High Fives – If Used Properly

The International Hockey Federation’s bi-ennial Congress was held over the weekend in New Delhi. Much of the event was live-streamed and fans could tune in and hear what was said, and also gauge the reactions of delegates.

There were a number of positives to come out of the meeting, especially the new development strategy which has been named ‘Hockey2024.’ This according to the FIH puts “the global promotion and development of hockey at the heart of all FIH activities, the purpose being to create long-term sustainable growth through the key pillars of Participation, Education and Infrastructure.” This has to happen.

As covered in “Time For A United Approach” the FIH at their 2014 Congress launched the “Hockey Revolution” and two of the goals within that strategy were to “build a recognised, powerful image for hockey,” and to “generate millions more followers around the world.” Many within the game felt that not much was achieved in this space in the past six years, so it is vital with new staff in Marketing, that there is clearly promotion and development globally in the next six years up to 2024.

Two ways in which the FIH sees they can bolster Hockey’s image and participation are by playing more Hockey Fives and no longer forcing matches to be played on artificial turf. At present there will not be a return to grass at the International level, but there may be in time.

There are of course plusses and minuses to such a move. In the main the game suddenly becomes more affordable and accessible at grassroots level. That has to be good. There are some who are saying that grass will reduce the level of skill we see from our top international players. This is not likely to be the case. Many of India and Pakistan’s top players started playing on surfaces that make a grass pitch look like a bowling green. Playing on surfaces that are not true actually can enhance your skills. It becomes vital that you have the technique to stop a ball with your stick vertical, rather than the oft-seen horizontal method used by international players on fast and true ‘turf’ pitches. Of course if players excel on these surfaces they will be given the opportunity to showcase their skills on better surfaces. As was always the case even when internationals were played on grass.

Hockey Fives again is the perfect way to raise the profile of the game. The word coming out of New Delhi was that this version of the game means that the FIH can take demonstration matches into cities around the world to showcase the game in countries where it is struggling to get a foothold, or even where Hockey is currently not played. This is a great strategy to grow the game.

However there needs to be some caution.

The word is that the FIH plan to grow this from being simply a fun, fast and accessible series of exhibition matches to actually making it a serious competitive event. No doubt they are seeing the dollar signs being dangled by Television stations looking for ‘wallpaper TV’ to fill gaps in their scheduling, and short bite-size viewing is ideal for that requirement. However they would be wise to remember all that glitters is not gold.

Cricket is a shining light as to how a shortened version of the game has had the opposite effect from that which was intended.

T20 Cricket is essentially that sport’s version of Hockey Fives.

The shortened format of Cricket was initially introduced with the goal of bolstering crowds for the domestic game. Being played under lights in the evening meant that fans could go and watch cricket after work. The shortened version ensured a result.

It is important to remember that T20 was never intended to be played internationally. The first International T20 match was played in February 2005, Australia defeating New Zealand. Wisden, Cricket’s bible wrote of the game that “neither side took the game especially seriously.” In fact many believe that had Ricky Ponting not released the usual shackles placed on him by the weight of expectation, and relaxed and played an innings that exhibited his class as a batsman, International T20 cricket would have died before it climbed out of the cradle. It was Ponting’s ability to add flourishes of improvisation to an already masterful technique that was the difference between the two sides at Eden Park. While everyone else floundered his bat became excalibur.

The players relaxed and played the game with a joie de vivre frequently missing in the win-at-all-costs Test and ODI arena. They played as if they were enjoying playing, and the fans welcomed that side of the game which had been missing since the late seventies. Not surprisingly, based on the crowd’s feedback, a decision was made to have a T20 International tournament. This was played two years after that experimental match with the introduction of the ICC World Twenty20.

The ICC has since introduced limits on how many T20 Internationals a team can play each year. This was done in order to protect Test cricket and One Day Internationals. However in 2016 for the first time in a calendar year, more T20 International matches were played than ODI matches!

There are now numerous club T20 competitions around the globe with the T20 Blast in England, the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League In Australia being some of the biggest. T20 at this level still has its light hearted moments, but no longer is it a “hit and a giggle.” There are huge sums of money at stake. In fact as a result we have witnessed players retire from first class cricket simply to focus on T20 and cash-in. They now play only T20 cricket. The game in its longer forms has been robbed of witnessing some truly magnificent players test themselves in meaningful contests.

Far more importantly than players being lost from the Test Match arena, young players want to step straight into T20 and flail the ball to all corners of the ground. Few are prepared to spend the time required to develop their technique playing traditional shots which then allows them to improvise. Is it any coincidence that Australia’s batsmen currently struggle to occupy the crease for any length of time in Test Cricket?

In addition, in both England and Australia T20 cricket has not in fact helped grow the game. In both countries participation numbers are down. In both countries they have failed to convert fans of this “entertainment” into fans of the longer traditional existing forms of the game. The English game is in such dire straits that the County Championship may well be reduced to just nine professional counties.

So has Hockey done its homework? Will it avoid the same mistakes that cricket has made? Will it too sell its soul for financial stability? Or has it studied the mistakes and has planned to take a different approach?

It is interesting to look at FIFA and how they initially dismissed Futsal, their five-a-side version of the game and one credited with developing the skills of many top players. So Futsal went ahead and created their own association and their own World Tournament. FIFA then tried to take that over but was rejected. They set up their own tournament, but the original one is the still the one that carries the most meaning amongst true fans. The FIH should be credited for embracing this format and looking to use it to grow the game as a whole.

Hockey Fives is the perfect way to take the game to the masses. It is the ideal format to showcase the game in city centres around the globe. In fact the idea has great appeal. Yet the purpose of this must be solely to promote the existing game, and attract new players and fans.

There are plenty of surveys that have been done of late that analyse the modern day sports fan. Many of the younger generation follow players as opposed to clubs or teams. Then you will find that in another section of fandom, loyalty is first to a club and then to the national side. Then of course, in many sports where there is no local league, or the superstars play more overseas than at home, there is a strong tie to the national side when those stars return home and wear the national colours.

So would Hockey be better to look at creating National League teams to showcase Hockey Fives? So the best players from the Belgian league represent that competition, The best from The Dutch League represent their tournament? The same could be done with India, Malaysia, Australia, England and Pakistan, the possibilities are endless. By going down this path the FIH would be working with the national associations and helping promote their competitions and in turn drawing in eyeballs on their competitions and/or their players. This model would clearly offer “global promotion and development of hockey.” This is less likely to be achieved with International teams going head-to-head.

Another alternative would be to create a “Harlem Globetrotters-style” side that tours the world showcasing their skills playing Hockey Fives. Showboating and free styling during games and stunning the fans with what they can do with a hockey ball and stick, while still playing the game. These people, and we will not suggest names, could be paid – Via TV or Sposnsorship money – to promote Hockey. To be ambassadors for the game. Their record as players being promoted wherever they go, so the fans know they were at the pinnacle of the sport. Hockey is a remarkably skilful game, and these players if they trained together and played such games would be ideal to share the wonders of the sport to untapped audiences. Even if they did some of their training routines between games, they would undoubtedly inspire others to pick up sticks and try to emulate them or simply play the game.

Hockey Fives can change the game for the better. It can help achieve the goals set out at the Congress in New Delhi, but it must be used properly, as a vehicle to promote the game. Going down the well-trodden path of international games is not the answer and will, despite the CEO’s assurances, give the IOC an option should they in the future wish to end 11-a-side Hockey at the Olympic Games.

The television money may be enticing, but as Andy Oram stated in his presentation there are other ways to promote the game rather than through mainstream television. Those days where everyone sits in one room watching as a family are gone. The Harlem Globetrotters transformed basketball and its appeal. Imagine what Hockey Fives could do if used cleverly. Video games could be spawned which would again create another whole new audience, from that an 11-a-side version could also evolve.

There is plenty of fear amongst the fans that Hockey Fives could detract from the true form of the game. That will only happen if these games are given international status and those who play are given international caps. Such a move would simply devalue those playing at the highest level in the already two existing forms of the game. To give this statement context Australia has 36 cricketers contracted to play Test, One Day Internationals or T20. Like Boxing and its world Champions, that is too many. Are ten T20 caps comparable to ten Test caps?

If you water down the honour of International representation you erode the history on which the game is built. Yes, the game has to progress, but its history must always be respected and protected. Cricket did not see the value of what it had, and now is paying a heavy price. Hockey will hopefully learn from that lesson. They will use this shortened version of the game purely for promotional purposes to lure in the next generation of players, and grow the game by broadening the focus and playing where hockey has rarely been seen before.

If they do in six years time “Hockey2024” will have achieved some of the goals set out in 2018.