, while scenario planning for the future.
Hockey Wales has now taken the decision to cancel all domestic hockey activity until 30 June 2020.
In addition, both the June and July Test Series, due to be hosted at the National Hockey Centre in Cardiff, have been cancelled.
The CEO of Hockey Wales, Ria Burrage-Male, has worked with the Hockey Wales Exec Team to ensure the fairest outcome to the season in what has proved to be a difficult time for everyone,
“This has been a hugely difficult season for all involved and we are so grateful for the way in which our hockey family has pulled together and worked at making the best of a bad situation.
“With the horrific weather at the beginning of the year preventing a number of matches and training camps taking place, followed by this unprecedented situation we find ourselves in with COVID 19, we have all had to venture into uncharted territory and make decisions that are new to everyone.
“We want everyone to understand that the decisions that have been taken regarding the conclusion of the season have been to ensure fairness and equality across the board.
“Our priority is the health and well-being of players, coaches, umpires and officials alike and we look forward to a time when our hockey family across Wales are all back together for the 2020/21 season.
“We will continue to follow government advice and update you with any changes in the near future. Thank you for your understanding in these most unusual of times.”
SEASON 2019/20 CONCLUSION
Based on the current situation with COVID 19, Hockey Wales have had to take unprecedented decisions to conclude the season as fairly as possible and, as such have made the following decisions:
Women’s Club League Standings
South Wales Women’s Hockey League
In conjunction with South Wales Women’s Hockey League, the decision has been reached to utilise the percentage points system to decide final league standings where there has been an unequal amount of games played by teams.
The points percentage is calculated on total points won (3 for a win, 1 for a draw), minus any points deducted for disciplinary offences, then divided by the total number of points available from the games played, multiplied by 100 to give the percentage.
*Clubs will be emailed by the league regarding promotion, relegation and final standings*
North Wales Women’s Hockey League
In conjunction with North Wales Women’s Hockey League, the decision has been reached to utilise the percentage points system to decide final league standings where there has been an unequal amount of games played by teams.
The points percentage is calculated on total points won (3 for a win, 1 for a draw), minus any points deducted for disciplinary offences, then divided by the total number of points available from the games played, multiplied by 100 to give the percentage.
*Clubs will be emailed by the league regarding promotion, relegation and final standings*
Club’s involved in English Leagues:
The outcome of all English Leagues will be considered by the relevant management in line with England Hockey. For further updates please see the websites listed in the ‘Notes Section’ below.
Club Championships
Whilst all cup games have been cancelled, it is important that we are able to decide on our representative Club teams for Europe 2021.
Womens:
As the two finalists of the Hockey Wales Championship competition, the match between Cardiff & Met HC and Howardian HC will take place at the earliest and safest opportunity. The winner of this match will decide who joins Swansea HC in Europe.
Mens:
The postponed game between Penarth HC and Whitchurch HC will take place at the earliest and safest opportunity. This will conclude the Championship round robin semi-final competition with the winning club automatically joining Cardiff & Met in Europe.
Please note, there will not be a final between the round robin winner and Cardiff & Met.
*The date for both matches will be announced once we have official guidance on when we are able to play*
Summary of all cancellations:
Youth Hockey
Schools Hockey
Club League and Cup competitions
excludes EuroHockey 2021 Club decider – see above for details ‘Club Championships’
Club and International Masters Hockey
Player Pathway activity
National Age Group (NAGs)
includes all training camps and the Test Series against Ulster
Senior squad training
June and July Test Series
Hockey Wales media release
Hockey Development in the “Friendly Isles” of Tonga
Tonga is a Polynesian Kingdom of 170, largely uninhabited, islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is the smallest of the Oceania Hockey Federation members with a population of 108,000 and yet its promotion of hockey and the range of development programmes is vast.
This is laregly due to the drive and determination of hockey development officer Hiko Fungavaka. Hiko worked as a sport development officer for TongaOlympic Committee, before taking up his full time hockey role in 2016. However, Hiko has continued to develop a relationship with TASANOC by having his office in their building, and making sure hockey is involved in all international days such as Olympic Day, International Sport for Development Day, Children’s Day, International Women’s Day and Disabilities Day. TASANOC has usually held its national celebration for Olympic Day off the main isalnd of Tongatapu in Vava’u (2018) and Ha’apai (2019) which has enabled Hiko to geographically increase the spread of hockey.
Oceania Hockey Federation (OHF) recognised strategically that to really make a difference in growing hockey, indigenous development officers needed to be trained, employed and local, rather than flying experts in and out. With funding from FIH TAP and the Australian Government’s Pacific Sport Partnership, Hiko was able to be employed and supported by OHF.
Tonga is unique in that its early days of hockey exclusively supported females. The King saw the game played in Auckland, New Zealand and took a pack of equipment back to Nuku’alofa, the capital, and asked the Wesleyan Church to oversee the introduction of the sport for girls and women. It remained under the Church until 2014, when the Tongan Hockey Federation voted in a new Executive Board led by President Pilimilose Feke and adopted a new Constitution. The next steps were to encourage boys and men to play. Both genders competing together for the first time at the 2015 Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea.
Hiko has enlisted two national representative volunteers – Vahe Paeamoana and Melesuka Manumu’a to help him in his very successful school visit programme. During February and March 2020, 2769 (1199 boys and 1570 girls) primary children were given an opportunity to play hockey, which is a huge increase on 2019 pilot programme where 653 ( 295 boys and358 girls) primary children received an introduction to hockey.
One of the major changes has been the willingness of schools to incorporate hockey sessions into their physical education programme. The additional benefit has been that teachers who previously had little experience of hockey have been involved and trained.
One school, Holongo Primary School, has really embraced the sport and building a hockey field is planned for later this year. There is no hockey field available currently, and the national teams have had to train on a basketball court belonging to Tonga High School.
In November 2019, to celebrate Children’s Day, Hiko and Vahe ran the first ever Primary and Secondary School Championships with huge success. They managed to just get this completed as a day later the schools closed for the measles epidemic, and this week the schools are again closed for COVID 19.
Hiko has also been proactive in introducing a group of disabled participants to hockey. His numbers have grown to 25 and they have an eight week programme operating from the Indoor Stadium. With the help of Lance Forkgen and Eagle Sports, OHF has been able to source a lighter, bigger ball that suits both the long grass for primary visits and does not get caught under wheelchairs. This bigger ball allows for more goals to be scored, which is always a plus.
COVID 19 has put a dent in Hiko’s plans to start his secondary school programme which included 1,997 participants last year, however he has taken the opportunity to plan new workshops for 18 new coaches that completed their FIH Level 1 Course last year, as well as planning new participation programmes that will be ready to launch once the COVID 19 lockdown is lifted.
Hiko is an inclusive and calm leader who creates safe and peaceful environments with communities in Tonga that allow children to work together while learning new skills, increasing their physical activity; improving their well being and gaining benefits socially through hockey.
FIH site
Hockey Australia statement 17 April 2020
As with many other sports, Hockey Australia is navigating a very uncertain and challenging period as a result of COVID-19. While the immediate future will involve ongoing adherence to maintaining social distancing and refraining from undertaking our normal way of life, it is our hope that we will be able to support the delivery of hockey before the end of 2020.
The key impact on hockey nationally and internationally includes the suspension of community and club hockey, the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games from 2020 to 2021, the cancellation of all National Hockey Championships and the suspension of the 2020 FIH Pro League.
As a result, the Board and Management of Hockey Australia have undertaken a series of steps to ensure that the business of Hockey Australia is preserved, while also ensuring as many of our staff are supported through this difficult period.
Hockey Australia have endeavored to carefully consider our operating base and scale back operations in line with changes within the hockey community and across the Australian economy.
Effective Monday 13 April 2020, Hockey Australia have scaled down our headquarters operations until further notice. Our workforce will be operating on reduced hours across the next period with all staff working from home.
Our daily high-performance training environment in Perth has now been closed with national squad players asked to return home until further notice.
Across the coming weeks, we will continue to work with our partners and stakeholders with a view to ensuring we are ready to resume full operations once we receive the all-clear. In the coming weeks, our small digital communications team will be endeavoring to reach out across our various channels to maintain interest and engagement in hockey by generating and sharing related content.
Our team will do their very best to be available to support the hockey community through this very difficult period so that when the time is right, we can re-engage at all levels.
For now, we encourage you to take the time to be with family and friends and stay safe.
All the best.
From the Board and Staff of Hockey Australia
Hockey Australia media release