Comments on: Hockey deserves more support

By: Fly on the Wall

Fly on the Wall — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 05:52:31 +0000

Dave, do your research and find out. Hockey had 3 sessions a day for 14 days, with 15,000 per session.

By: Football Person 2

Football Person 2 — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:13:37 +0000

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 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Football Person 2

Football Person 2 — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:08:15 +0000

exciting to watch ?

By: MV Dave

MV Dave — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:35:45 +0000

“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.

By: Fly on the Wall

Fly on the Wall — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:32:49 +0000

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.

By: Fly on the Wall

Fly on the Wall — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:29:33 +0000

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.

By: sharminator

sharminator — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 06:03:02 +0000

“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.

By: RickG

RickG — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:02:31 +0000

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.

By: ThelmaWrites

ThelmaWrites — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:22:28 +0000

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?

By: Jeb

Jeb — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:07:45 +0000

a weird thing to say after we have just won a world cup. maybe that argument holds the smallest bit of water with football.

By: The Truth

The Truth — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:01:14 +0000

It’s so “international” but where is the premier club competition? Does it even have one? The other sports you just derided do.

By: bozo

bozo — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:02:51 +0000

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.

By: sheek

sheek — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:34:26 +0000

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!

By: JiMMM

JiMMM — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:14:56 +0000

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.

By: Mushi

Mushi — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:27:54 +0000

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.

By: Jeb

Jeb — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:58:23 +0000

bris31 (community tv) shows brisbane club hockey games.

By: ThelmaWrites

ThelmaWrites — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:52:46 +0000

Does anybody know if any of the free-to-air TV channels broadcast hockey, and at what level?

By: DaniE

DaniE — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:00:46 +0000

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

By: bever fever

bever fever — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:57:59 +0000

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.

By: JiMMM

JiMMM — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:18:40 +0000

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.

By: JiMMM

JiMMM — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:15:17 +0000

PG, that is a pretty ordinary effort on the part of the guy running the camp. However all Hockey sticks are left handed.

By: Bruce Ross

Bruce Ross — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:22:41 +0000

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.

By: PG

PG — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:55:29 +0000

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

By: bazza

bazza — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:44:35 +0000

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

By: moo cow

moo cow — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:30:26 +0000

Dunno. Thought about watching the final but the EPL was on…

By: Tifosi

Tifosi — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:28:44 +0000

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.

By: mjg

mjg — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:17:28 +0000

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.

By: Savvas Tzionis

Savvas Tzionis — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:07:01 +0000

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.

By: Hammer

Hammer — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:32:14 +0000

.. and the main attacking focus is to play for penalty corners

By: Scotty

Scotty — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:27:08 +0000

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.