On May 3rd Hockey fans in Australia were in the main relieved to hear that the Australian Hockey League will remain an eleven-a-side competition, at least for another year.
However the sixth paragraph in the press release is still a cause for concern. It read as follows: “Subsequently, on the advice of Management, the HA Board has decided to delay the launch of a fully-revised AHL until 2019, with the 2018 edition to be used as a ‘stepping stone’ to incorporating proposed game modifications and format changes.”
The proposed changes have been highlighted in a previous piece entitled Less Will Not Mean More in New Hockey Nines Format so we will not repeat all of the rule changes here.
In that article Not the Footy Show advised that they had requested from the Australian Sports Commission under the Freedom of Information Act, the report that stated that this body had made the recommendations to reduce the number of players per side on the pitch from eleven to nine.
We were a little baffled to receive an official response from the Australian Sports Commission that stated that they “have reviewed documents and sought advice but have been unable to find any final document (study/review) provided to Hockey Australia that has a recommendation that the Australian Hockey League be reduced to nine-a-side.”
This did not seem right, as the letter sent out to the clubs participating in the trial games of the proposed new format, along with all the new rules stated firstly “as you are aware these tests are aimed at looking at changes to the ‘on field’ product to address the findings of the research conducted by ASC.”
It then went on to state, “the first step in this process was to research what it could look like into the future with current hockey fans and sports fans alike. This study was conducted by the Australian Sports Commission and a number of recommendations were made which are now being further explored by Hockey Australia and its Member Associations.” In the same paragraph we then read, “the research indicates that the 11 a side game in its current form does not deliver enough ‘celebratory moments’ compared with other sports and therefore it is difficulty to build momentum and off field energy and fan engagement both at a venue and via a broadcast.”
So we are told that the research was conducted by the ASC (Australian Sport Commission). We are then told that “the research indicates that the 11 a side game in its current form does not deliver enough ‘celebratory moments.’ ” Which is the premise on which the suggested changes from eleven-a-side to nine-a-side have been created. So is it therefore not fair to assume from this wording that the Australian Sports Commission recommended such radical changes?
It seemed strange that the ASC who had been asked to conduct a review into the sport by the former CEO Cam Vale post the Rio Olympics had no official report if they had made such recommendations. Recommendations that would change the fabric of the game in Australia forever.
So we called the Australian Sports Commission to try and fathom out if there was any such report published. We were told that there was not.
The reason that there was not was according to the ASC because they had been asked to assist in a role similar to a Management consultancy business. They were there to give commercial advice in collaboration with Hockey Australia as to how they could make the Australian Hockey League and other products commercially sustainable. This we were told related to marketing advice on how to build their brand. It was all about finding the best outcomes for Hockey to run as a business.
According to the ASC “No recommendation was made to reduce the number of players in a game. Our recommendation was the game remain as is.” In fact in our conversation we were told that the advice was that a “Big Bash” type event “was to be avoided.”
So the question is where has the recommendation to reduce the numbers of players and make so many radical changes come from? Why is Hockey Australia going down this path?
It is understood that a study was also carried out by research company Neilson. Could it be that they put forward the suggestions that are being pushed through and not the Australian Sports Commission, and that somewhere along the line there has been a miscommunication?
What is worrying to those who are against such a move, one that will see 90 years of history flushed away with the first game in the new format, is that despite the changes not happening in 2018, it appears that they will in 2019.
The Press Release from Hockey Australia confirmed that a great deal of time and energy has been spent on this venture. They admitted time had been spent on “establishing a League Prospectus, a Team Licensing Framework, the development of a League Term Sheet, the development of League naming options and a League Investment Model with extensive consultation throughout.”
Hopefully there will be a League marketing and media strategy too as without promotion and marketing and assured media coverage it will struggle to pull in new fans.
The new format looks a certainty to go ahead in 2019 as we are then told that “the delay will allow HA to establish a separate management entity and ensure the League is launched as imagined with significant partners, exciting event experiences and new League branding.”
Whereas in other sports it is always recommended that a national competition be run as a seperate entity from those administering the game, most of those sports have a far longer league season than what is being proposed for Hockey.
One has to ask whether the competition that is being put forward, a “6-7 Week Home & Away League with 3 home games and 3 away games for each competing team,” needs a whole seperate management entity.
Hopefully the Board will be asking many more questions in the coming months and especially at the upcoming Annual General Meeting. Hopefully they will be attending matches and asking spectators, players, and coaches if they genuinely believe that the right path is being taken. Even asking them for their input as to how the Australian Hockey League can become a sustainable competition, that attracts sponsors and media coverage. They may be surprised as to what they hear, as there are some very good suggestions being bandied about.
There is no doubt that those charged with running the game at the moment have an opportunity to lift hockey to a level that has never been achieved previously. They have the ability to finally make the sport professional, and lay foundations that could last generations. Sure, at times they will have to make unpopular decisions, but as long as there is transparency every step of the way, they will find that people will be more willing to accept those decisions. As after all those changes are for the long term good and future of the game.
To start with it would be good to find out who came up with the reduced player numbers…
