By mjg -
March 15th 2010 @ 5:33am
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Hockey deserves more support
Why isn’t hockey a popular spectator sport in Australia? Hockey has always had a proud history in this country and the game has come a long way since it was played on grass and muddy pitches.
The action is skillful, fast and mostly continuous.
Australia has a distinguished record in both men’s and women’s hockey, crowned with a World Cup triumph Saturday night against Germany.
Field hockey isn’t as physical as ice hockey, but contact occurs and strength is an attribute.
For some reason, hockey has never captured media interest or the public’s imagination. The Sydney Olympics and Champions Trophy in Melbourne should have filled bigger stadiums than they did.
Hockey is a significant spectator sport in India and Pakistan, but remains mostly a “player’s game” in the rest of the world.
One wonders if some clever marketing couldn’t change this.
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JK said | March 15th 2010 @ 5:40am | Report comment
I’ve been looking out for someone to write about it, congrats to the Hockeyroos fantastic effort boy’s. But as for any other commentary on your article, I can’t help, don’t know enough
Brett McKay said | March 15th 2010 @ 8:24am | Report comment
um, JK, the Hockeyroos are the Australian women’s side. The World Cup-winning men are the Kookaburras…
Does this answer your question, MJG??
JK said | March 15th 2010 @ 8:36am | Report comment
Jeeeez……… I know even less than I thought!
vinay verma said | March 15th 2010 @ 7:12am | Report comment
mjg, Hockey was introduced into Australia by the British Army and Navy and was devised as a means to excercise the troops. There may be some element of “class” why Australia has shunned Hockey. And this is ironic because Australia prides itself on its egalitarinism. Another factor is the lack of money in the sport. In the early 20th century Australian cricketers made some money from gate receipts and endorsements but Hockey remained spectatorless.
There is talk now of tapping into the Indian market and playing more matches in India. The problem here is that Indian Hockey needs to administer itself better. There is also a gap in the standard between the top four and the bottom four. Sadly India and Pakistan are in the bottom half. Most of Australia’s top players play in the European leagues to make ends meet. It is a great sport but Australians need to get behind their Hockey and the sponsors will come. It does need proper marketing. Not just in the Olympic years.
True Tah said | March 15th 2010 @ 7:32am | Report comment
I wouldnt necessarily call hockey a significant spectator sport in India, it is becoming popular in some more unusual areas, such as the tribal areas of Orissa, but in terms of sport in India, cricket first, daylight 2nd, then probably futbol, then maybe hockey.
Chris said | March 15th 2010 @ 7:41am | Report comment
The stadium at the world cup was more or less empty for most games – in fact there were a lot of empty seats at the “World Cup Final”. It actually gave the RLWC credibility – at least it sold out its final!
Chris said | March 15th 2010 @ 7:49am | Report comment
Here are two reasons:
1) It’s non contact
2) It’s non contact
Frankly anything beyond that is probably over analysing it.
Take a look at Soccer and Netball – they both have very good participation but are unable to get anywhere near the AFL/NRL in terms of a professional comp. By comparison Rugby has quite small player numbers but the Super 14 gets better crowds than the A-League.
JiMMM said | March 15th 2010 @ 8:25am | Report comment
Just a couple of points on some of the posts.
JK the men’s team is the Kookaburra’s the womens team is the hockeyroo’s
Chris, if you think it is non contact can you let Mark Knowles (or maybe it was Liam De Young’s) head know I;m sure it would really appreciate knowing that now.
With you main argument mjg, while I agree that the sport is underated the fact is that it is not supported by teh hockey community enough in Australia. If every hockey player went to 5 or 6 games a year at the top level (A Grade in our major centre’s and above) then we would be laughing as the sport would have a similar level of support to what the NBL finals attracted, but with a much wider base. Unfortunately people just wont g to top grade games, I should know I’ve spent 2 years trying to improve attendence at my club with small success.
Chris said | March 15th 2010 @ 8:37am | Report comment
JiMMM – Justin Langer copped more than his fair share of balls in the head. I’ve seen people get smacked in the back with a golf ball and seen one tennis player smack his doubles partner in the back of the head with his raquet. It doesn’t make Cricker, Golf or Tennis a Contact sport. There may be incidental contact (like in soccer) but it’s not a “contact sport” unless a major component of the game involves physically tackling a player. Us Australian males (like our Kiwi, American and Canadian counterparts) aren’t a sophisticated lot. We like big hits and lots of them.
Case in point: The most watched Rugby League video on Youtube last year was not any of the amazing Jarryd Hayne tries, was not Billy Slater doing anything equally freakish and was not Greg Inglis’s ridiculous “superman” volleyball try in the game against New Zealand.
Instead it was Steve Price being knocked out in the massive fight in Origin 3.
JiMMM said | March 15th 2010 @ 8:48am | Report comment
Fair point Chris, I disagree though on your definition of a contact sport I think any sport where 2 opposing players are trying to occupt teh same area makes it a contact sport it’s just the level of contact that varies.
Jeb said | March 15th 2010 @ 8:53am | Report comment
I think the distinction you’re making is between collision sports and contact sports. The former are league, union, afl etc and the latter basketball, soccer, hockey. Tennis, cricket etc are total non-contact sports.
I also think it’s fair to say that we like different sports for different reasons. Don’t get me wrong, I love league – and the hits are a big part of it. But this doesn’t stop me liking cricket, soccer for the skill and strategy.
Chris said | March 15th 2010 @ 10:32am | Report comment
Ok thats a fair distinction Jeb. Don’t get me wrong, I watched some of the World Cup and to be honest was also thinking “this sport should be a lot bigger than it is”. Not sure how Hockey should go about achieving that though – should probably focus on getting the pretty impressive number of players they have to watch high levels games as well. Was at the Hockey Centre in Canberra a couple of weeks back and its a damn impressive facility. Is there some sort of national league? If not they should really try and get something like that going.
Lu said | March 15th 2010 @ 8:28am | Report comment
i was shocked to realise last night that we had won the world cup.. i had no idea, and i am a regular watcher of Fox sports news..
However i know all about every cracked bone and brusied muscle in the AFL and the league doesn’t even start for a couple of weeks..
So is it the media, or is it me? its either there is F@#$ all coverage about the hockey or i tune out everytime it is mentioned.
Jeb said | March 15th 2010 @ 8:47am | Report comment
It’s really got everything going for it – it’s fun to play, exciting to watch, australia is good at it (actually the best), a large global footprint, olympic medal every four years and meaningful tournaments between. And I don’t think that the game is associated with class in anyway. Atleast not in Australia and far less than say a sport like rugby.
Yet I’ve never played hockey or been to a game. Which brings me to the point that sports are popular because they are popular. It’s totally self-fulfilling. When I was a kid no one played hockey. If they did, then I may have also. Today no one I know goes to hockey games. If they did, then I may go also. I know this is stating the obvious but it’s difficult to change things up, break the cycle. Just ask the a-league.
Football Person 2 said | March 20th 2010 @ 10:08am | Report comment
exciting to watch ?
Football Person 2 said | March 20th 2010 @ 10:13am | Report comment
No one plays football at my school, and the ones that do are Liverpool l, Man U tards ( tho they are my friends )
but that doesn’t stop me supporting Brisbane. Although, sadly, I am kind of a bit embarrassed to be supporting my CLOSEST professional Football side !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Redb said | March 15th 2010 @ 9:08am | Report comment
Firstly, well done to the Kookaburras!
I don’t mind hockey at all and certainly watch it at the Olympics, I guess the problem is the lack of serious rival that we have with England in the cricket, NZ with rugby, etc. As a result there is not a lot of emotional buy in.
Dogz R Barkn said | March 15th 2010 @ 9:13am | Report comment
I like watching hockey, but sorry, I don’t really have answer for you.
At the end of the day, there are hundreds of different sports played all around the world, and perhaps only a dozen or so a big spectator sports.
Fly on the Wall said | March 15th 2010 @ 9:16am | Report comment
I could go on for hours here about the pros and cons of the game, having been a hockey player, coach and umpire for almost 40 years.
The move to artificial pitches has made hockey an incredibly fast and skilful game, but in Sydney you do so much driving that many people give up due to traffic hassles.
On the northern beaches there is a very small grass comp for sub-juniors. Some of them are encouraged to join a club which from u11 up plays on astroturf. When the parents ask: where do you train and play?, and the answer is about 30-40 minutes away, you have just lost half your potential recruitment base.
And the cost is very high – field hire is at least $100 per hire.
I pay $450 a year (among the cheapest of the clubs) to play club hockey on weekends, another $250 to play a midweek veterans comp, my 13yo son will this cost me almost $1200 to play weekend juniors, go to the state champs with Sydney, go to a talent camp in the April holidays and replace equipment he has grown out of.
That’s on top of petrol (200km per week for training and games).
And it has to be said that in NSW the joint administration of the game has been dominated by fuddy-duddy women on the board with no idea of what’s in the best interests of the game. Thankfully there is a new board with go-ahead people on it but there is SFA development and nothing in the public schools.
Country hockey is stronger than city hockey in general.
And hockey is a very egalitarian sport, no private school rugby snobs in our ranks.
Above all, it is a family sport.
And go the Kookaburras!
JiMMM – you may recall my predictions for the World Cup when you ran a preview piece a month ago – I was spot on in all respects!
Chris – agree to a degree about contact sports, but cricket also rates highly in the Australian conscience. Similarly, hockey should be seen as a hand-eye, bat-ball sport in which there is sometimes a physical confrontation in confined spaces.
Get out to an AHL game in June and watch the speed at which highly complex stick skills are executed. I can appreciate big hits in footy, it’s time this country found out just how skilful a game hockey is.
And for any sport to really hit the big time it needs a commercial TV contract. Hockey will never see that, sadly. But then again, if hockey became as big as soccer worldwide it would no doubt be full of cheats and have a rotten administration. A bit like what has happened in rugby.
JiMMM said | March 15th 2010 @ 5:18pm | Report comment
That was an pretty good call about the final fly, have to say I very disapointed by the performance of the Indian team, they were absolutely insipid at times (although not as bad as Pakistan). The Koreans though were a bit unlucky only missing out on goal difference.
The Truth said | March 15th 2010 @ 9:17am | Report comment
1. It’s played on green carpet.
2. Every player is a hunchback.
3. The goalies wear foam ripped from couch cushions.
Wow, I wonder why nobody takes that game seriously…
Hammer said | March 15th 2010 @ 1:32pm | Report comment
.. and the main attacking focus is to play for penalty corners
punter said | March 15th 2010 @ 10:46am | Report comment
I watched alot of hockey as a kid, my dad played, used to watch his games most weekends. One of my father’s biggest pet hates on why Australia despite it’s high standing & history in the sport it never go the recognition it deserved.
Scotty said | March 15th 2010 @ 11:27am | Report comment
I think it needs to start in schools. All schools support thier footy teams and bend over backwards to ensure they have a side for the knockout competitions and so forth. As a result, the kids gete xposed to the sport and they take it up.
Yet most schools have little time for hockey. Its no coincidence that Grafton in NSW has built a great hockey community, and its all been since the administration pushed and supported the sport in the local schools. The trick is to motivate volunteers to get into the schools, coach teams, run competitions. Give a reward to the schools for participation in the form of cash or equipment. And its got to be done all the time.
Then we will start to see the sport grow.
Savvas Tzionis said | March 15th 2010 @ 2:07pm | Report comment
Joe Hockey is too much of a Norm of Life. Be in it fame to be taken seriosuly.
He needs to stop appearing on silly shows like Koch and Mel or whatever they do.
He needs to toughen up. Like Abbott!!!
Then he will deserve the support.
mjg said | March 15th 2010 @ 2:17pm | Report comment
JiMMM, agree that if more players and their families attended top-level matches as spectators that would be a starting point. Soccer has jumped that hurdle.
Fly on the Wall, interesting point about the cost and distance to play. I’m in Mount Gambier, we have a great hockey facility in the town and low fees, but I reckon about 150 people watched the men’s A grade grand final last year. There were more people at junior soccer finals.
As for media interest, I’m surprised the women’s team doesn’t get more. I estimate their coverage is much less than netball, which isn’t exactly a big spectator sport either.
Tifosi said | March 15th 2010 @ 2:28pm | Report comment
People forget the biggest and most popular sports are the ones supported by the Working Class masses.
AFL in Victoria
NFL in USA
NRL in NSW/QLD
Football in England and basically much of the world. (In countries such as USA/Canada/Australia soccer is not the working mans sport hence why it isnt as popular)
This might be why Hockey Volleyball Waterpolo etc struggle for mainstream support.
Fly on the Wall said | March 17th 2010 @ 9:29pm | Report comment
All male sports Tifosi. You’ve forgotten about half the population.
But then again commercial TV is run by men for men.
At the Sydney Olympics which sport ran second only to athletics in total ticket sales?
Hockey.
MV Dave said | March 17th 2010 @ 9:35pm | Report comment
“At the Sydney Olympics which sport ran second only to athletics in total ticket sales?
Hockey.”
Find that hard to believe…Football had over 100,000 to the final and over 90,000 at the MCG for the Olyroos v Italy, plus crowds of over 60,000 and 70,000 at the MCG on other occassions, plus games interstate.
Fly on the Wall said | March 20th 2010 @ 3:52pm | Report comment
Dave, do your research and find out. Hockey had 3 sessions a day for 14 days, with 15,000 per session.
moo cow said | March 15th 2010 @ 2:30pm | Report comment
Dunno. Thought about watching the final but the EPL was on…
bazza said | March 15th 2010 @ 2:44pm | Report comment
I played hockey for a few years.
It is enjoyable enough to play – though overly technical. This would put a lot of people off the sport
PG said | March 15th 2010 @ 3:55pm | Report comment
Picked up a Hockey stick at a sports day camp when I was a kid but I’m a lefty and you cant play it left handed with that stick. I asked for a left handed Hockey stick and was told by the guy running the camp to “Jolly well” (in his words) play it the proper right handed way –Needless to say he and other Hockey chums can place their hockey sticks in their warm dark crevices for all that I care
Bruce Ross said | March 15th 2010 @ 4:22pm | Report comment
I’m not exactly into hockey but I think you have touched on a way in which the sport could be made much more interesting to watch and play, PG. Let the players use their natural hand and there would be much less predictability in the sport.
JiMMM said | March 15th 2010 @ 5:15pm | Report comment
PG, that is a pretty ordinary effort on the part of the guy running the camp. However all Hockey sticks are left handed.
DaniE said | March 15th 2010 @ 6:00pm | Report comment
I’ve played with some decent left-handed hockey players… another who was fairly uncoordinated and kept trying to adjust the stick to suit him. But he was naturally unco anyway so I don’t think that helped
bever fever said | March 15th 2010 @ 5:57pm | Report comment
The difference between hockey and cricket is that fast bowlers come in with the intention of cracking a guy in the head, you know, blood on the pitch, wounded Englishmen everywhere, Aussies love that physical side of it.
In hockey there is nothing like that, one of my kids played it and gees it was boring IMO, a penalty every 30sec.
Having said that great work to the Kookaburras.
Did some work at the Hockey centre here in Perth, very impressive centre and some great photos of bygone eras/teams and Australian players.
ThelmaWrites said | March 15th 2010 @ 6:52pm | Report comment
Does anybody know if any of the free-to-air TV channels broadcast hockey, and at what level?
Jeb said | March 15th 2010 @ 6:58pm | Report comment
bris31 (community tv) shows brisbane club hockey games.
JiMMM said | March 15th 2010 @ 8:14pm | Report comment
Thelma as Jeb points out you can see hockey on Bris31 (if you live in Brisbane) or you can go to the EHL website http://www.ehlhockey.tv/ which stream live matches from the European championship.
ThelmaWrites said | March 16th 2010 @ 11:22am | Report comment
Thanks for the information, Jeb and JiMMM. No, I live in Sydney and don’t have a generous broadband. But I raised the question in the hope someone would say whether SBS or One HD broadcast some competitions, such as One HD braodcasting netball. I “interviewed” my son about this post and he says hockey is too technical to be appreciated by a broad viewership. I told him that I don’t know the rules, but the commentators usually explain what’s going on, and consequently I enjoy watching. The replays are good. He said that there sould be an intercity competition as in Sydney v Melbourne to complement Tamworth v …… I asked what he thought about membership fees. For a social group, that would be about $500 a year, but there are discounts for students.
Maybe it’s just as well that hockey is not tainted by a “franchise” mentality?
Mushi said | March 15th 2010 @ 7:27pm | Report comment
The problem with hockey pushing forward from where it si now is that it does so against incumbents.
The major football codes and cricket have a stranglehold on media time and revenue which gives them a strangle hold on the attention of the public and the battle for athletic talent.
In sport it is even more difficult to break into such an established oligopoly, because once you have a mature market you have those sports psychologically rooted in our culture.
It’s the same reason as to why these power house sports which are supposedly the “best” code struggle to reach the same level of appeal outside of their home markets.
Football has a punchers chance of making it because it appeals to the immigrant segments of the population as well as having the EPL lever.
Hockey has no such lever nor a different angle of appeal.
Unfortunately hockey is, for better or worse, already consigned to it’s broader position in the sporting landscape. Is the quality of the game sufficient to support it being a mass spectator sport if it could get the support from the public certainly, but achieving that critical mass of support would take such a seismic shift in culture that it is difficult to see it ever happening.
Just about every sport in the world could justifiably ask “why not me” the answer is generally luck and timing.
sheek said | March 15th 2010 @ 8:34pm | Report comment
I do agree the technical aspects of hockey might deter the average Aussie. Technical also means disciplined, & Aussies like their ‘freedom’ on the field, whatever sport they play.
I did an article not so long ago where i suggested wouldn’t it be great if the leading rugby nations were similar to what you find in hockey (similar, I say).
Imagine the ‘big 10′ of rugby – Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, England, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland & Italy – & imagine that Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Korea, China & Japan were giants of the sport. Finally throw in a dominant Romania, Canada & USA.
Now, that would be a genuine world sport!
Fly on the Wall said | March 17th 2010 @ 9:32pm | Report comment
Yes, hockey can be technical – but nowhere near as bad as rugby union, a game that stops every 30 seconds and for which you have no idea why the ref blew his whistle.
Hockey also does not translate that well on TV, a bit like AFL, because there is so much off-the-ball running going on and when the ball moves it’s at a pretty fast pace.
To all the knockers, go out to an AHL weekend in mid June at Homebush and you will be surprised at how fast the game is and the execution of skills at such a pace.
Then go and watch a soccer game and it’ll be like comparing a Model T with a Porsche.
bozo said | March 15th 2010 @ 10:02pm | Report comment
Hockey is too international for Australian sports fans. They prefer AFL – no international competition, League – only two other countries play or cricket – only about 9 counties play and only 5 are any good, in a good year. That way Australia has “international” success all the time.
The Truth said | March 16th 2010 @ 10:01am | Report comment
It’s so “international” but where is the premier club competition? Does it even have one? The other sports you just derided do.
Jeb said | March 16th 2010 @ 10:07am | Report comment
a weird thing to say after we have just won a world cup. maybe that argument holds the smallest bit of water with football.
RickG said | March 16th 2010 @ 2:02pm | Report comment
I dabbled a bit at school and a mate played a season or two on the weekends, but really it was seen as a ‘girly’ sport by boys. Therein is the bigegst problem I think.
sharminator said | March 16th 2010 @ 4:03pm | Report comment
“Hockey deserves more support
Why isn’t hockey a popular spectator sport in Australia? Hockey has always had a proud history in this country and the game has come a long way since it was played on grass and muddy pitches.”
Hockey isnt a popular spectator sport in Australia, because like in every other country in the world, people prefer other sports to hockey .. such as Soccer, Rugby League, Rugby Union, AFL, Cricket. Hockey is not the number 1 sport in any country in the world. I dont think it is number 2 anywhere either … or number 3 ….
I also dont see huge spectator numbers anywhere for hockey and I doubt anyone but die hard hockey fans would be able to
tell us what the top hockey league in Australia is.
As some people mentioned above, the lack of popularity of hockey is probably something to do with the rules … some people enjoy playing it … but it is not the most invigorating or exciting of sports.