Hockey also going multi-format way
Roar Guru By Ben Carter, 20 Mar 2011 Ben Carter is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Cricket Australia, hockey, Hockey Australia, ric charlesworth, Twenty20
I received notification late last week about a new initiative from Hockey Australia. Guess what? They’re jumping on the multi-format bandwagon now, too.
What is it about sporting organisations that makes them think everyone must see a cut-down mini-me version of an otherwise perfectly fine internationally-accepted game?
I mean, one-day international cricket was invented as an afterthought, but the Twenty20 revolution is a distinctly calculated affair. There’s 11-a side, five-a-side and beach football under FIFA’s oversight, 15-a-side and Sevens run by the IRB in rugby union circles and so on and so on…
Promising to be “fast” and “exciting” and giving the paying public “lots of goals”, Hockey Australia, presumably already in a pretty healthy position after recent excellent results from the national men’s and women’s teams, has fallen for the Twenty20 trap.
Under the banner of the “International Super Series” (such elongated titles often give away the sense that sporting bodies are desperate for the extra attention), Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and Pakistan will meet in 30-minute matches for men and women over four days at Perth’s hockey stadium.
Apparently designed to coincide with the city hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (isn’t that a political event?), HA claim the tournament will be so innovative that it’s unlike anything ever seen in the sport before – and perfect for television, of course.
“The event provides us with a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate just how good a sport hockey is,” said HA chief executive officer Mark Anderson.
The rules were designed by Aussie coaches Adam Commens and Ric Charlesworth – some pedigree for sure, but will it work for those who have no idea about the sport as intended, or simply alienate everyone who already likes hockey?
The format in full: two 15-minute halves instead of 2×35-minute halves with a five-minute half-time break, nine players a side instead of 11, penalty strokes to decide any drawn preliminary match, greater tolerance of stick and foot contact to speed up play and the addition of a two-point goal if the ball is struck below knee height into the backboard from inside the penalty circle.
Methinks it screams a combination of the NAB Cup footy and South Australia’s old (but definitely cool) Festival Cup under-21 football series at Hindmarsh Stadium.
“These rules will increase the pace of the game and result in a more attacking style, which is obviously going to make for great viewing and undoubtedly helps us gain a few new fans along the way,” Charlesworth said.
Yeah, right. Remember when there were rumours that the Americans had threatened to turn the 1994 football World Cup into three 30-minute periods, goals that were three metres wider and so on?
Memo to Hockey Australia (to be forwarded to Cricket Australia): Beware of alterations purely for the sake of getting bums on seats. Just because a seat is occupied doesn’t always mean it’s taken by someone who will then commence a long-term interest in the sport on the basis of a mere reduced-size photocopy version…
Attendance isn’t the same as appreciation, folks!
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The Crowd Says (15) | Page 1 of Comments
Have Your Say
- Explore:
- Cricket Australia, hockey, Hockey Australia, ric charlesworth, Twenty20
March 20th 2011 @ 8:30am
sheek said | March 20th 2011 @ 8:30am | Report comment
We are in the clutch era of the moronic, mindless marketeers. We will look back on the first decade or two of the 2000s with sadness, where many sports were turned upside down, inside out, at the behest of marketeers seeking greater market share.
It is not dissimilar to the era in the mid to late 1800s & early 1900s of the immorally minded industrial robber barons & squeezy, opportunistic carpetbaggers in the expanding American west.
March 20th 2011 @ 10:52am
JiMMM said | March 20th 2011 @ 10:52am | Report comment
As my mother used to say, if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all. However when Hockey Australia sent a survey out about this last year (about this time) I couldn’t help myself and gave them a serve, for the exact reasons that you gave Ben.
One point that I will make is that 20/20 cricket works because it take 3 hours compared to 8 for a One dayer and up to 5 days for a test match. In comparison a Hockey game will take around 85 minutes from start to finish, surely the general public can focus for an hour and a half (we don’t all have ADD).
The other point that I will make is that Hockey is already a fast, open and high scoring game. The Kookaburra’s beat India 8 nil in the commonwealth gold last in a fast, open and high scoring game. But if that was all sport was about we would all watch basketball or netball I know I love sport because of teh contest between the attack and defence .
March 20th 2011 @ 12:39pm
MyLeftFoot said | March 20th 2011 @ 12:39pm | Report comment
Lots of sports dabble with different formats, why is it such a big deal that hockey does it?
I heard about this idea on the radio yesterday – that’s the idea – getting some hockey out there.
Hockey has as much right as any other sport to get some additional interest in the game – by whatever means works.
Or are they to remain firmly stuck to the public teat for funding forever?
March 20th 2011 @ 1:32pm
Ben Carter said | March 20th 2011 @ 1:32pm | Report comment
Hi MLF – I’m not saying cut-down versions of sports can’t get people through the gate, but just that sporting organisations should not push such versions on everyone as if they are the real, big deal compared to the more formal, traditional forms. I accept T20 cricket for example – it has uses for domestic and youth level in particular, and often acts as a fun warm-up before one-day series, but it shouldn’t be used by the ICC as the only way that it thinks people will bother to connect with the sport itself around the world.
March 20th 2011 @ 1:38pm
MyLeftFoot said | March 20th 2011 @ 1:38pm | Report comment
Ben
there’s support for that view, but with hockey specifically, a sport that generally ranks well down the line in terms of media and public interest, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want HA to try something novel – there is zero risk that it would supplant the game proper.
March 20th 2011 @ 2:31pm
JiMMM said | March 20th 2011 @ 2:31pm | Report comment
I would be happy if they had tried some traditional promotion before doing this, as it currently stands they simply havent.
March 23rd 2011 @ 10:26am
Greg said | March 23rd 2011 @ 10:26am | Report comment
I suggest that is highly untrue. For years Hockey has been trying to get the $$ to build reputation against the onslaught of Soccer (which i refuse to call Football in A) and football codes. We have one of the best national teams year on year worldwide and yet we struggle to gain sponsorship dollars. The community just doesnt understand, nor tune in to the game as it stands.
Therefore we need to attract the market. I support anything that might do this. Our fee’s are high as the money has to come from within.
Simply put, if the format is indeed better, then it will work and things will change. If the format is worse, it will fail. If media loves it, but players hate it, then it may well fail – but if the $$ start coming in the door and players start earning a penny for their efforts, then it may just start becoming more attractive to them regardless.
Participants all know how good the game is, one of the few sports that seems to lack the onfield shenanigans of other sports, particularly the charade that is ‘acting, while kicking a round ball’ (understand, i think Soccer is one of the most impressive displays of team sports you can see, I just cant stand poor sportsmanship). But we need numbers to remain viable in this day and age, and if this is the ticket to getting hockey on TV, then bring it on.
March 20th 2011 @ 1:38pm
Working Class Rugger said | March 20th 2011 @ 1:38pm | Report comment
I quite enjoy watching Field Hockey and really don’t see a need to change anything about it. What it needs desperately is far more promotion to the public. It’s already quite a quick, skillful game why tinker with things that don’t need it.
March 20th 2011 @ 3:26pm
Midfielder said | March 20th 2011 @ 3:26pm | Report comment
Hockey has suffered more than most in the code war an innocent bystander … player numbers .. media..grounds … all under huge pressure ..
March 20th 2011 @ 9:47pm
betamax said | March 20th 2011 @ 9:47pm | Report comment
Agreed Midfielder.
Hockey is one of the many lesser sports which have suffered as a result of the battle for hearts and minds being played out with the major football codes in Australia. Unfortunately Hockey and many other sports will continue to suffer as long as this posturing and muscle flexing continues. It’s a shame really, as Hockey is a great game to play and watch and has a genuine international profile.
March 20th 2011 @ 10:42pm
MyLeftFoot said | March 20th 2011 @ 10:42pm | Report comment
So your hypothesis is that hockey suffers because of the posturing of other sports??
March 21st 2011 @ 3:10am
betamax said | March 21st 2011 @ 3:10am | Report comment
In a word – yes.
March 20th 2011 @ 8:15pm
Rob McLean said | March 20th 2011 @ 8:15pm | Report comment
Hockey’s a great game, it’s never going to supplant any footy codes across the world.
I’m not sure this is going to do much for the sport, but I don’t think it will do anything negative either.
There are still kids out there dreaming about playing for the Kookaburras or the Hockeyroos.
March 20th 2011 @ 8:44pm
Lolly said | March 20th 2011 @ 8:44pm | Report comment
The changes to the obstruction and offside rules in the past 10 years mean that it is already faster and smarter than practically any other game out there, apart from maybe sports on ice. Anybody who has watched the Kookas knows how breathless the matches are.
That being the case, I can’t see how they are going to attract spectators to it anymore than they have been able to for the past decades.
Don’t blame them for trying though. It’s a brilliant sport, best game I ever played.
March 20th 2011 @ 10:31pm
Al said | March 20th 2011 @ 10:31pm | Report comment
Plenty of local comps have run quick formats of the game for either summer or pre-season.
9 and 7 a side isn’t new to Hockey as these are used to decide many finals during a golden goal period.
Think the implied outage at hockey wanting to trial a new format isn’t warranted. Rather should be welcomed, could well get more players involved. Probably find hockey players would be better role models than players from other sports.
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