Last month I attended various FIH meetings and the Men’s World League Semi-finals in Rotterdam.
There is plenty to talk about but here are some of my impressions.
There has been so much discussion on hockey’s position in the world of sport and Olympics – this mystifies me to a large extent.
I have always said the game of hockey is one of the best kept secrets in the world of sport and it is time for us to take off the cloak of modesty and show the world of sport the incredible skills of the fastest ball game in the world.
We need to market and popularise the game widely – and present it live, on television and electronically to better effect. It’s interesting how television productions make other sports so photogenic e.g the Tour de France.
Also it is time for hockey players, supporters and officials to step forward and show via electronic or social media the popularity of the game and to market our hockey heroes.
There has been much talk about the World League and many of the critics do not fully understand that the aim of this competition is to broaden international competition and spread it worldwide over longer periods to increase the visibility and ‘presence’ of hockey.
Of course, the present Competitions Calendar needs constant review to make international participation affordable to National Associations and keep the players’ health and welfare in mind.
You will probably know by now that the format for the Youth Olympics in Nanjing in 2014 is 5- a-side, called Hockey5s. This exciting format can be used for development purposes, has exciting marketing potential and can be used to “kick-start” hockey in new member nations of the FIH. Align or ally this to Indoor Hockey with the recent FIH rule change and we have a very attractive product for youth and development.
Steve Jaspan is the Chairman of the FIH High Performance and Coaching Advisory Panel. The South African native contributes a monthly column to the FIH website called Viewpoint.
