Most of us have at some point in our lives been in a situation where we have had to let go. It may have been a sick pet, a bad job, or a partner. It can at times be heart-wrenching, but in most of those situations you know that you are doing the right thing, and that you will survive.
There are many involved with hockey who care deeply about the game’s future who are now questioning whether the sport can afford to keep the FIH Pro League going. Whether the time is now, or if it has not yet come it cannot be far away when those in power within the FIH have to let this dream of a global league go.If a decision has not been made by the time of the Congress then It should certainly be one of the top agenda items.
The competition should have been in its third year of existence by now, but sadly due to the Covid Pandemic the second year of competition is still limping along. Instead of stopping the 2020 League, the FIH decided to try and keep it going. It was an admirable gesture, and was a decision no doubt linked to commercial aspects such as revenue from television and a few sponsors.
Yet with hindsight, which ironically they say is 20/20 vision, was it the right decision?
The first games were played in the Women’s competition on the 11th January 2020 and in the Men’s on the 18th January 2020. The league was moving along as planned when suddenly the world started to realise that the Covid 19 virus was far worse than many realised. Australia’s home games against Argentina were played on the 7th of March and then the league was put on hold.
The next games were played on September 22nd when Germany hosted neighbours Belgium in both competitions. Over a month later the Netherlands played Great Britain. There was a flurry of games suddenly with matches played on the 31st of October, 1st and 4th of November, then nothing. The next matches were played on the 5th of February 2021 in the Men’s League. Another month has passed before their League sees more teams in action this weekend. In the Women’s League there have been no games since the 4th November.
There have been 38 games played in the men’s tournament in 13 months. In the Women’s competition 27 games in almost 14 months; one was started and abandoned due to the weather. That equates to 38 games in 411 days (up to 5th March 2021) and 27 games in 418 days in the Women’s competition. There are still 37 and 43 matches to played respectively before the end of May. Is that possible?
If the current travel quarantine rules apply it is very unlikely that New Zealand and Australia will travel to Europe to play their final matches on 30th May 2021. The earliest they are likely to return home would be the 2nd of June. Then they could face two weeks quarantine in a hotel when they return. So they would only be able to resume training for the Olympic games around the 16th June. If, as is rumoured all Olympic athletes are going to have to arrive in Tokyo 2-3 weeks before the start of the Olympic Games on the 23rd of July, their training time is going to be extremely limited. Ultimately which prize carries more weight, the Pro League or an Olympic medal? Probably more importantly which one carries the most importance when it comes to Government funding?
When it comes to following a league competition the first year was complicated by having a percentage system based on the points gained against the games played. (The Dawn of a New Rivalry) It was an unnecessary complication, most sports fans know what a league table is and can see that one team has played less games than another.
This second year saw teams now playing their opposition twice rather than the once in year one, and they would no longer travel to every country to play everyone home and away. (Is The Pro League Heading in the Right Direction?) While this was a huge cost saving it again undermined the concept of a League competition. Unfortunately the Covid Pandemic has exacerbated that issue. Games are now so far apart and the league has dragged on so long that only the truly dedicated know how many games each nation has played and who sits where on the league table.
The problem is now the league is not being paid the respect it’s players deserve. In Australia the last round of matches were aired at 6am the day after they had taken place. With the games being geo-blocked there is no way of watching the games live, without having to create an overseas VPN. Many fans are simply not going to bother doing that. Once they know the result few will watch the whole game after it has happened. So hockey has joined many other sports by being slotted in as a ‘wallpaper sport.’ One that simply fills a time slot on the station in question.
Which begs the question by keeping the League going, has it in fact done the brand more harm than good? Will the sport regain that live spot again?
The League was always going to be a risk. Cricket and Rugby Union had the concept pitched to them and both had rejected it. To create a global league with international teams is an interesting concept, as while the national team in many sports is the pinnacle of that sport, often the local teams garner more support. The fans feel a far greater connection with a club than their national side; unless it is a World Cup or a major tournament.
As we have seen from the Financial figures that have been released the FIH Pro League is being blamed for the current financial situation that the World body finds itself in. The FIH in their 2018 accounts warned of “an important negative result in 2019.” In fact they stated quite clearly that due to the league they had “not foreseen to have a positive financial result…or even a break-even in year one”.
The 2019 Financials published earlier this year indicate the Pro League produced a deficit of just over CHF1.5 million (USD$1.7 million) over the course of the year. It is unlikely due to the Pandemic and the drawn out league from 2020 stretching now well into 2021, that there will be a profit anytime soon.
There are some big questions that need to be asked, why does the FIH Pro League exist and should the FIH be running the League?
What is the role of an International Federation? Is their role really to organise tournaments? Yes, they should run their World Cup as this is their big money-making event, and many would argue also the Champions Trophy if it was re-instated, but should they be running a league competition?
If you read the fundamental purposes of the FIH in its own statutes, nowhere does it state that its purpose is to organise and run competitions. Some may argue that point 1.4 subsection d does say that this is their role. This sections reads:
“to control the organisation and scheduling of competitions (including, without limitation, “world” or “international” championships and other events purporting to be “world” or “international” events or to determine “world” or “international” champions of Hockey), so as to ensure that the sporting calendar is organised and scheduled in accordance with the best long-term interests and priorities of the sport as a whole;”
To control the organisation, not to organise. Organisational control in the majority of business situations refers to processes by which a body is able to establish and maintain control over an event. In other words they have the final say. They lay out the rules under which the event can be held, along with the non-negotiable requirements, but they leave the operational side to others.
With the money that comes from the IOC which in 2019 was CHF6.25 million (USD$7 million), surely there is a responsibility to invest that money wisely within the sport rather than put it at risk?
In fact the organisation of a sporting calendar has been promised at the last two FIH Congresses, but have we seen a consistent calendar year on year that everyone can work around? A Calendar that protects the clubs that supply the International teams? The broadcasters have been asking for such a calendar so that they know when they are planning that, like Wimbledon or the FA Cup final certain events fall on a set time slot each year.
Hockey fans are well aware that before the league commenced India pulled out, (The Month That Changed the Game) and within the agreed period. Pakistan then withdrew once the league had commenced. They faced an international ban according to the Pro League agreement, but that never eventuated. Teams in the Pro-League were not supposed to play each other outside of the League games, yet now we have seen Australia and Belgium play albeit the side named a “Belgium A” side. Now India, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain are all playing “practice matches” which will not receive full international recognition. With some of these games being live streamed there cannot even be a claim that they are behind closed doors. These rules were created to protect the competition. Sure these are different times, but by breaking the League rules you undermine the competition as a whole. Maybe these are the Chuck Yeager rules. The US flying ace was quoted as saying, “rules are made for people who aren’t willing to make up their own.”
What were the goals of the Pro League? Is it too early to be judging the League on those goals? Is it unfair to judge it under such circumstances?
We were told that it was to bring together the creme de la creme of world hockey in front of home crowds so those home fans could see their stars perform more regularly. A noble idea, but one that has hit problems with some countries playing all of their games at one venue or in one city. That is not going to help grow the game. Then there were those like Australia who tried to take the game to other cities, but being such a vast country the costs were enormous. They even had the situation when playing New Zealand where the visiting team had less distance to travel than the home team!
These games and the tournament were going to raise hockey’s visibility. While it was great that so many television stations paid to broadcast the league, it was not good that fans could not see the games live in many of these countries. It also proved detrimental to the sport that during the first year the broadcast standards were not uniform and we saw cost-cutting measure take place that compromised the product. It has dropped further in season two. Had it started at lower point and built up that would have been seen as a plus, but to go the other way will do more harm than good. We were told that “the name was selected as it captured the entertainment-focused nature of the League,” while the hockey has been at times breathtaking, the jury is still out as to whether the broadcast could be classed as being entertainment-focussed. Even comparing it to the Hockey India League in years two and three there can be no comparison in terms of entertainment.
The former CEO told the world after his helicopter stunt in 2017 “it will feature the very best in the sport – ‘the pros’. It is also indicative of the increased professionalism that fans will start to see coming into the League.” Hockey is not a professional sport. If the Pro League was going to lead to the sport turning professional, that vision now looks less likely than ever in part because of the Pro League. Many of the players have senior roles in their jobs, and while they would be given time off for a two week tournament every so often, or would take leave to play, the Pro League is asking them to spend more time away from their work. Some have been forced to make themselves unavailable for batches of matches because their work will not allow them the time off. If the league was going to bring in money to make the players professional where is that money going to come from? The National Associations who signed up for the Pro League are themselves finding the costs to be even greater than they anticipated, and most are now very cash-strapped. So they are unlikely to pursue that option any time in the near future.
When International travel returns to some semblance of normality there will be the added burden of higher air fares than those we enjoyed previously. Airlines are still likely to be restricted with passenger numbers and will not only be looking to recoup some of the revenue they have lost in the last year, but will need to raise the price of fares simply to cover operating costs.
“We strongly believe that this new competition will fuel the growth of our sport for many years to come, significantly increasing revenues for hockey.” These were the words of Jason McCracken in 2017, and he followed up with, “as a result it will become a professional sport.” It would be interesting to know the timeframe in which this was going to happen. As clearly that was not going to occur in a couple of years. In fact it would be hard to imagine any noticeable growth in such a short period of time. Yet for that growth to occur there has to be a plan to drive growth, and while piggy-backing on the league is a great opportunity how many National Associations had such a plan in place? Or probably a more appropriate question would be how many of the competing nations needed to have such a plan in place? After all those competing are the creme de la creme, they are the nations where hockey is already strong. It is in those other nations that we need to see growth, so that the sport has a larger pool of competitive nations vying to make the top ten. Maybe Pro League matches should be hosted by these nations?
What has exacerbated this situation in 2020 is the new World Rankings points system, and the fact that World Ranking points are available to all the teams playing in the Pro League in every match that they play. These top nations already play more international matches than many of the other nations affiliated with the FIH, so what has been created is a cartel whereby those in the Pro League cannot fall out of the top ten nations. That is not good for the sport. This needs to be re-visited and all nations must be given an equal opportunity to gain World Ranking points each year. Even if it means that these points are only available in a set number of games per year.
The other issue that the Pro League has created is one that Football managed to overcome by creating FIFA weekends, is that of club v country. The clubs are the lifeblood of every sport in every country across the world. They are the ones who nurture and bring the players through who eventually go on and play at International level. So it is vitally important that the clubs are looked after. The timing of the Pro League games at the start of the year through to May clashed with many of the European League competitions. These are competitions where many of the players are paid a far better match fee than they receive playing for their country. So there have been times when they have had to chose between their club and their country. If the club is vying for a Championship the pressure will mount for them to be available for their club.
FIFA faced the same problem for decades. A problem that put players from countries such as Australia who had made it to the top in England and Italy, in a very difficult position. As their international fixtures would often be scheduled during the European seasons. Many players were told if they went back to play for Australia they would not be picked again for their club. We saw clubs claiming a player was injured rather than allowing them to travel and risk injury. To combat this FIFA created windows when international matches are scheduled. Every nation whether they are in the top ten or ranked 132 can play that weekend, and all players are free to play without consequence. It has been hugely successful and Hockey needs to adopt a similar system in order to protect the clubs and offer equality in terms of world ranking points opportunities to all its members.
One interesting question, which can only be hypothetical, is would the Pro League have managed to get off the ground if the Hockey India League had continued? Not only were the two expected to clash, – although there was talk of a shift in dates for the HIL, – but the Hockey Indian League gave the top players a real financial reward for their services.
Jason McCracken claimed before he left that the FIH was looking forward “to working on delivering a truly exceptional League whilst also ensuring we raise the standard and profile of our other international competitions across all levels of the sport.” Many will argue that the other competitions have sadly slipped out of consciousness, that the focus is far too weighted towards the Pro League, and for what rewards?
One of the selling points for the League was the guarantee that games would be played in “big, bold, packed and loud venues.” Has that happened? Is that what Hockey crowds are like in most places in the world? They are like that in Asia, and everyone had witnessed the Hockey India league where for the finals in Ranchi the venue was closed two hours before the bronze medal match because it was full, and there were nearly as many people outside the stadium. Once again, despite the action on the pitch the crowds have not always been big and rarely loud. The television stations were expecting an atmosphere similar to the Indian Premier League cricket. A festival atmosphere with music and fireworks, a spectacle. It did not happen. Playing games at night may well have assisted in achieving this, but there still needed to be an investment in making each game an event that people wanted to come back to or tune in and watch.
This competition was we were told five years in the making. Yet prior to its launch the key players in its development at the FIH all left their jobs. (Who’s Left? – The TV & Broadcast Director was convinced to stay on after this was written but resigned in 2019). This in itself was unusual. Most people who invest so much of their life into a project want to stay around to see it come to fruition.
Was there adequate planning when it came to marketing the league as a whole as well as each game, and ensuring that each was a special event? Was there even a budget to try and achieve this?
The FIH Pro League was a key part of the FIH’s famed Hockey Revolution launched at its congress in 2014. This was a ten year plan that was going to achieve so much.(Time For a United Approach) One wonders with the League floundering how the whole revolution is travelling.
When Thierry Weil came in as the CEO in an interview posted on the FIH website he stated “The term ‘revolution’ means dramatic change, so for me, as an outsider, a revolution within the sport is an exciting prospect but it’s not easy to implement because the passion for the sport makes it difficult to introduce too much radical change.” Now two and a half years into the role he has maybe found just how difficult. He went on to say, in relation to being an outsider and a newcomer to the sport, “I can ask stupid questions or have crazy ideas that would actually fit in with the idea of a Hockey Revolution. They are the questions that those within the sport would never dream of asking. It means I can have conversations that at least will open people’s minds to new ideas.”
Possibly one of the hardest decisions he faces at the moment is whether to keep the FIH Pro_league which started in January 2020 limping on until the end of May, or whether the FIH should cut their loses and close it down like many other competitions world wide. Hopefully in the downtime since the Covid Pandemic struck work is being done to restructure the league to make it a more appealing and successful venture. One of the keys to making it a success is having games played every week as they do in most league competitions.
The great thing is the Pandemic has given everyone a reason to change and so if a decision were made the judgement would not be as harsh.
So is it time for that painful decision to end the relationship? Despite the pain, is it the right thing to do at this point in time? Difficult questions and painful ones to answer but most importantly what needs to be done is what is right for the sport in the long term. If that is to tough it out, then so be it, but there is a great deal of work to be done to achieve the lofty goals that were set.
