News for 17 October 2015
All the news for Saturday 17 October 2015
Ireland 3 vs 6 Argentina
The first test of the series saw Argentina prevail with a 2-1 victory in what was a fast paced, physical encounter. The second test saw this evening the Argentinians move up a gear and justify their world ranking of 6th.
Ireland started the livelier and Kyle Good, earning his 50th cap, got on the score sheet in the 4th minute. But 3 minutes later Peillat fired the ball into the bottom right corner from a PC routine to level the score. Peillat’s second goal came from another PC but the shot was helped into the goal by a deflection, leaving Harte with no chance. Peter Caruth earned the Green Machine a PC in the 16th minute but O’Donoghue’s strike was superbly saved by Sabaz. The Argentinian accuracy was something to behold and Paredes scored a neat deflection from a counter attack seconds before the half time hooter. HT 3-1 to Argentina.
Again the Green Machine started with the higher tempo with Bruton and O’Donoghue driving the ball into the circle, and Sothern’s shot and PC drag going just wide. Sothern got his deserved goal in the 42nd minute and 2 minutes later Michael Robson leveled the score with a sweet strike after Caruth had darted down the wing, evading 2 defenders. David Fitzgerald took over in goal for the final quarter and was instantly called into action and made 2 confident saves. A sniping run through the heart of the Irish defense left Fitzgerald with no chance as Vila blasted the ball into the goal on the reverse. Brunet and Peillat’s goal’s gave Argentina the 6-3 victory, a win they deserved that was perhaps aided by some errors by the boys in green.
The final match of the series is tomorrow (Saturday 17th) at 6pm in Pembroke Wanderers Hockey Club.
Ireland 3 (Good, Sothern, Robson)
Argentina 6 (Peillat 3, Paredes, Rossi, Vila)
Ireland Squad
Shirt No., Family Name, First Name
1, HARTE (GK), DAVID
3, JACKSON, JOHN
8, CARGO, CHRISTOPHER
9, McCANDLESS, BRUCE
10, SOTHERN, ALAN
12, MAGEE, EUGENE
13, CARUTH, PETER
14, GLASSEY, NEAL
16, O DONOGHUE, SHANE
18, BELL, MATTHEW
22, ROBSON, MICHAEL
23, FITZGERALD (GK), DAVID
24, GOOD, KYLE
25, BRUTON, JONNY
26, GLEGHORNE, PAUL
27, HARTE, CONOR
30, LOUGHREY, STUART
32, COCKRAM, TIMMY
Argentina Squad
Shirt No., Family Name, First Name
2, PEILLAT, GONZALO
4, GILARDI, JUAN IGNACIO
5, IBARRA, PEDRO
8, REY, LUCAS
10, PAREDES (C), MATIAS
11, MENINI, JOAQUIN
12, VILA, LUCAS
13, SABAZ, JULIAN
15, PAZ, DIEGO
16, ORTIZ, IGNACIO
17, LOPEZ, JUAN MARTIN
21, OLEASTRO, FELIPE
22, REY, MATIAS
24, BRUNET, MANUEL
26, MAZZILLI, AGUSTIN
27, ROSSI, LUCAS
29, SANTIAGO (GK), TOMAS
Irish Hockey Association media release
No final, but the podium is still within reach
by S. Ramaguru
JOHOR BARU: The Malaysian hockey squad are still within reach of a podium finish in the Sultan of Johor Cup.
They are currently in fifth position with four points. Australia are fourth, also on four points but with better goal difference.
Both teams have no chance to enter the final and must win their respective matches to play in the third-place classification match.
Malaysia are up against lowly Pakistan who have one point to show after they held Britain. Australia will face table-toppers India who have already qualified for their fourth consecutive final.
The other match will see Britain take on Argentina for a place in the final.
National juniors coach A. Arulselvaraj said despite the odds against them, Malaysia will be out to notch their second win.
“Even if we win, the Australia versus India match will determine our fate,” he said.
“I’ve told the players that we have to get the work done and not worry about the other matches. The main thing is to secure a win at all cost.”
Malaysia opened their campaign with a 4-2 defeat to Britain. They then held Argentina 2-2 before overcoming Australia 3-2. On Thursday, they were beaten 2-1 by India.
In Mohamed Shahril Saabah, Malaysia have found a goalpoacher who have been devastating with his penalty corner flicks and has scored six goals.
Arulselvaraj admitted that there are still a number of areas that need to be improved.
“It has not all been good here. We have let in soft goals and our defence have been poor at times.
“We need to strive for consistency and reduce the mistakes with each match. Only then can we improve,” he added.
The Star of Malaysia
Aiman blooming under pressure in Sultan of Johor Cup
by S. Ramaguru
JOHOR BARU: Nik Mohamed Aiman believes that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going.
Out of the blue, Nik found himself thrust into the spotlight when regular striker Mohamed Sufi Ismat picked up a hamstring injury prior to the Sultan of Johor Cup.
Nik took over and after four matches into the tournament, he’s beginning to believe that he can hold his own and be counted on to deliver.
And the 19-year-old Tenaga Nasional player is keeping his fingers crossed that he has done enough to earn a place in the Malaysian team for the Junior Asia Cup in Kuantan next month.
“I don’t really feel the pressure as I’m fired up to prove myself,” said Nik.
“Of course people will compare me to Sufi and see if I’m as effective as him.
“The comparison isn’t a burden but rather a motivation.
“Plus it is an honour to be compared to someone who is my role model,” he added.
Nik is making his debut in the Sultan of Johor Cup and his immediate target is to be in the Junior World Cup team.
Malaysia have had a mixed outing in the tournament thus far. They lost 2-4 to Britain and then drew 2-2 with Argentina.
They played one of their best matches to beat Australia 3-2 before Thursday’s narrow 2-1 defeat to India.
They will take on Pakistan on Saturday.
“This has been a learning experience for all of us. As the coach said we must improve with each match.
“Our carelessness led to those results (earlier defeats), it’s always the small things that matter most.
“We always lose focus in the last few minutes of the game so that’s something we’ll have to look into.”
The Star of Malaysia
Confident Indian colts upbeat ahead of Australian encounter
Johor Bahru (Malaysia): As the business end of the fifth Johor Cup reckons, India is confident of good show against Australia in its last pool match billed for Saturday.
The Australian encounter will help India prepare well for its Sunday final
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s game, Harendra Singh, Coach, Indian Men’s Junior Team said, “We are in a good position, and we are not taking it lightly. The boys are hungry to defend the championship title for the third consecutive year and they are not ready to let any moment go out of their hand. Our goals for and against are proof to our hunger to defend the title. Australia is a tough team and we are preparing hard to finish off our league matches on a winning note.”
“It’s an important match for us tomorrow as we take on the Australians in our last league match in the tournament. The Australians are really strong, and we cannot take them lightly. Sumit, Arman have scored fluently in the last few matches and the defence has also been at the top of their form, hence I am confident of a good performance from the team tomorrow,” said Harjeet Singh, Captain.
The Indian team which has managed to score 13 goals in the tournament, the highest scored by any team so far, will be riding high on confidence with top scorers Sumit Kumar (3 goals) Armaan Qureshi (2 goals) and Harmanpreet Singh (2 goals). With a strong midfield being led by none other than Captain Harjeet Singh and defence by Vice-captain Dipsan Tirkey, team India is definitely upbeat about an impressive performance tomorrow. India - Australia match: 17th October 2015 at 1605 hrs (IST) onwards.
Stick2Hockey.com
Sultan of Johor Cup: Confident Indian colts upbeat ahead of Australian encounter
JOHOR BAHRU (Malaysia): Back-to-back wins against Argentina and Malaysia has given the defending champions Indian team lot of confidence ahead of their final league match against a rather low-spirited Australian attack in the ongoing 5th Sultan of Johor Cup here on Saturday.
The Indian Men's Junior Team, who entered the tournament as two-time defending champions, started their campaign with a 5-1 win over arch-rivals Pakistan. This was followed by a 3-4 loss against an unbeaten team of Great Britain.
The Indian colts then recovered with a 3-2 win against the mighty Argentines. The youngsters raised their performance for the occasion keeping India's chances alive to finish at the top of the table.
A 2-1 win against Malaysia on Thursday has further conjured up hopes of India successfully defending the title for the third consecutive year.
This match on Saturday against the Australians is just the right preparation that these boys need before playing the tournament decider on Sunday.
Australia's campaign in this tournament has been rather unimpressive, managing just one win in the tournament so far. Their 4-4 draw against Great Britain must have given them just enough confidence to take on India who have already made it to the finals on the basis their win against Malaysia on Thursday.
Australia would be playing a must win match against India to keep their hopes alive for a bronze medal in the tournament.
Speaking ahead of the game, India coach Harendra Singh said: "We are in a good position, and we are not taking it lightly. The boys are hungry to defend the championship title for the third consecutive year and they are not ready to let any moment go out of their hand.
"Our goals are proof of our hunger to defend the title. Australia is a tough team and we are preparing hard to finish off our league matches on a winning note."
India has managed to score 13 goals in the tournament, the highest scored by any team so far. For India Sumit Kumar (3 goals), Armaan Qureshi (2 goals) and Harmanpreet Singh (2 goals) are the top scorers.
With a strong midfield being led by captain Harjeet and defence by vice-captain Dipsan Tirkey, India will look to come up with another impressive performance.
India skipper Harjeet Singh said: "It's an important match for us tomorrow as we take on the Australians in our last league match in the tournament. The Australians are really strong, and we cannot take them lightly. Sumit, Arman have scored fluently in the last few matches and the defence has also been at the top of their form, hence I am confident of a good performance from the team tomorrow."
The Times of India
Naveed lashes out at Pakistan jr hockey team’s worst show in Malaysia
Says nepotism marring national game as ten players were chosen from a single club | Questions legality of Shahbaz Senior’s appointment as PHF secretary
Mohsin Ali
ISLAMABAD - Former Olympian Naveed Alam has lashed out at Pakistan junior hockey team’s worst showing in the 5th Sultan of Johor Junior Hockey Tournament currently underway in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
The green shirts have failed to win a single match so far and Naveed termed poor selection policy based on nepotism behind the debacle.
Talking to The Nation on Friday, Naceed said he was amazed and stunned that 10 players of the team were picked from Aslam Roda Academy, Gojra only. “We have 110 districts in the country. I want to ask one simple thing from the federation that if they have to choose the whole team from two districts do rest of the districts have stopped producing genuine talent. Where is the pool of players? Why other districts and transparency in selection matters were completely ignored for the Malaysian event.”
He said Pakistan’s so-called junior team was the most experienced one amid the participating teams in the Sultan Johar cup as all the other teams had brought fresh talent. “Ten players from junior team had already represented Pakistan at senior level as well. For the past 10 years or so wrong policies of the Pakistan Hockey Federation had destroyed Pakistan hockey and no genuine player has emerged from major cities, which is a sign of red alert. But no heed was paid. Tahir Zaman and company included players as per their liking and disliking and it had nothing to do with performances.”
He said the results are quite evident of the fact and he was not surprised and feared that the worst was yet to come as the federation was not serious at all in improving the fortunes of the national game.
“They are busy in self-praise and hiding facts, which needed to be addressed. These so-called hockey promoters were assigned to steady the fast sinking hockey ship. But they lack direction and wisdom required to streamline hockey affairs.”
Naveed said until and unless national federation is not formulated on merit rather than personal relations, there is no hope and future of Pakistan hockey. It makes no sense to work on only junior team and giving top priority to only qualifying for the next year’s Junior Hockey World Cup, he added.
When they would start working on senior team? He questioned and added that majority of the junior players were not junior in reality as they had played quite number of matches at senior level.
“The federation’s new brass was supposed to work with more dedication and come up with ground reality plans but nothing is witnessed so far. The hockey affairs are run in drawing rooms rather than on grounds. What was the purpose of conducting eye washer trials when players were given priority from a certain club? What is wrong with other districts players?”
He said the areas, which are considered as nurseries of providing talent to national squad were badly ignored.
Criticising the appointment of new PHF secretary, Naveed said the federation has violated the FIH and PHF constitutions by selecting secretary Shahbaz Senior as constitution clearly barred selection on such high-profile post and rather election was the criteria to fulfill the secretary slot and Shahbaz has yet to take vote of confidence from PHF general council, which is surprising and means he is working illegally. “He was appointed as secretary by president and not by the consent of the PHF general council. I will once again request to PM, who is the patron of the PHF, to involve Mir Zafar Ullah Jamali to stand any chance of Pakistan hockey revival. Only a person with Jamali’s stature could revive fortunes of Pakistan hockey as he had wisdom and loads of experience of dealing with similar situations and only he could raise Pakistan hockey from ashes.”
“If PM really wants to revive Pakistan hockey then he had to act in the best interest of the game as soon as possible. I hope he would take serious notice of the worst performances of the national team and ensure hockey affairs pass onto safe and secure hands,” Naveed concluded.
The Nation
Bangalore Cup: Karnataka and IOCL post onesided wins
s2h Team
BANGALORE CUP 2015: DAY VII 16th Oct 2015
IOCL trounce ONGC 5-1
Bengaluru: Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) defeated ONGC 5-1 in the men’s league matches of the 2nd Bengaluru Cup hockey tournament organised by Hockey Karnataka at the hockey stadium here on Friday.
IOCL garnered seven points from three matches and are yet to play Karnataka XI and Air India while ONGC have four points from four matches and have a game left with BPCL. Air India lead the table with 9 points from four matches and will play IOCL in their last league encounter while Army XI have seven points from as many matches. They are yet to play Karnataka XI, who on four points have two games left against top guns IOCL and Army XI.
IOCL began with a bang earning a penalty stroke 30 seconds into the match and Sunil Yadav made no mistake finding the net. They pumped in three more goals in the first half through Gagandeep Singh (9th min), Affan Yousef (18th min) and Sunil converted another short corner in the 21st minute to make it 4-0 for the Oilmen at the break.
After the breather, IOCL struck again in the 47th minute when Yuvraj Walmiki put it beyond their rivals with a field goal (5-0). Mandeep Antil scored the consolation goal for ONGC in the 55th minute.
Earlier in the women’s section, Karnataka XI defeated Punjab XI 3-2 scoring the match winner after the hooter converting an extended Penalty Corner through an indirect variation by Thanushree AR. Punjab shot ahead in the 7th minute with a field goal from Hardeep Kaur and Karnataka drew parity in the 29th minute when Rashmy PP was successful in the set-piece drill. In the second half, Hardeep Kaur scored once again in the 53rd minute and the local girls responded with a Rashmy goal again. Thanushree who took the push came back to convert a cheeky goal in the penalty corner taken after the hooter.
Karnataka XI drub BPCL to remain in contention
Bengaluru, 16 Oct 2015: Karnataka XI defeated Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited 5-3 in the men’s league matches of the 2nd Bengaluru Cup hockey tournament organised by Hockey Karnataka at the hockey stadium here on Friday.
Karnataka XI have four points from three outings while BPCL lost all the four matches they played and are out of contention for the final. The top two teams from the league will play the final on Monday.
For Karnataka XI, MD Raheel struck three goals (7th, 38th 47th minutes) while Poonacha MG (13th min) and Thimanna PL (43rd min) scored a goal each. For BPCL, Rajat Sharma (22nd min), Jarnail Singh (48th min) and Gurpreet Singh (PC-51st Min) reduced the margin.
Karnataka scored early through a deflection from Raheel before Poonacha himself struck a field goal for a 2-0 lead by the 13th minute but Oilmen pulled one back and kept themselves in contention when Rajat Sharma struck following an Amir Khan cross in the 21st minute.
However, after the break, Karnataka scored three goals in quick succession, in the space of nine minutes to virtually take the sting off the contest when Raheel scored two more goals and Thimmanna found one in between. Thereafter, BPCL came back with two goals from Jarnail Singh and Gurpreet Singh but it was too little and too late.
Karnataka remain in contention for a spot in the final with two matches to go against IOCL and Army XI. BPCL have a match against ONGC but are out of contention.
Stick2Hockey.com
African Hockey Championships 2015 schedule confirmed
The African Hockey Federation has confirmed the schedule for the African Hockey Championships 2015 being held in Randburg, Johannesburg in South Africa between 23 October and 1 November.
Nine teams including South Africa, ranked 15th in the FIH World Rankings, Egypt (20), Kenya (39), Ghana (41), Zimbabwe (55), Tanzania (73), Namibia, Uganda, Nigeria and Botswana (all unranked) will take part in the men’s event.
They will be separated into two pools, with the top two teams in each pool qualifying for the semi-finals that will then determine who plays in the final.
Meanwhile, seven teams will compete in the women’s Championship. They include South Africa, ranked 11th in the FIH World Rankings, Ghana (31), Kenya (37), Tanzania (46), Nigeria (53), Zimbabwe (55) and Namibia (unranked).
The women will play in a single round-robin, with three points awarded for a win and one point awarded for a draw.
The women’s team with the most points by the end of the round-robin will win the Championship.
These Championships bring together the best hockey players in Africa who will have an extra incentive for winning this year’s African Hockey Championship title.
The winners of the men’s and women’s championships will qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as African continental champions in what is the final Olympic qualifying competition for next year’s Olympics.
To see the full match schedule, click here.
FIH site
Penn State field hockey gets bounce back win over Rutgers
Andrew Rubin
Aurelia Meijer (23) misses the goal during the game against Maryland at the Field Hockey Complex on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015. Maryland defeated Penn State, 1-0. Earp Indradat
Coming off of three straight shutout losses, the Penn State (6-8, 2-3 Big Ten) offense came back to life in a crucial game for the Nittany Lions.
The Lions travelled to Piscataway, New Jersey to face Rutgers (6-8, 0-6 Big Ten) in what was an important matchup for both teams. After 70 minutes of regulation play and 43 seconds of overtime Penn State would walk away with the 3-2 win.
The Lions offense, which had been dormant for the last three games, came to life early. Just 4:26 into the contest Brooke Birosik gave Penn State an early lead over the Scarlet Knights, it was her team leading sixth goal of the year.
Rutgers would answer back on something Birosik has used to score multiple times this year, a penalty stroke. Rutgers’ freshman Linde van Schaik would level the score at one off of a penalty stroke at the 18:00 mark.
First half scoring would not be over with however. As time expired at the end of the first half Carley Celkos would score her first goal of the season off of a penalty corner. The Lions have struggled mightily all year on converting on penalty corners.
With zeros on the clock immediately following the goal the teams would head to the 10-minute halftime break, with Penn State holding a 2-1 edge.
The Lions halftime advantage wouldn’t last long. Just 5:09 after halftime Katie Champion would level the score at 2. Once again, the Lions had themselves a tie game in the second half, this time against a team that was trying to catch them for the final spot in the Big Ten tournament. With a win Rutgers would have moved into a tie with the Lions for the final spot in the tournament.
The remaining 30 minutes would go scoreless in Piscataway and for the fourth time this season the Lions were headed to overtime. The Lions had gone 0-3 in the previous three, with the most recent extra time period coming in a double overtime game in Happy Valley against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Overtime against the Buckeyes lasted nearly 25 minutes, against the Scarlet Knights it wouldn’t even last one. Stephanie Hussey would score her sixth goal of the year to tie Birosik for the team lead just 43 seconds into the period.
The win moved Penn State to 2-3 in the Big Ten, crucially two games ahead of Rutgers for the final spot in the Big Ten tournament.
The Daily Collegian
Bessell hails Dabanch's importance for Leo
Royal Leopold coach John Bessell said the 15-minute quarters employed in the EHL Round 1 in Hamburg allowed him to experiment and employ some of his key players for longer spells.
The upshot led to star striker Gabriel Dabanch scoring a mammoth seven goals in the 9-3 win over SG Amsicora last Saturday, en route to topping their group that also featured Dinamo Elektrostal.
Dabanch arrived at Leo this season after a hugely successful spell with Oranje Zwart, winning the EHL last Easter. He looks set to be an integral part of the Belgian club’s line-up this season and Bessell paid tribute to the new arrival for his efforts.
“He was fabulous up front and his leadership coming into the team,” Bessell told the EHL website.
“He does long stints up front which is deliberate because we are in a learning phase. Some players can really teach others on the pitch and are physically good enough – especially in the 15-minute quarters – to stay out there longer.
“It’s not every game that we will do it but this tournament was good for players to learn off him and Elliot van Strydonck.”
Bessell says there is more to come from his side after what he says has been an up and down start to the 2015/16 season in the Belgian league.
“We’re excited to get through, a little bit relieved as well. We have had a rough start to the competition in Belgium, playing Racing and Dragons, two top teams who we didn’t get a result against.
“So it was important to come away and feel like we are a good team because we are team on the rise. It will take a little time to get where we want to be and hopefully we will be sharper when it comes to the KO16 than this weekend.
“Defence is a real issue at the moment and it doesn’t matter what team we play. There’s a few things we need to sharpen enough. To get a clean sheet against Dinamo Elektrostal is a good confidence boost but we are not detailed enough in both circles at the moment.”
And he says the mix of international experience with up and coming local talent will marinate nicely for the KO16 next Easter.
“It’s not just Gabriel and Elliot in terms of quality. Dorian Thiery was unable to play at the moment; Agustin Mazzilli is a world class player.
“We have a lot of young Belgian players coming through that are the next generation. So its an exciting team with a lot of experience and good youth coming through.”
Euro Hockey League media release
Romeu's Egara win the war with Monkstown
Club Egara’s Ramon Romeu said his side’s 3-3 draw with Monkstown last Sunday in Round 1 Pool D was “like war” after a physical contest against the Irish champions.
His side advanced thanks to a narrow 1-0 win over East Grinstead in their first game, Pep Romeu’s goal in the difference.
And they looked good to advance when a pair of Edi Tubau goals extended out a three-goal lead with five minutes to go against Monkstown before they produced a thrilling comeback.
Nonetheless, the draw was enough to see Egara through to the KO16 for the fifth time. Speaking about that outcome, Ramon Romeu told the EHL website, it’s a “very emotional” tie against Monkstown.
“Of course, I enjoyed the physical side of this game! It’s like war. Irish teams are really physical and you have to give it everything you have.
“We knew it was going to be a tough match and they were really good. We were a little tired from the day before but we did build that 3-0 lead in the last quarter.
“Maybe we felt we had already qualified and they scored three goals but it’s alright; we’re through and really happy!”
Euro Hockey League media release
Spotlight on: Belgium men
Belgium (FIH World Ranking: 4) have made huge strides forward over the past ten years and are now rated as one of the most feared attacking sides on the planet.
They produced some excellent performances last year’s Rabobank Hockey World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands, but just missed out on
a place in the competition semi-finals when they fell to a narrow defeat at the hands of England.
Still, their fifth place finish at that event was their best ever at a World Cup, setting another milestone in the development of a gifted group
of players that have yet to reach their full potential.
The squad that competed in July’s FINTRO Hockey World League Semi-Final in Antwerp, Belgium, contained ten players that had surpassed the 100 international appearances mark, including double centurions John-John Dohmen, Jerome Truyens and Thomas Briels.
Despite their vast on-field experience, the fact that the squad did not contain a single player over the age of 27 provided evidence that this group is likely to remain together for many years to come.
A fifth place finish at the Unibet EuroHockey Championships 2015 was a big disappointment for the team, but they are widely expected to be one of the frontrunners for the Hero Hockey World League title in Raipur.
Nickname: Red Lions
Key player: John-John Dohmen. A classy, creative midfielder who rarely puts a foot wrong, the 27-year-old Belgian captain is currently at the peak of his powers. Named Player of the Tournament at the FINTRO Hockey World League Semi-Final, Dohmen is certain to be a massively influential figure for his team in Raipur.
Notable honours
Olympic Bronze medallists (1920)
EuroHockey Nations Championships Silver medallists (2013)
EuroHockey Nations Championships Bronze medallists (2007)
5th place - Olympic Games (2012)
5th place - Rabobank Hockey World Cup (2014)
5th place - Hero Hockey Champions Trophy (2014)
Additional information: The Royal Belgian Hockey Federation (KBHB-ARBH) recently named New Zealander Shane McLeod as the new Head Coach of the men’s national team. McLeod replaces Dutchman Jeroen Delmee, the former Netherlands international defender and double Olympic Gold medallist (Atlanta 1996 & Sydney 2000) who stepped away from the position at the end of September. McLeod – who has enjoyed spells coaching the New Zealand men’s and women’s teams as well as guiding Antwerp’s Waterloo Ducks to consecutive Belgian league titles in 2013 and 2014 – has been given the task of guiding the Red Lions to a podium finish at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
FIH site
Austria's vision an inspiration to others
The Austrian Hockey Federation has recently launched a unique new live streaming system that pushes hockey highlights of all top league games to households across the world for minimal costs.
Not only are that the best bits of each match pushed out almost live, they can also be easily shared by fans and hockey teams, hugely increasing the exposure of the sport.
In a country that has 4,000 hockey players, Austria is really taking to heart the principles behind the FIH Hockey Revolution. Increased coverage is raising the professionalism of hockey within the country, it's creating an image of hockey that is both exciting and powerful and it's increasing hockey’s popularity and reach, both in Austria and beyond.
Austria is certainly a nation that is going places in the hockey world. Despite the relatively small number of players, Austria’s men’s team is currently ranked at 22 in the FIH World Rankings and only lost out on a Hockey World League (HWL) Semi-Final place when beaten 2-1 by Ireland in the final of the HWL Round Two in San Diego, USA.
Fabian Ringler serves on the Board of the Austrian Hockey Federation and is responsible for strategy, development and marketing. “I think we have a unique solution to dramatically increase hockey video coverage around the world,” he said, explaining that the national hockey federation is working closely with the Austrian clubs to fulfil this aim.
Working with Austrian technology company ViprTec, all the notable action from league games – goals, shots on goal, saves, penalty corners and ‘special’ moments in the game are pushed out as a live stream.
Ringler explains that this is done by separating highlights from the remainder of the action automatically and without the time-consuming need to filter and cut footage. As he says: “Highlights only, but pushed out in real time.”
This, says Ringler, is not a live-stream as we currently know it, but a new take on the idea. Clubs in the system are equipped with a camera and the necessary hardware and software. This system then automatically filters highlights according to set standards – goals, saves, shots – and then feeds their own club channel with content every week.
Ringler says this is “lean content”, combining the benefits of live-stream with the benefits of a highlight summary – the cost is in the production of one piece of content, where normally there would be two.
“The camera is super simple to operate, offers HD quality streams and allows clubs and federations to self-produce highlight content at a moderate cost and create new channels of marketing and viral reach at the same time,” he says.
Through the Hockey Highlight Live system, hockey fans pre-select favourite leagues, venues or highlight category (e.g goals) and get short clips pushed to a mobile device. All highlights can be shared directly via social media channels or embedded into websites.
“We asked ourselves, how can we deliver only thrilling, relevant stuff to our audience with a minimum of effort?” explained Ringler. “Like millions of people playing sport at an amateur level, we suffer limited resources, interest and media presence. This is a game-changing solution.”
For more information on the Austrian Hockey Federation, click here for their website.
To find out more information about this digital service, visit Fabian Ringler's blog here.
FIH site
A chance to crack the 2016 Women's National Team
Coach Rutledge announces selection camp nomination process
In an attempt to leave no stone unturned on the path to Tokyo 2020, the Canadian Women’s National Program (WNP) will be offering a select few the opportunity to trial with the current Women's National Team (WNT) when it hosts its upcoming 2016 Selection Camp.
The purpose of the Camp will be to provide the opportunity for prospective National athletes currently outside of the Field Hockey Canada High Performance Pathway to show their wares alongside current squad members.
The camp will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia from December 1st-3rd, 2015 (draft schedule below).
The application to attend is open to any player who believes they have what it takes to crack the Women's National Team. Of note, an application does not guarantee an invite and only successful candidates who progress through the application stage will be invited.
To be eligible for the Camp athletes must:
Be a Canadian Citizen and have a valid Canadian Passport.
Be prepared to commit fulltime to the 2016 WNT Program
To be considered, athletes should apply via email to FHC WNT High Performance Manager, Stef Sloboda at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., by no later then October 31st 2015.
Applicants should include a brief one-page Performance Resume including their playing history, achievements, and a brief fitness profile (including most recent fitness scores e.g. YoYo or Beep Test scores), as well as at least one letter of reference (e.g. from your school or club coach).
Successful candidates will be invited to attend the Camp and will be notified by Friday, November 6th. Further details regarding camp logistics will be shared with successful trial candidates.
There will be a levy of $100 for athletes who are invited to attend.
Any questions pertaining to the camp can be directed toward Stef Sloboda (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), WNT High Performance Manager.
Please see below for a draft schedule:
Tuesday 1st December:
All Day: Fitness Testing
Evening: Team Activity/Meeting
Wednesday 2nd December:
Morning: Skills Assessment and Training
Afternoon: Internal Practice Match 1
Evening: Team Activity/Meeting
Thursday 3rd December:
Morning: Internal Practice Match 2
Field Hockey Canada media release
Committee Members celebrate Women's World Cup 40th anniversary
Members of the World Cup organising committee; Back Row: Evlyn Raistrick, Elaine Turner, Kit Gow, Wendy McLean. Front: Anne Gulland, Jean Calder, Jennifer Munroe
In 1975, the Scottish Women’s Hockey Association hosted the largest ever women’s hockey tournament in Edinburgh, featuring over 21 nations including the Great Britain U21 team.
The event, in conjunction with the International Federation of Women’s Hockey Associations (IFWHA) conference, was designated as the first ever Women’s World Cup.
40 years on, members of the organising committee met recently to celebrate the aforementioned milestone anniversary of the event.
The final was played between England and Wales, with the former winning the competition. The winning trophy, the Royal Bank of Scotland Quaich, was presented at subsequent World Cups organised by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
A full report on the event and Scottish Women’s Hockey Association’s involvement in the IFWHA’s merger with the FIH is detailed in Chapter 6 of ‘100 Years of Scottish Hockey’.
Scottish Hockey Union media release