Throwing a roll of hockey carpet down upon a public square is the unique way that one North African hockey federation has decided to build its hockey legacy. And sure enough, young people have been turning up in their thousands to try their hand at this new sporting activity.
Kamal Ghallali is President of the Royal Moroccan Hockey Federation, a national federation that is working hard to build a hockey infrastructure to develop the game at grass roots and elite level.
With the Hockey World League reaching its conclusion at the glittering end of year events in India and Argentina and the sight of Rio 2016 looming on the horizon, Kamal is all too aware that there has never been a better time to inspire a new generation of players to take up the sport.
While Morocco will not be entering a team into the Africa Cup of Nations this year, Kamal is hopeful that the national squads will soon be competing on the big stage.
To enthuse and encourage people to take up the sport, the Hockey Federation has introduced four initiatives. Kamal is both pleased and surprised by the speed of change across the North African nation as a result of these projects.
“The Royal Moroccan Hockey Federation was established in 1956, yet hockey was limited to Casablanca city. Now hockey is spreading to many cities thanks to these projects and the tremendous effort on the part of the people running them.
“There are now about 3,800 hockey players in Morocco. The large proportion of these (75 percent) are aged 10-16, which is the target group for the projects.”
‘Hockey Open Days’ are all about inspiration. School children are invited along to an ‘Open Day’, which includes a video presentation demonstrating the speed and skill involved in top level hockey.
The pupils, aged between 10-14 years, then watch a live exhibition match, before being given a chance to put all they have seen into practice through a coaching session delivered by coaches and teachers.
Casahockey is a hockey roadshow. A team of coaches and experienced players will throw down a roll of hockey turf in a public place, such as a market square within the city, and invite the public to join in.
The players may put on a demonstration match first or do a specific skills demonstration, and then it is over to the public to try their hand at the sport.
While Casahockey remains in one town or city, Caravane du Hockey is the travelling roadshow. Here, the team will move from city to city, inviting local schools and clubs to join them as they put on demonstrations, coaching sessions and exhibition matches.
The final initiative is the residential Hockey Camp. Coaches, employed by the Hockey Federation, are sent hockey coaching materials which they use to deliver intensive 10-12 days of training to a group of girls and boys. These camps are organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sport.
Hockey in Morocco is now played in more than 10 cities, with three leagues on the verge of formal recognition by the Federation.
Kamal and the Federation’s aim is to have eight teams in each of the 12 regions of Morocco by 2020. And, with a view to hosting international events, the construction of a hockey complex, complete with two water-based pitches, a hotel, swimming pool and meeting rooms is also getting close to fruition.
The growth and success of these development projects in Morocco are certainly an inspiration to other nations. Whilst Rio 2016 may have come too early for this North African country, if such expansion continues it won’t be long before Morocco are competing regularly on the world stage once again.
