News for 10 November 2020
All the news for Tuesday 10 November 2020
Polo and Campo share men’s spoils as Madrid women stay top in Spain
Real Club de Polo and Club de Campo shared the spoils from their big meeting in the men’s Spanish Honor Division with Marc Miralles’ final quarter goal earning the Barcelona club the 2-2 outcome.
Álvaro Iglesias twice gave the Madrid side the lead, the first coming in the fourth minute; Javier Cabot equalised before half-time but Iglesias restored the advantage in the 38th minute.
But Miralles struck for his seventh goal of the season to keep Polo in the top four, one point and one place ahead of Campo in the rankings.
Atlètic Terrassa remain top of the table following their 6-1 success against RC Jolaseta with Joan Tarres getting two of the goals. They had trailed 1-0 to an early corner from Rafael Vilallonga but two goals in the three minutes before half-time got Atlèti ahead and they added four more in the last 18 minutes.
They hold a one point advantage over Club Egara – who have a game in hand – after their Catalan neighbours recorded a 2-1 success against RS Tenis; Josep Farres and Lluis Mercade scored the vital goals.
FC Barcelona had a share of top spot before the weekend’s action but they came unstuck at home against SPV Complutense 2-1 who were thankful to goals from Ignacio Cobos and Alvaro Fernandez. Those strikes drop Barca to third place in the standings.
In the women’s competition, Club de Campo are in a strong position as they beat Real Club de Polo 5-1. They were in control at 3-0 with two goals from Sara Barrios and duly saw out the game with further strikes from Begoña Garcia, Carmen Cano and Laura Barrios.
They have a one-point lead over Complutense but also have a game in hand on the side who won 1-0 against UD Taburiente.
Junior FC are three points back from Campo but have only played six games as their 4-0 success at RS Tenis continued their unbeaten start to the campaign. Maialen Garcia, Gigi Oliva, Mariona Serrahima and Andrea Alonso recorded their goals.
Euro Hockey League media release
Tar Heels field hockey caps 2020 with 23rd ACC crown
Second-seeded Carolina, playing as the underdog on its home turf at Karen Shelton Stadium, beat top-seeded Louisville 4-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Sunday afternoon. It is the team's fourth title in a row.
The Field hockey team celebrates with a 2020 championship banner. (Jeffrey Camarati/GoHeels.com)
A North Carolina field hockey season during which almost everything felt different ended Sunday in a familiar way, with the Tar Heels celebrating a championship. Second-seeded Carolina, playing as the underdog on its home turf at Karen Shelton Stadium, beat top-seeded Louisville 4-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Sunday afternoon. It’s Carolina’s fourth league crown in a row and 23rd in program history.
Playing from the visiting bench as the lower-seeded team, the Tar Heels were looking to avenge their only loss of the season – the Cardinals won 3-1 on Oct. 2 in Louisville to end Carolina’s record-breaking winning streak at 47 – as they played for another trophy. UL again had the advantage out of the gate, leading 2-0 early in the second quarter. This time the Tar Heels stormed back for four consecutive goals to set off the season-ending celebration.
(As the ACC is the only conference competing in field hockey this fall, 2020 was a short, conference-only season and UNC-Chapel Hill finished it 10-1. The NCAA Tournament is set to take place in the spring.)
“Congratulations to Louisville for such a fantastic season,” coach Karen Shelton said. “They play with such composure and poise and that makes them a very difficult team to play against. They dominated in the first half and we gave up a couple of goals but we didn’t crack. It was a tale of two halves – they had the better of the first and I think we had the better of the second. I’m thrilled that our kids were able to find a way to win.
“Tournament play is not always pretty but you’ve got to find a way to win and we did that today. There were a lot of unbelievable personal performances but really it was a team effort.”
The Cardinals (8-2) jumped on top in the eighth minute as sophomore Katie Schneider directed in a pass from freshman Charlie van Oirschot to make it 1-0. UL took its biggest lead of the game in the 19th minute, when Schneider scored again, deflecting in a pass from Alli Bitting on a penalty corner to made it 2-0 Louisville.
Carolina answered just under four minutes later, on the team’s first penalty corner of the day. Junior Erin Matson’s shot, assisted by junior Abby Pitcairn on the insert and sophomore Romea Riccardo on the stick stop, went off a defender’s stick and into the cage, cutting the Tar Heel deficit to one.
UL carried the 2-1 lead to the middle of the third quarter. In the 38th minute, Riccardo carried the ball to the right baseline then sent a pass to the front of the cage, where senior Bryn Boylan blasted a shot between the legs of the Cardinal goalkeeper, Hollyn Barr, to tie the game.
Carolina grabbed the lead for good just before the end of the third quarter when junior Hannah Griggs sent a pass from the left baseline to the front of the cage and sophomore Madison Orobono deflected it in as she fell to the turf to give Carolina a 3-2 advantage.
Louisville pulled Barr late in the game in favor of another field player and Carolina’s final goal came with 1:01 to play and no keeper in the cage. On a penalty corner – just the third of the game for Carolina – UL’s Julie Kouijzer made a defensive save on the first Tar Heel shot, but Matson grabbed the rebound and sent it back in for the 4-2 final margin. Kouijzer, a sophomore, finished the day with two defensive saves for the Cardinals.
Louisville led 16-10 in shots to outshoot the Tar Heels for the second time this season. The Cardinals also led in corners, 8-3, again for the second time. Carolina’s total was the second-lowest of the season, with the only lower total its two in the loss at UL.
Matson was named to the ACC All-Tournament Team for the third year in a row and was honored as the tournament MVP. Boylan, senior goalkeeper Amanda Hendry and sophomore Paityn Wirth joined her on the All-Tournament team.
University of North Carolina media release
Centurion van Bunge & Belgium’s Delforge reflect on FIH Hockey Pro League fixtures
Photo credit: Hockey Belgium/PHDPH
Following the recent mixed gender umpiring appointments for the FIH Hockey Pro League matches involving Belgium, the Netherlands and Great Britain, we spoke with Dutchman Coen van Bunge and Laurine Delforge of Belgium about the brief but brilliant return of international hockey.
It was an extra special occasion for van Bunge, who became the first person since Peter Elders some 17 years ago to umpire 100 international matches when he took charge of the Low Countries derby match between the men of Belgium and the Netherlands, alongside Delforge.
Hi Coen and Laurine – thank you so much for talking to us. First question to you, Coen! What does it mean to you to reach your golden whistle milestone of 100 international matches?
Coen van Bunge: “As an umpire, it’s very special to reach 100 international caps, so I’m very honoured to join the ‘golden whistle club’, being the next Dutch umpire after Peter Elders joined it 17 years ago.”
Due to completely understandable circumstances, your 100th game is certainly unique, especially with the Netherlands, your home country, being one of the competing teams. Does it make it even more memorable?
Coen van Bunge: “I’m sure that no-one will forget this game – it was played under crazy circumstances. Everyone who was there in the stadium made it special for me, and to umpire a home country, it was unique in an FIH competition. To reach my 100th cap during this game made it even more memorable.”
A question to both of you. The players have loved the fact that we have seen the return of international hockey, despite the very different circumstances to usual. As world class umpires, you most both feel the same, right?
Laurine Delforge: “It felt really good to be back on the pitch. My last game internationally was more than a year ago, so it has been a long time without doing something I really love. So just like the players, I really enjoyed every minute being on the pitch in the last couple of days.”
Coen van Bunge: “It was after a long time that international hockey resumed again, and I can say that I truly enjoyed every minute of it. Of course it is better or more special to umpire in front of 10,000 spectators, but to do what you love, it doesn’t matter how big the crowd is.”
How much have you both enjoyed the games and the mixed gender umpiring appointments?
Laurine Delforge: “The level of hockey was really good. It’s a pity that we couldn’t have any public there, but we were just feeling really privileged to umpire again. On a personal note, it was a big challenge to take on, but I’m quite happy with how it went. It was also very special for me to share the pitch with Coen for his 100th cap, so I would like to congratulate him on his big milestone.
Coen van Bunge: “I liked the way that the players interacted with us just the way that they normally do. I am sure that we will see the mixed gender appointments more often, and I’d like to see the next men’s Belgium versus Holland match to be umpired by two female umpires.”
Laurine Delforge: I really appreciated the mixed gender appointment. At the end of the day it is the same game, the same sport, so I just really enjoyed the connection I had with Coen and (fellow umpire) Jonas (van ‘t Tek) on pitch, the teamwork that we had together. For me it was just another game to umpire, and I was just very happy to be on the pitch.”
Keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Hockey Pro League via the Watch.Hockey app, event website and through FIH social media channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
#EquallyAmazing
#FIHProLeague
#HockeyInvites
#PlayHockeyStayHealthy
Official FIH Pro League Site
Get Ready For Hockey's In-Haus Weekend
The FIH Hockey Pro League matches against Germany may have been postponed but fear not; GB Hockey will still be bringing hockey into your home thanks to Hockey’s In-Haus Weekend.
Across two action-packed days (14-15 November) you #ThePride will be treated to exclusive interviews with some of GB’s finest, get a chance to look back on some classic match highlights and enjoy plenty of other entertainment from the comfort of your living room, kitchen or even your bed.
There will be plenty of chances for you to get involved too so make sure you upload your photos/videos showing how you’re enjoying the weekend using #InHausWeekend and #ThePride. You may even make it onto the GB Hockey social channels...
#ThePride Morning Workout
Start your day off right by getting pumped up and ready for action by working out to the GB Hockey Spotify playlist. Whether you go for a jog, smash through a HIIT session or crunch until you drop, make sure to do it in either a GB replica top or a red shirt of your choice whilst listening along to these specially selected tracks and upload your efforts to social media.
#InsideTheCircle – Matchday Specials
Tune in to the GB Hockey YouTube and Facebook pages to see these exclusive shows featuring interviews and challenges with Hollie Pearne-Webb, Susannah Townsend, Adam Dixon, George Pinner, Mark Hager and Danny Kerry.
Match Highlights
You may not be able to watch any live games this weekend but you can instead remind yourself of some classics from years gone by. On Saturday you will be able to divulge in several exciting encounters against the Germans before recounting some thrilling home matches on Sunday, including how GB’s women made history at The Stoop in 2019.
End Of Show Specials
The day will finish off with something guaranteed to put a smile on your face as you get to look back on some of the funnier moments from the recent past, including a hilarious hamster wheel challenge and a selection of memorable outtakes from the GB stars.
Great Britain Hockey media release
Wales and GB midfielder finds her niche
Sarah Jones is one of the most established members of both the Wales and GB set up.
The midfielder played her first Senior game for Wales against Scotland in 2011 and has been a permanent feature in the squad ever since racking up an impressive total of 96 caps, including two Commonwealth Games appearances in both 2014 in Glasgow and 2018 at the Gold Coast.
Jones was called into the GB cycle in 2016 and made her debut during the 2018 Champions Trophy. Having scored on her GB International debut against Argentina, she has become a mainstay of the team achieving 29 caps.
Following lockdown Jones returned to play with both GB and Holcombe, her club of 5 years, and the focus and drive that we have been privileged to witness throughout her playing career came into play once again.
Sarah truly embraced being back on the pitch for GB when she was selected to play in all four recent FIH Pro League matches against the Netherlands and Belgium, showing incredible attacking play and being rewarded with a great goal in the first of two games against Belgium,
“When we went back to training earlier in the summer, I really appreciated how much I had missed hockey and the sense of normality it brings to my routine.
“At first [GB] training was a bit strange as we were in bubbles, so we didn’t get to see some of our teammates, but as restrictions began to lift and we moved closer to the Pro League games the excitement definitely built up.
“Getting out on the pitch to play competitive hockey both for my club and GB has been brilliant. Whilst I have always appreciated being able to do what I love every day; it is only when it is taken away do you fully understand its true value.”
Sarah brings a huge amount of experience and drive to her sport. In matches she is well known for being a formidable team player and for her combative style in attack, but throughout the summer we witnessed how she utilises her passion for the sport to encourage others to get involved, not least with her lockdown antics on zoom sessions with Flyerz Hockey,
“It is great that I am able to do what I love every day and to be able to use my passion for the game to get others involved.
“Not being able to play throughout lockdown was hard for everyone, so if I was able to help people continue their enjoyment of the game while we all got through that tricky time then that’s good.”
This season has seen Sarah join forces with her new sponsor, Niche.
Niche are an award-winning firm of Chartered Financial Planners based in Newport, providing independent financial advice with a focus on lifetime financial planning. They also provide regulated financial advice to many professional sports teams and individuals across the country, helping them plan for their careers now and their lives beyond sport.
Speaking about the partnership Matt Wiltshire, Chartered Financial Planner and Managing Director of Niche, explained,
“Everyone at Niche goes above and beyond to ensure our clients receive a great service, and Sarah does exactly the same within her sport. Her incredible work ethic and dedication demonstrates this partnership is the perfect fit, and we are all really looking forward to supporting Sarah in her ambitions for the coming season.”
Hockey Wales media release
Hockey Ireland Announce Former International, Lisa Jacob as Women’s Manager
Lisa Jacobs (R) with Sharon Hutchinson (L) of Cork Harelquins at the 2019 Hockey Ireland WIS conference
Hockey Ireland is pleased to announce the appointment of former dual international athlete Lisa Jacob as Manager to the International Women’s Hockey Team. Lisa amassed 139 caps and scored 17 goals for the Irish Women’s Hockey Team between 2006 and 2014. She became the first Irish woman to be professionally contracted by a Dutch Hoofdklasse club, playing for Stichtsche Cricket en Hockey Club (SCHC) in 2013. After almost a decade playing international hockey, she then took up a contract to play with the Irish Women’s Rugby 7’s squad for 18 months.
“I am delighted to join the Green Army as they go into a very exciting and demanding year ahead,” said Jacobs. “I hope in my role I can support the players and staff to prepare, perform and fulfil their ambitious goals.”
Lisa has previously worked as a Coach developer with Hockey Ireland and has been assistant coach to the Irish U16 and U18 girl’s hockey teams. She boasts a wide array of experience from her international playing careers in Hockey and Rugby, as well as a background in Executive Coaching.
Director of High Performance, Adam Grainger said, “Following on from the significant contribution that Arlene Boyles made as Senior Women’s Team Manager, the appointment of Lisa Jacob is welcomed. Lisa’s wide variety of high performance skills and hockey experiences will add to their programme as it intensifies towards the European Championship and Tokyo Olympics participation in 2021. The players and the staff look forward to working with Lisa.”
Irish Hockey Association media release
Forgetful coach denies toxic hockey claims
Justin Chadwick
Coach Paul Gaudoin says claims of a toxic culture within the Hockeyroos ranks are wide of the mark. Credit: AAP
Hockeyroos coach Paul Gaudoin denies there's a toxic culture within his set-up, but admits he has missed meetings with players.
The Australian women's hockey team has been in the headlines in recent weeks amidst accusations of a bullying culture and the resignation of its three co-captains.
Georgina Morgan and Emily Chalker were the first to step down as skippers, and the Hockeyroos were left with a complete leadership vacuum when Jodie Kenny announced her retirement two weeks later.
Two-time Olympian Nicole Arrold, who spent a brief period as an assistant under Gaudoin, said a decade of poor culture within the set-up had hurt the Hockeyroos.
Arrold said bullying allegations had been handled poorly in the past, and that Gaudoin's leadership had been chaotic and disorganised with a lack of clear direction.
She also said Gaudoin, who was appointed coach at the end of 2016, simply forgot to turn up to several key meetings.
Gaudoin admitted to missing the meetings, but he feels the other allegations are off the mark.
"I missed some meetings, yeah, I'm happy to say that," Gaudoin said on Tuesday.
"There's various reasons for those and I don't want to get caught up into that. But that can happen at times.
"I'm not perfect, but I followed up certainly on many occasions with those players."
The Hockeyroos were once the golden child of Australian sport, but they have been mired in controversies in recent years.
Then-coach Adam Commens had his contract terminated straight after the 2016 Rio games for engaging in behaviour that Hockey Australia deemed amounted to serious misconduct.
HA launched an investigation into other aspects of that Rio Games, but rumours of unrest continue to haunt the team.
Gaudoin says he has been respectful of any player dealing with mental health issues, and he supports an environment where any member can approach him with ideas or complaints.
He said it was a concern that some players were approaching the media to air their complaints instead of turning to him.
"All we can ask for is to keep talking to us, that's the most important thing," Gaudoin said.
"That's why I've got staff to help support them with those decisions in terms of how we deal with that.
"For us it's been a really important part after Rio to come in and make sure we've got people who are feeling supported within the program."
Hockeyroos midfielder Jane Claxton, who is part of the current Super Camp in Perth, believes the team is in the process of developing a strong culture.
"In the Rio campaign there were issues and they were presented to the board, and we've been working through them like any organisation," Claxton said.
"You have your ups and downs. Elite sport is unique in that it's a very high intense environment.
"Some people flourish, and some people don't, and that's OK.
"Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we get it wrong. But we're in a positive space as a playing group."
7 News
Hall of Fame - Don McWatters
A dual Olympian, Don McWatters played for, captained and coached Australia’s national men’s hockey team over the course of two decades.
Debuting for the Kookaburras in July 1961 against New Zealand, Don went on to make 42 appearances and score 15 goals in his international career. He also captained the team from 1966-1968.
He was a member of the Australian side that took home a bronze medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, before claiming silver four years later in Mexico City where Australia lost 2-1 to Pakistan in the Final.
Post his playing career, Don coached Queensland representative teams and then was appointed Australian Coach in 1977. He was set to guide the team at the 1980 Moscow Olympics until Australia boycotted the Games.
In 2002 Don was inducted into the Hockey Queensland Hall of Fame and the QSport Hall of Fame. He was named in the Hockey Queensland Team of the Century in 2000 as a fullback having represented Queensland from 1956-57, 1959-62 and 1964-68, and inducted as Hockey Queensland’s inaugural Distinguished Player in 2008.
Don also played at the Intervarsity level, captaining the Australian University Team against New Zealand in the one off Test Match in Brisbane in 1963.
Don has also made significant contributions to hockey in Brisbane, both at Club (University) and intercity level, was a Foundation Member of the Queensland Coaching Committee and has influenced elite coaches such as Greg Browning and Barry Dancer in their developing years.
Don’s induction into the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame was ratified in 2019.
What he said…
“I visualise Australia’s prowess in world hockey as an extended period of evolution fuelled by significant contribution by many players, coaches and officials. Australia’s Hall of Fame is an official list of Australians who dedicated mental and physical effort to hockey and specifically, Australia’s prominence in world hockey.
During my time at international level, The Australian Men’s Team leapt from fifth or sixth in the world to third with Australia’s first Olympic Medal won in Tokyo, 1964. The foresight to liaise our preparation with the rapid development of Sports Medicine contributed strongly to our success. By Mexico 1968, our skills and strategies had progressed to have us equal with the Indians and Pakistanis, but we had to settle for Silver.
When I became Australian Coach in 1977, our team was at a pinnacle, being extremely unlucky not to have won Gold in Montreal in 1976. Unfortunately, the boycott of Moscow 1980 neutered our chance to try again for Gold.
I am extremely thrilled and proud that Hockey Australia has inducted me to its Hall of Fame merely for enjoying myself!” Don McWatters
From those in the know…
“Don McWatters dominated the fullback position for Australia during his period of representation from 1961-1968. Being tall in stature he epitomised the attributes of outstanding athletes by always appearing to have an enormous amount of time and never appearing to be hurried. He was wonderfully mobile, balanced and an extremely good tackler. Don was renowned for his hitting, especially penalty corners, and in an era of grass fields, wooden sticks and leather balls he generated great speed with what was a comparatively light stick. Timing was his attribute.
Don captained Australia, was a real student of the game and after retiring from international hockey went on to become a successful coach at all levels. His induction into the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame is a fitting acknowledgement of the player and the man.” Des Piper (Former Australian Selector and Olympic teammate)
Hockey Timeline
Player
Queensland
1956-1957, 1959-1962, 1964-1968 Queensland Men’s Team
Intervarsity
1963 Australian University Team
Australia
1961-1968 Men’s National Team
1964 Tokyo Olympic Games Bronze Medal
1968 Mexico City Olympic Games Silver Medal
Coach
Queensland
1969-1978 Queensland Men’s Team
Australia
1977-1981 Men’s National Team
Administrator
Foundation member Queensland Coaching Committee
Awards
2002 Hockey Queensland Hall of Fame inductee
2002 QSport Hall of Fame inductee
2000 Hockey Queensland Team of the Century
2008 Inaugural Hockey Queensland Distinguished Player
Hockey Australia media release
USWNT Makes The Proving Grounds Temporary Home
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After much consideration, USA Field Hockey is pleased to announce that The Proving Grounds will be the temporary training site to the U.S. Women’s National Team. This multi-sport venue will serve as the centralized home to the USWNT through the end of June 2021.
The Proving Grounds is located in Conshohocken, Pa. and is a large multi-sport tournament complex that first opened in 2013. It has a certified International Hockey Federation (FIH) global water-based turf field, which is the home to Villanova University’s field hockey team. It also boosts five NCAA regulation artificial field turfs that have lights and a 10,000 square foot indoor turf facility.
Centrally located just outside of Philadelphia, The Proving Grounds sits within the Golden Triangle with easy access to three different interstates. It is also a short distance from the King of Prussia and Valley Forge areas, and 25 minutes to the Philadelphia International Airport.
Valley Forge and Montgomery County, Pa. offer a variety of things to do, and places to stay, from the Valley Forge National Historical Park and King of Prussia Mall to almost 100 miles of trails, 80 hotels, 1,600 restaurants, more than 30 breweries, wineries, and distilleries, 50 golf courses, family-friendly attractions, and 200 arts and culture venues.
There is no set return to organized training for the USWNT yet, but the athletes have the ability to train on The Proving Grounds field when available.
USFHA media release
New Zealand hockey boss set for busy start
Lily Owsley takes on the New Zealand defence. Credit Simon Parker
Incoming New Zealand Hockey chief executive Anthony Crummy will join the sport at the start of “probably the busiest period in the sport’s history”.
Crummy, who starts in January, was recently appointed as NZ hockey’s boss following two years of uncertainty at the embattled governing body.
Crummy has an impressive CV as he aims to turn around the sport following work as New Zealand Cricket’s deputy chief executive and senior positions at the 2015 Cricket World Cup and 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Hockey NZ chair Mike Bignell was optimistic that Crummy’s management experience can make inroads both on and off the field.
He said: “We are looking forward to leveraging Anthony’s expertise, not only in propelling hockey’s growth and development from the strong base built over the past decade, but also in continuing the sport’s transition to semi-professionalism.”
New Zealand’s Premier Hockey League starts this week for the women, and the men a week later.
New Zealand’s top men and women players have been split into eight teams for the tournament which runs until next month.
Bignell added: “There’s real excitement about our best players going head-to-head in the new Premier Hockey League, followed by probably the busiest period in the sport’s history in 2021 and 2022.”
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A life after lockdown
Boris must let us finish the job, but what are we actually playing for, England Hockey?
By Edd Thorogood
Ahead of the 2021/22 restructure, England Hockey should be celebrated for the way in which they have brough hockey back safely once, they must now implore the government to allow us to finish the 2020/21 season properly as we aim to ‘return to play’ once more. However they must also get their house in order, clubs must have a clear directive as to what they are playing for this season.
It was with great disappointment that the announcement had to be made that the 2020/21 season would take a hiatus. When Boris Johnson made his umpteenth U-turn on policy and his own tier system, there was little doubt in everyone’s mind that the season would have to take a break. This disappointment was magnified by the ‘kick in the teeth’ to England Hockey who have gone to great lengths to ensure that our sport is as COVID safe as it could possibly be, without testing every player at every club. There was a tangible air of frustration as the ‘last games before Christmas’ came to an end on Saturday, but a renewed hope that we would be back sooner than the 14 weeks we had to endure last time around. England Hockey must now out do themselves once more and not only work with the government to get us back out there, but also ‘think outside the box’ in order to make finishing this season the priority with the restructure just round the corner.
Aside from the obvious benefits of league and community hockey, we have to give clear consideration to the health and mental health benefits that the playing of sport ensure. Its not just the building of a season, extensive high-quality coaching, improving squad depth, boosting club ethos and vital individual and team development that come with successful seasons, but the simple activity, camaraderie and social aspect of playing hockey that is vital to the wellbeing of all our players at every age and level. We simply cannot be kept in captivity for months to come. Every club has forgone the social aspect of the hockey world to ensure the playing side of things has gone smoothly. Countless volunteers have acted as our wonderful COVID officers to ensure social distancing, facility crossovers, training registers, hand sanitisation and match day rosters have been 100% in check, all to enable us to return to the pitch, the only bonus this time around is we have done it all before so we will be ready to step back out there as soon as we get the green light.
England hockey and our five sub regions and county regions need to work together to make sure clubs are given the very best chance to complete the league season. It has not yet been made clear by England Hockey how the new structure will be implemented just yet and what implication league placings may have from this season. In this period of enforced rest, it might be an idea for Ed Barnard and his team to produce a clear guide as to how this season may impact the restructure, this alone might settle some nerves surrounding the current interval. Just on that, there is a real sense of ‘no direction’ from the top as clubs aim to understand what their final standings will mean for next year, what are we actually playing for? It is also widely known that clubs are still in limbo as to which region they may end up in. With everything else in the world creating so much uncertainty, could we see a bit more of the assured leadership from the team at the top that so brilliantly mapped out our return to play after last lock down.
Given that the season started on time and the overall belief and desire was to fit in a ‘normal’ season, it was with great pride and desire that our league and cup structure was firmly put in place for 2020/21. Yes, we all knew there was potential for a few bumps in the road, but we lived in hope that the glory of league titles alongside cup success was possible. However, the break for lockdown #2 and the likelihood of further tier restrictions coming into play, organisers must now be proactive in the road map ahead for the remainder of the season and lighten the burden on clubs to get games in before the summer.
Regions that have so far avoided the tier system will have a minimum of four games to catch up on, some, particularly north of the midlands will have many more to fit in. It would be a sensible option for the powers that be to cancel the cup competitions before they even get started. Free clubs up from that commitment and take the pressure off facilities to fit in a plethora of Sunday cup games. With the lock down set to finish on the 2nd of December, clubs should be given guidance for an immediate return to play, with the period before Christmas used effectively to lighten the impact of the current recess, but not on their own terms, regional and county leagues should take a lead to give clear structure to this period. Clubs should be given between the 2nd and 12th to get back to hockey, even utilise the 5th of December as a preparation date, then the 12th and 19th should be used to catch up on league games with the previously planned 7th and 14th November fixtures played then. The fixtures during lockdown should be delayed, not postponed or rearranged. Then after Christmas we would see another prep week up to the 9th of January when league games would restart for the following 14 weeks, allowing a week off for Easter, with the season finishing on the 17th April. This would not only limit the impact on the 2021 cricket season but would mean clubs all over the country not having to fit in Sunday or midweek double headers. Essentially this would mean extending the season by 4 weeks, something we should have expected as a minimum, given the potential for further disruption from when we returned in September. Any further games that are postponed for weather or isolation can be caught up on the Sunday’s or midweek. Given that there appears to be no impending playoffs, remove the cups and we are then clear to finalise the league set up with few or minimal distractions, we hope. It would prompt a chaotic post-Christmas period if clubs were left to figure out themselves how to fit in the fixtures missed for lock down.
All in all, we must be incredibly grateful to all at England Hockey for getting us back out there last time around, it must not be underestimated just how important it is to have hockey for peoples mental and physical wellbeing. To have been able to play for as long as we did, just over two months of COVID secure friendly and league hockey, shows the world that we are ready to go again. With some strong leadership from England hockey and the regional/county reps, the return to play #2 and the resumption and completion of the league campaign can be done smoothly and effectively with the removal of the cups and extending the season to allow for the current remaining games to, not only be completed on Saturday’s, but also for us to pick up exactly where we left off. Bisham Abbey must decide and communicate how the 2021/22 season will look, clubs are desperate to know what their future holds and clear directives as to how this season may impact the restructure would be most welcome, nationwide. Only time will tell if the government and the powers that be will make the right calls to allow our wonderful sport to lead the way once more in this strange and disrupted world we now live in. Stay positive, stay strong, we will get back out there and we will finish the season.
Hockey World News
India women grace Vogue India issue
MARLOW - 2019 Test Matches: India Great Britain v India (W) Photo: WORLDSPORTPICS COPYRIGHT WILL PALMER
Vogue India has chosen India’s hockey women as part of the magazine’s November issue featuring its women of the year 2020.
The squad, who have spent a large chunk of 2020 in lockdown at their Bengaluru camp, have seen their profile rise thanks to the launch of their #GIVE100FORCOVID which has raised over £20,000 for migrant workers.
“Each one of us in the team knows what it’s like to go hungry or not know when our next meal will be. We could feel their pain,” captain Rani Rampal, whose father was a cart puller, told the publication.
“As a team, we wanted to help them financially, but through a way that we know best.”
Vogue India’s November issue
Most of the Indian women’s team hail from rural areas and were educated at non-English speaking schools.
During lockdown they took up English lessons online and their Dutch coach Sjoerd Marijne says the team now has a sense of togetherness as the second countdown to Tokyo 2020 approaches.
He said: “They’ve had a good break with their families and have come back more determined than ever. I see a huge change in each of their personalities since I took over as coach in 2017. They each have this sense of ownership now.”