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All the news for Friday 3 June 2016

20 years of Fieldhockey.com

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the start of Fieldhockey.com on 3 June 1996!

Started after a discussion in the pub after a game lamenting about how very little news there was on Hockey in traditional media and Teletext (a text news service on TV). At the time I was starting out as a website designer and thought a neutral subject like Hockey would be an ideal showcase for my skills. The content very quickly overtook the showcase aspect. Knowing a site had to change frequently to attract visitors, I decided to attempt to put at least one story about Hockey from anywhere in the world on the site to prove that Hockey was a vibrant sport. Initially this was a difficult task, but I remember one person commiserating with me in a Hockey news chat room assuring me that it would get better in time. Thank you to that kind person for your encouragement, it kept be going until the Atlanta Olympics where there was a plethora of news to sustain me.

Immediately after the Games when all the hockey journalists were on a plane back to their home countries Fieldhockey.com was unable to carry a single news story on 13 August 1996. This was the last day I was unable to find a single story about hockey on the Internet! Since then I have been able to find at least one story every single day (I remember only finding one story on an early Christmas Day about a town in India laying an artificial surface and remarking although it was only one story, it was at least a story. I got a reply from a fan in Canada about the town being his home town and thanking me for putting it on the site).

Trying to live a normal life and update the site has not always been easy as International travel and family holidays have had to come into the equation. Finding Internet cafes and surfing up at Dubai International airport has not always been easy. Even once cellular WiFi started to make life easier there have been times where even this let me down on a trip to a remote part of South Africa where I was not able to connect to the Internet for 3 days. Fortunately I was able to recover those 3 lost days from the archives of the sites I regularly look at for stories to maintain the record of been able to find one story per day.

Running the site has allowed me to watch an enormous amount of live International Hockey at tournaments from Junior and Senior World Cups and their associated qualifier tournaments, Champions Trophy, Champions Challenge, Olympic qualifiers, Continental Championships, multi-nation events and test series between two nations. In 2000 I tried to tally the number I had watched and gave up when I reached 1000 Internationals. I haven't slowed down on watching International Hockey, so I guess I must be approaching 3 - 400 Internationals by now (including all those games watched on TV and via live streaming).

In watching these Internationals I have met and chatted to many of the World's top players, coaches, umpires and officials and have met many Olympic Gold medallists and actually held some of those Gold Medals. What an honour that has been. I watched one of Australian Brent Livermore's first senior Internationals and his 300th. I have watched Dhanraj Pillay and Mukesh Kumar destroy the opposition with their speed and skill and witnessed the amazing skill of the PHF's Secretary General, Shahbaz Ahmed on the field. I have seen incredible umpires like John and Peter Wright, Murray Grime, Santi Deo (the only umpire I have seen show a second green card, hold up two fingers and change it to yellow - no question as to why the player was getting a yellow for a minor infringement). I have met coaches like Ric Charlesworth, Barry Dancer who coached Australia's men to their only Olympic Gold medal despite the team having been in almost all Olympic semi-finals since their entry to the Olympics in 1956, Mauritz Hendricks who is the only coach to have coached a team to Champions Challenge, Champions trophy, Olympic and World Cup Golds (the others don't have that Champions Challenge Gold), Cedric D'Souza who quit in the middle of a World Cup campaign due to administrative interference, all the top Malaysian coaches who with a combination of Head Coach, Assistant coach, and Team Manager get all their top coaches in to an International event and the late Horst Wein who stayed over at my house and taught my young son the Indian dribble on our back lawn.

So what has changed over 20 years?

The Rules for one. The year before the site started the off-side rule was abolished which gives you an idea of just how much the game has changed. No two consecutive Olympics followed by World Cup followed again by Olympics have been played under same set of Rules since the site started.

There has been a steady decline in the number of spectators at International events to the point where the last Junior World Cup was played in an almost empty Dhyan Chand stadium and even at the last World Cup in games where the Netherlands was not involved, the stadia were depressingly empty. Could this be because of the constant changing of the Rules so spectators don't really understand the game anymore? The players I umpire certainly are confused at the beginning of each season as well as some of my colleagues. I remember at the 2001 World Cup Qualifier in Edinburgh the FIH changed the Rules on taking a Penalty Stroke so a player was not allowed to drag the shot and only announced it in the Team briefing and not to the spectators. This led a what looked like a perfectly good Penalty Stroke goal being disallowed which confused the teams, spectators and coaches until a coach had a look his video replay to show a "rooster tail" of water behind the striker's stick proving the shot had been dragged. Only those around that coach and the umpire had any idea why it had been disallowed and there were plenty of disgruntled spectators. Do that often enough and people will stop going to matches. I enjoy watching sport and can follow a game of Cricket, Rugby or Football quite easily because the Rules haven't changed that much, not to the extent Hockey has changed. I wonder if ever we will get to the point where two consecutive Olympics are played under the same Rules.

Perhaps the decline in spectators is due the absurd system of quarter-finals that has been introduced making the pool games almost irrelevant and meaning a team that wins just 3 games in a tournament will win the Gold and a team that wins 5 games may only come 5th because the lost that quarter-final. This system is the sole reason why Pakistan was out of the last World Cup. Having finished at the top of their Pool in the Pool Games of WHL R3 they lost their quarter-final to Korea who had finished bottom of the other pool only drawing one game against Japan, and that QF being their only win of the tournament and then Pakistan lost the next play off meaning a distant 7th was the best they could do and were out of the World Cup for the first time in their history. They had a better record (Won 2 Draw 2 Lost 2) at that tournament than Korea (Won 1 Draw 1 Lost 4) who got through their quarter-final and finished 4th. Another inconsistency was The 2011 Women's Champions Challenge in Ireland where South Africa needing to come first or second in order to qualify automatically for the Olympics won every match except the quarter-final ending in 5th with a record of Won 5 Draw 0 Lost 1 and seemingly out of the Olympics (they later qualified through the last Olympic Qualifiers ever held by winning that tournament). The eventual winners, Japan's record was Won 4 Draw 1 Lost 1 (to South Africa) while Silver medallists USA Won 2 Draw 1 and Lost 3. Where is the sense in this kind of system? Governments and Sponsors don't pay for 5th place no matter how many games you actually won. We have seen how devastating this system has been to Pakistan Hockey and their rapid decline since that failure to make the World Cup. How many other nations are going to go to the wall before it is scrapped?

Recent announcements about the future of Hockey leave me dumbfounded. I agree whole heartedly with the scrapping of the WHL finals as this was a tournament that even the teams going to it didn't take seriously sending many new players and weakened teams on the excuse of "blooding" new players or resting stars to the tournaments. Even at the beginning of the whole WHL you could predict most of the participants in the tournament, but for those teams that upset the form books the cost was horrendous as they had had to attend 3 rounds of the tournament at a huge cost to the nation involved. I think here of Ireland Men who had to do Round 2, 3 and 4 of the last WHL and now have been struggling to make ends meet to attend their reward of the Olympic Games.

Scrapping the Champions Trophy in favour of a Global Hockey League played on a home and away basis to me is a recipe for disaster. The idea is fine when you see full stadia for home tests, but in financial terms how are any nation going to afford to send their teams on 5-6 away tours For just 1 team. Most of the top nations will have both their Men's and Women's teams involved in in the League and will be looking at funding 10 to 12 away tours. Where is the money going to come from? Even the most affluent of hockey nations are going to struggle to find the money. Ireland are struggling to find enough money to go to the Olympic Games which is one of the cheapest tournaments around as accommodation is taken care of on site. And then you have to move to the question of players. Most International players also have a day job to attend to which becomes difficult to do in key years like Olympic years. Anita Punt of New Zealand had to pull out of a tour to Argentina earlier this year due to work pressures. Would you pay to watch weakened international teams because not all their players can get 3 months off work to take part for the entire tournament? It would work if Hockey players were like footballers getting tens of thousands per week to play the game, but even a player like Moritz Fuerste of Germany told reporters in India during the HIL that he struggled to make Hockey ends meet. The Champions Trophy on the other hand achieves nearly the same result but is over in a week. It's almost affordable to both athletes and National Associations, though I suspect Pakistan's withdrawal from this month's Champions Trophy has more to do with finances than their current form. I just feel that the GHL will be a recipe for financial disaster before the monetary rewards build enough to make it viable.

The World Ranking system has come into being in the past 20 years and while it is an improvement on the nothingness that prevailed before, it is badly flawed. For instance at Continental Championships, Europe, Asia and Oceania are granted full value of any points acquired while Africa and Pan America's points are weighted ostensibly because their are fewer hockey playing nations in those Continental Federations. That argument falls flat when you look at the number of nations taking part in the Oceania Cup as opposed to the African and Pan American championships. The Champions from those two Continental Federations are constantly being held back in the rankings making it more difficult to progress because of this weighting. And now we have the Asian Champions Trophy being granted ranking points as well. How on earth are nations outside Asia going to be able to compete on a fair footing? Whilst there are few better spectacles of an India v Pakistan International this promotion of Asia over the rest of the World lacks the fairness an impartial World Federation should have.

There have been a number of fabulous things that have happened in the past 20 years though. We have seen the start of EHL and HIL which is fantastic for Hockey (but where are the equivalent competitions for Women?). The growth of the Azlan Shah Cup to being an annual feature on the calendar and the recent introduction of the Women's equivalent tournament, the Hawkes Bay Cup is long overdue.

Growth of Hockey at grass roots level has been incredible, but almost wherever I go, this growth has been stimulated by a passion for the game by former players and not so much by the National Associations. I think particularly here of the One Thousand Hockey Legs project in India begun by one passionate individual, Mr. K Arumugam, whose enthusiasm has not only sparked the "Hockey Legs", but has caught like wild fire with people willing to give back to Hockey. I personally think that all Nations should look to this model to grow hockey within their countries, because if one man can do what Arumugam has done, what could whole nations achieve?

The biggest problem generally within these grass roots players is they are concerned about their club performance more than their regional team or National Team. They are hardly aware of Hockey outside of their own country which is a pity because this is a wonderful global sport. How do you bring up the level of interest in Global Hockey to the point of Football, Rugby or Cricket where even the players in the lowliest of club teams can discourse about the merits of the players of other Nations or the merits of their National teams? HIL is certainly helping, and once we crack that nut, perhaps Hockey will take it's rightful place in the sports world and most top players will be able to have financially sound careers in Hockey.

Thank you to all the journalists who write about this sport and make this site possible. I have met some wonderful characters and have warm memories of time spent freezing together in the stands covering Hockey. Bruce Hamilton belting out Advance Australia Fair; Pat Rowley's pipe and phenomenal memory of records; Mr T quietly telling his editor a 500 word limit to his article was not acceptable or sending me copy saying his editor had cut his story and please would I publish the full version (I occasionally missed a Mr. T story and have duly been told off for doing so); Bill and Jean Colwill quietly working together; Sydney Friskin dictating his piece over the phone and asking me to go and tell Shahbaz he would like an interview, as if not obliging Sydney was ever an option; waiting for Jon Cook to finish working his magic of getting Hockey onto the inside back pages; Dil Bahra's devotion to Sikhs in Hockey and his Hockey stamp collection; bad internet connections and fixing them - especially at World Cup '98 where a frustrated Indian journalist stood up and shouted at his computer "You are f***ing with my happiness". Sadly some of those journalists are no longer with us, but I do cherish their memories and the work they have done to popularise our sport. Thank you ladies and gentlemen of the Press for making this all possible.

Throughout this piece I have used the first person and it may come as a surprise to many that Fieldhockey.com is run by one person. It has taken a lot of my time and I must thank my wife, Helen and family for putting up with my obsession with Hockey and giving me time to do my "work".

Finally, I must thank the companies that have sponsored Fieldhockey.com over the years. Just Hockey Australia, Espada, Mazon, Zoppo and Sportplan are currently keeping the site going. Dita USA and Barrington Sports were major sponsors in the past. I would not be able to afford to do this without you and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Danson strike seals series win over Netherlands


Alex Danson celebrates scoring for Great Britain

Alex Danson’s 90th international goal handed Great Britain a 1-1 draw in the second and final test match of the series with the Netherlands. The No15 struck with just three minutes left on the clock to cancel out Eva de Goede’s early penalty stroke. After their win in the first match and the draw tonight, Danny Kerry’s side take the series 1-0, striking a psychological blow to one of their rivals before the Hockey Champions Trophy in London later this month.

The Netherlands started the match brightly and Maddie Hinch was forced into action making a good smothering save in the fifth minute. The Dutch soon forced a penalty corner but Lily Owsley was out like lightning to charge it down. At the other end a lovely aerial pass from Giselle Ansley freed Susannah Townsend who set up Sophie Bray; but her shot was well saved by Anne Veenendaal in the Dutch goal. The hosts won their second penalty corner after eleven minutes. The shot hit Helen Richardson-Walsh and a penalty stroke was awarded. De Goede stepped up and scored to make it 1-0 at quarter time. 

Kirsty Mackay entered the fray for the second period, taking the place of Hinch in goal. As it began to rain heavily the goalkeeper made her first contribution with a good save near the baseline.  

Great Britain then built up a period of sustained pressure, winning a penalty corner on 22 minutes. However Ansley’s shot was well saved by the goalkeeper. Sam Quek, making her 100th international appearance linked well with Hannah Macleod to force a second penalty corner in the 26th minute; but Danny Kerry’s side could not convert the chance. At the other end, Mackay was called into action again, making a fine double save. Great Britain had enjoyed the lion’s share of the pressure but it was 1-0 to the Dutch at the interval.

The visitors continued their attacking momentum in the third quarter. Crista Cullen won a penalty corner in the 33rd minute but two splendid saves by goalkeeper Joyce Sombroek, a half time replacement for Veenendaal kept it out. Another corner chance went begging in the 37th minute and the lead remained intact going into the final quarter.

Great Britain continued to hunt the equaliser in the closing 15 minutes. The dying moments of the match were end-to-end with both sides looking dangerous. As the clock ticked down, Townsend and Owsley combined, with the latter driving into the circle to set up Danson to equalise. Mackay was called upon to thwart a late Dutch attack but there was to be no further score and it finished 1-1.

Danny Kerry, Head Coach said afterwards:
“I’m very pleased with today’s performance. I felt we had the balance of play, particularly in the second half. I’m very proud of how the girls have been on the front foot in both matches despite it being an anxious time around selection for the Champions Trophy and Olympics. I feel we can come away from the two matches feeling very positive and we know that we still have good growth to come.”

Don't forget, both these sides will be taking to the field later in June to compete for the title of the best of the best in the Hockey Champions Trophy. Event information can be found here.

Netherlands 1 (1)
Eva de Goede 13 (PS)

Great Britain 1 (0)
Alex Danson 57 (FG)

Starting XI vs. Netherlands

Name, Club

Maddie Hinch, Holcombe
Emily Maguire, Holcombe
Laura Unsworth, East Grinstead
Kate Richardson-Walsh, Reading
Sam Quek, Holcombe
Alex Danson, Reading
Sophie Bray, East Grinstead
Hollie Webb, Surbiton
Shona McCallin, Holcombe
Lily Owsley, University of Birmingham
Nicola White, Holcombe

Substitutes used:

Hannah Macleod, St Albans
Georgie Twigg, Surbiton
Helen Richardson-Walsh, Reading
Susannah Townsend, Canterbury
Giselle Ansley, Surbiton
Crista Cullen, No Club
Kirsty Mackay, East Grinstead

Great Britain Hockey media release

Ballsbridge énergie Fitness Ireland v Korea Match Series


    
The second test of the  Ballsbridge énergie Fitness Match Series with Korea was a much tighter affair, than the opener, finishing in a 1-1 draw.
 
It was a Man of the match performance in goal from David Fitzgerald producing some stunning saves for the green machine.  The first quarter yielded very little, with just one PC a piece, with most of the game played between the 22s.   Korea had the first real chance in the 20m but the shot was of target.  A minute later Gleghorne’s aerial was beautifully controlled by Cargo and only great Korean defence cleared the danger.  Korean forced two PC’s but Fitzgerald stood tall and from the second of the corners Ireland drove forward and a pin point cross from Cockram was turned in by a diving Good to give Ireland the half time lead.
 
Korea were back on level terms scoring from their 4th PC of the game with a lovely touch at the near post by Jung Jun Lee.  In the 4th and final quarter it was all Korea in the early stages with  Fitzgerald called into action on several occasions producing top notch saves to keep Ireland in the game.  With the clock counting down Mitch Darling made a great run and looked as if Watkins would score but a Korean defender cleared off the line.  A minute later it was Darling again, earning a corner, and from the PC Jermyn’s drag hit the post and Korea countered but the  Ballsbridge énergie Man of the Match David Fitzgerald saved.
 
The third game in the series takes place on Saturday afternoon at 2pm before the sides play final test on Sunday at 2pm, all at the Merrion Fleet Arena.
 
Ireland 1 (Kyle Good) 
Korea 1 (J.J.Lee)

Ireland: D Fitzgerald, J Bell, C Cargo, J Jermyn, M Bell, M Darling, T Cockram, K Good, P Gleghorne, R Gormley, , P Caruth, D Carlisle,
Subs: E Magee, G Watkins, N Glassey, S Loughrey, L Cole, D Harte
 
Korea: D-P Hong, J Seo, S You, N Lee, D Y Lee, J Yang, M Kang, J-J Lee, J-S Bae, H You, M Jung, T I Hwang, J-H Kim, J Kim, Y Lee, W-H Seo, H-J Kim, J Kim

Irish Hockey Association media release

Webster glad to be back in the action


Petrea Webster in action against Great Britain. Photo / Getty Images

Petrea Webster is grateful one of the most exhausting periods of her hockey career is now a distant memory.

The women's Black Sticks striker is back with the national squad at the International Hockey Open in Darwin, five months after she broke her nose and suffered severe concussion symptoms.

Webster says no one expected the setback to be so severe.

She says for two months all she could do was walk for 10 minutes as the headaches were so bad.

The Black Sticks meet Japan in their final pool game at 7:30pm tonight.

The New Zealand Herald

Jump Into International Hockey This Weekend

Girls 16s

A jam packed weekend of international hockey takes place at Glasgow National Hockey Centre with the U16 Boys squad taking on Wales on Friday 3rd June at 4pm.

Saturday sees U16 Girls play two fixtures against the Welsh side with the first match being 12pm and the Boys will play the second fixture against the visitors at 12pm.

The U16 Girls second game will push back at 5pm which endeavors to be a high tempo day of hockey.

The highlight will be Scotland's Senior Women take on Great Britain U23s at 2.30pm

Sunday's line up sees U16 Girls play Wales at 10am and U16 Boys take on Wales at 12pm.

The Senior Women play GB Under 23 in the second match at 12.30pm

Please see details below regarding all games over the weekend.

Good Luck to all teams involved

Friday 3rd June 2016

Men - International Events - Scotland U16 v Wales U16
16:00     Scotland U16 v Wales U16 @ Glasgow National Hockey Centre

Saturday 4th June 2016

Men - International Events - Scotland U16 v Wales U16
12:00     Scotland U16 v Wales U16 @ Glasgow National Hockey Centre

Women - International Events - Scotland U16 v Wales U16
12:00     Scotland U16 v Wales U16 @ Glasgow National Hockey Centre

Women - International Events - Scotland v GB U23 (W)
14:30     Scotland v GB U23 @ Glasgow National Hockey Centre

Women - International Events - Scotland U16 v Wales U16
17:00     Scotland U16 v Wales U16 @ Glasgow National Hockey Centre

Sunday 5th June 2016

Women - International Events - Scotland U16 v Wales U16
10:00     Scotland U16 v Wales U16 @ Glasgow National Hockey Centre

Men - International Events - Scotland U16 v Wales U16
12:00     Scotland U16 v Wales U16 @ Glasgow National Hockey Centre

Women - International Events - Scotland v GB U23 (W)
12:30     Scotland v GB U23 @ Glasgow National Hockey Centre

Squads

Surname, School / Club

Iona Colquhoun, Cults Academy / Bon Accord
Rachel Strachan, High School of Dundee / Grove Menzieshill
Lexi Sabatelli (C), School of Sport / Kelburne HC
Rachel Bain, School of Sport / Kelburne
Milly Wood, George Watsons / Watsonians
Milly Merry, Robert Gordons / Merlins Gordonians
Emily Dark, Kilgraston / Dundee Wanderers
Susannah Godfrey Fausett, Glenalmond / Grove Menzieshill
Georgia Smith, Dollar Academy / Grove Menzieshill
Joanne Boyle, Trinity Academy / Inverleith
Jenny Walls, Dollar Academy / Grove Menzieshill
Ruth Blaikie, Perth High / Dundee Wanderers
Ellie Wilson, George Watsons / Watsonians
Catriona Roberts, Kilgraston / Dundee Wanderers
Lucy Hogarth, George Watsons / Watsonians
Erin Stevens, Dollar Academy / Grove Menzieshill
Eve Pearson, Dollar Academy / Dunfermline Carnegie
Lorna Crawford, Loretto
Maris Cawthorn, Selkirk High School / Fjordhus Border Reivers
Margery Justice, Craigholme / Clydesdale Western

Player, Club

Matthew Taylor (GK), Inverleith
Seth van Rensburg (GK),
Alasdair Richmond, Clydesdale
Andrew Lochrin, East Kilbride
Andrew McAllister, Kelburne
Andrew McConnell, Western Wildcats
Ben Pearson, Dunfermline Carnegie
Bradley Park, Sandwell Academy
Duncan Gladwin, Telford and Wrekin
Finlay Halliday, Kelburne
Fraser Moran, Western Wildcats
Jack Fulton, Western Wildcats
Jamie Golden, Grove Menzieshill
John Stephen, Perthshire
Jonathan Hawley,
Kyle Bannerman, Western Wildcats
Kyle McGhie,
Ralph Weissen, Grange
Roshan Anderson, Western Wildcats
Struan Walker, Clydesdale

Scottish Hockey Union media release

New Zealand Men’s team confirmed for Rio

Photo: www.photosport.nz

The New Zealand Men’s hockey team will take plenty of experience as well as some youthful talent into the Rio Olympic Games in August.

The team of 16 players named by the New Zealand Olympic Committee today includes four players who will be playing at their third Olympic Games and a further four at their second campaign.

Captain Simon Child (260 test caps), Ryan Archibald (313), Shea McAleese (225) and Bradley Shaw (179) will suit up for the third time while Hugo Inglis (176), Nick Wilson (156), Blair Hilton (153) and Stephen Jenness (150) all played at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

An exciting addition to the team is 18-year-old Central Mavericks midfielder Hayden Phillips who has earned selection having only made his debut against Korea in Auckland earlier this year.

Phillips, from Levin, is an impressive young talent with slick elimination skills and will be looking to cause trouble for anyone marking him in Rio.

Midlands 20-year-old Nic Woods (47 tests) also lines up as a defender, having developed into one of the country’s most lethal exponents of the drag flick as well as offering athleticism and quick hands on the ball.

Goalkeeper Devon Manchester will be under the bar in Rio and looking to use his speed, agility and awareness to keep the ball out of New Zealand’s goal.

Head coach Colin Batch said the naming of the team now allows the group time to work together and focus solely on hitting the turf in Rio.

“We have named our team early which gives us extra time to prepare and train together as a unit. I believe we are in a good position to accelerate our development, both individually and also as a team,” Batch said.

“Our team is well balanced with eight new Olympians and eight having experienced Olympic competition before, although Rio does offer many more challenges than what athletes experienced at London 2012.

“It is not just about coping with the environment, but all teams face tough competition in both men’s pools. Hockey has developed into a global sport and the depth and consistency of the competition means there is no easy path to securing a quarter finals spot. However, I’m confident that we can perform well and be a strong contender at the business end of the tournament.”

New Zealand Olympic Committee CEO Kereyn Smith noted the opportunity that lies in front of both the men's and women's hockey team in Rio and wished them well in the final stages of preparation for the Games.

"Rio is set to come alive in August as a vibrant and exciting city and with the newly renovated Olympic Hockey Centre forming a key part of the Deodoro cluster of venues, we're looking forward to cheering on the team at this world-class facility.

"With the men's hockey team named today, the players are one of the first team-sports to be formally welcomed into the New Zealand Olympic team and the players can now knuckle down over the next two months in the lead up to the Games.

"One thing we can be sure of is that the competition well and truly shifts up a gear at the Olympic Games, I know the team will be looking forward to laying it all on the line in Rio and New Zealanders in turn are looking forward to tuning into the hockey teams' progress at the Games."

The New Zealand Men are in action on the opening day of competition against trans-Tasman rivals Australia at 4:30am on Sunday 7th August (NZ time) before the Women open their campaign against Korea at 1:00am the following Monday morning.

Two pitches will host both events and for the first time in an Olympic hockey competition, quarter-finals will be played with the top four teams from each pool qualifying for the knock-out stages.

The winners of the quarter-finals will qualify for the semi-finals which will determine who will play in the gold and bronze medal matches, which are scheduled for Friday 19th August.

The New Zealand Women’s team will be named in early July following the conclusion of the Champions Trophy in London.

New Zealand hockey teams have won several Commonwealth Games medals dating back to Kuala Lumpur 1998 right through to Glasgow 2014. The Olympic hockey highlight for New Zealand came at the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976 when the men's hockey team triumphed over Australia to claim the gold medal.

NEW ZEALAND MEN’S OLYMPIC TEAM

New Zealand Olympic and Hockey History

Mid-late 1800s: Game developed by cricket players from Middlesex club in England, looking for a winter sport other than football, using sticks and cricket balls.

Late 1880s: Introduction of the game around the Commonwealth, primarily via the British army. First clubs in India established in 1885 in Calcutta.

1886: Amateur Hockey Association formed in London.

1908: Hockey introduced to Olympic Games in London, with only three men's teams – England, Ireland and Scotland.

1928: Men's hockey returned to the Olympic Games in Amsterdam and then became a permanent fixture on the Olympic programme.

1980: Women's hockey debuted at the Moscow Olympics. 

Hockey New Zealand Media release

Four Black Sticks off to third Olympic Games

By David Leggat


Black Sticks captain Simon Child will lead the Black Sticks at the Olympics in Rio. Photograph by Andrew Warner.

New Zealand will field a squad with a blend of experience and youth for the Olympic men's hockey tournament in August.

The 16 players named today include four who will attend their third Olympics - captain Simon Child, fellow Aucklander Ryan Archibald, Canterbury defender Bradley Shaw and Central defender Shea McAleese.

At the other end of the scale, Levin 18-year-old Hayden Philips, on the back of just 11 international appearances, has won selection as part of the midfield picks. He has made a strong impact in his early days with the national team.

Four other players, strikers Hugo Inglis, Nick Wilson, Blair Hilton and Stephen Jenness, all played at the London Games four years ago.

Th goalkeeping job has gone to Auckland's Devon Manchester, who held off a solid challenge from veteran Kyle Pontifex.

''We have named our team early which gives us extra time to prepare and train together as a unit," coach Colin Batch said.

''I believe we are in a good position to accelerate our development, individually and as a team."

National champions Auckland are the most heavily represented in the squad, with four players. There are three apiece from Central and Southern, two from Capital and one each from Canterbury, North Harbour, Northland and Midlands.

New Zealand, ranked eighth in the world, kick off the tournament on the opening day of competition against world No 1 Australia in a crunch game.

The tournament will, for the first time, use a quarter-final format, the top four from each pool progressing.

The winners of the quarter-finals will then vie for the medals.

Batch said the improving depth and consistency across the game at the highest level means there will be no easy route to making the quarters.

"There will be tough competition in both pools. However I'm confident we can perform well and be a strong contender at the business end of the tournament."

The Black Sticks are aiming to add to their solitary Olympic medal in Rio, the gold won in Montreal in 1976.

New Zealand's women's squad, ranked fourth and rated a real medal chance, will be named late this month or early in July.

New Zealand men's hockey team for the Rio Olympics:
Goalkeeper: Devon Manchester (Auckland, 81 caps)
Defenders: Shea McAleese (Central, 225), Blair Tarrant (Southern, 148), Nic Woods (Midlands, 47), Kane Russell (Southern, 73), Bradley Shaw (Canterbury, 179).
Midfielders: Ryan Archibald (Auckland, 313), James Coughlan (North Harbour, 55), Arun Panchia (Auckland, 187), Hayden Phillips (Central, 11).
Strikers: Simon Child (Auckland, 260, c), Blair Hilton (Capital, 153), Hugo Inglis (Southern, 176), Stephen Jenness (Capital, 150), Shay Neal (Northland, 73), Nick Wilson (Central, 156).
Men's tournament pools:
Pool A: Australia (world No 1), Britain (4), Belgium (5), New Zealand (8), Spain (11), Brazil (32).
Pool B: Netherlands (2), Germany (3), Argentina (6), India (7), Ireland (12), Canada (14).

The New Zealand Herald

Black Sticks Rio Olympics tracker

By David Leggat

New Zealand will field a squad with a blend of experience and youth for the Olympic men's hockey tournament in August.

RYAN ARCHIBALD
Birthdate: 1 September, 1980
Hometown: Auckland
Position: Midfielder
Previous Olympics: London 2012, Beijing 2008
Fact: Archibald has more than 300 New Zealand caps, but would be closer to 400 had it not been for injury, study, work commitments and time out of the game.

SIMON CHILD
Birthdate: 16 April, 1988
Hometown: Auckland
Position: Striker
Previous Olympics: London 2012, Beijing 2008
Fact: Child made his debut for New Zealand as a 16-year old in 2005 and became the youngest player to reach 100 caps.

JAMES COUGHLAN
Birthdate: 28 August, 1990
Hometown: North Shore
Position: Midfielder
Previous Olympics: -
Fact: Coughlan is one of five current or recent Black Sticks to have attended Westlake Boys High.

BLAIR HILTON
Birthdate: 28 August, 1989
Hometown: Wellington
Position: Midfield/striker
Previous Olympics: London 2012
Fact: Scored the winning shootout goal to beat Argentina and put New Zealand into the world league semifinals in Delhi in 2014.

HUGO INGLIS
Birthdate: 18 January, 1991
Hometown: Dunedin
Position: Striker
Previous Olympics: London 2012
Fact: Inglis is a Liverpool football fan

STEPHEN JENNESS
Birthdate: 7 June, 1990
Hometown: Wellington
Position: Striker
Previous Olympics: London 2012
Fact: Scored six of his 55 goals when New Zealand thumped Papua New Guyinea 18-0 in the Oceania Cup in 2013

DEVON MANCHESTER
Birthdate: 11 November, 1989
Hometown: Auckland
Position: Goalkeeper
Previous Olympics: -
Fact: Took up hockey in 2001 because he was too small to keep playing rugby

SHEA MCALEESE
Birthdate: 7 August, 1984
Hometown: Napier
Position: Midfielder
Previous Olympics: London 2012, Beijing 2008
Fact: Says he once modelled in a show for his mum's lingerie store.....(although this reporter is still uncertain if this is true!)

SHAY NEAL
Birthdate: 4 June, 1990
Hometown: Whangarei
Position: Striker
Previous Olympics: -
Fact: Shay and his sister Brooke once won a dance competition and travelled to New York to dance with the Step Up choreographers

ARUN PANCHIA
Birthdate: 22 April, 1989
Hometown: Auckland
Position: Midfield
Previous Olympics: -
Fact: Arun's brothers Daniel and Jared are also outstanding hockey players, with Jared having also represented New Zealand.

HAYDEN PHILLIPS
Birthdate: 6 February, 1998
Hometown: Levin
Position: Midfielder
Previous Olympics: -
Fact: The youngest in the team, 18-year old Phillips bolted into the squad having only made his debut in March.

KANE RUSSELL
Birthdate: 22 April 1992
Hometown: Dunedin
Position: Back/half
Previous Olympics: -
Fact: The drag flick specialist also excelled at athletics at cricket, winning the South Island schools championship in the javelin

BRADLEY SHAW
Birthdate: 13 February, 1983
Hometown: Christchurch
Position: Defender
Previous Olympics: London 2012, Beijing 2008.
Fact: Shaw is a teacher at St Andrew's in Christchurch.

BLAIR TARRANT
Birthdate: 11 May, 1990
Hometown: Dunedin
Position: Defender
Previous Olympics: -
Fact: Tarrant attended Otago Boys High along with Hugo Inglis, and wider national squad player Nick Ross, while Kane Russell was a couple of years behind the trio.

NICK WILSON
Birthdate: 6 August, 1990
Hometown: Palmerston North.
Position: Striker
Previous Olympics: London 2012
Fact: Wilson was a stand-by player in the 2008 Olympics, meaning he travelled and trained with the team but didn't stay in the athletes village

NIC WOODS
Birthdate: 26 August, 1995
Hometown: Hamilton
Position: Midfielder
Previous Olympics: -
Fact: Woods' drag flick prowess will make him a key figure at the crucial set piece during the Olympics.

The New Zealand Herald

Black Sticks captain Simon Child has full faith in Rio Olympic Games squad video

Clay Wilson


Kiwi captain Simon Child is determined his third Olympic campaign will reap a big reward. ANTHONY AU-YEUNG/PHOTOSPORT

A world ranking of eighth means only one thing to Black Sticks captain Simon Child ahead of the Olympic Games.

"We go in as dark horses in Rio and we are happy to have that mantle," the 28-year-old striker said as the New Zealand men's team for the Games was announced in Auckland on Friday.

"The pressure is all on the top four teams, the Europeans and Australia. We are happy to go along as quiet achievers.

"We want to win a gold medal and we are happy to go toe-to-toe with some of the big boys."

The Black Sticks have proven they are capable of just that, evidenced most recently by a 1-0 loss to world No 1 Australia only seven weeks ago.

Doing it on a consistent basis, though, has been a different story.

Child was not shying away from the fact changing that was key to achieving their golden goal and, as a result, a major work-on.

But the inspiration and confidence to find that consistency has come from a somewhat unlikely source.

"Our road to Rio has been a pretty rocky one," he said in reference to the team's failed qualifying campaign which was saved by the South African Olympic Committee's decision not to send their team.

"But as a result we have built a really strong belief in the team over the last 18 months.

"We are a pretty bloody-minded bunch of guys determined to not only show each other what we can do, but also show the New Zealand public what we are capable of."

As well as being driven, the squad named by coach Colin Batch is vastly experienced.

Led by 313-test veteran Ryan Archibald, Child (260 tests) and Shea McAleese (225 tests), all two-time Olympians, the group has a core of eight players with more than 150 international caps.

At the other end of the scale, the selection of 18-year-old bolter Hayden Phillips boosts an exciting batch of young players including Kane Russell and Nic Woods, who have become the team's leading drag-flick exponents.

Batch acknowledged that experience, which gave them a whopping average of 147 test caps across the 16 players, was great, but said it was not a deliberate ploy and not the most crucial element to their success in Rio.

"In the end we picked the best players, but we also picked a couple of players that could play in different roles," the former Australian international said.

"We normally have 18 at a tournament, but we only get 16 for this one so we need some flexibility and we believe we've got that."

"The biggest thing we have going for us is our team is already selected and most of the other teams are selected in about four weeks time. We have four weeks of match-play and training to work through a lot of areas of our game."

Specifically, shoring up the defence and improving their conversion rate are focus points with just eight weeks until the Games begin.

A three-test series away to the second-ranked Dutch (June 21-24) and a Six Nations tournament in Spain (June 27-July 3) offers further opportunity to iron out any remaining creases.

It is a programme that has Batch confident his team would be ready come Rio.

World rankings, method of qualification and previous results at Olympics counted for little come time to get down to business, he said.

"There was some talk when we first learned [we were going] just before Christmas that teams have been in this spot and done really well, but we know right now all the teams are equal and no one has any goals or points on the board.

"It is all in front of us and the attitude we are taking is we have nothing to lose."

New Zealand face Australia first up in Rio, with Great Britain (un-ranked), Belgium (5), Spain (11) and hosts Brazil (32) also in their pool.

Black Sticks men's squad for Rio Olympic Games:  Ryan Archibald, Simon Child, James Coughlan, Blair Hilton, Hugo Inglis, Stephen Jenness, Devon Manchester, Shea McAleese, Shay Neal, Arun Panchia, Hayden Phillips, Kane Russell, Bradley Shaw, Blair Tarrant, Nick Wilson, Nic Woods.

Stuff

Teenager Hayden Phillips set to bolt into Black Sticks men's team for Rio Olympics

Clay Wilson


Young Black Sticks midfielder Hayden Phillips in action for Palmerston North Boys' High last year. DAVID UNWIN/FAIRFAX NZ

Teenage midfielder Hayden Phillips is set to complete a rapid rise to prominence when the Black Sticks men's squad for the Rio Olympics is announced in Auckland on Friday.

The 18-year-old from Levin only made his full international debut less than three months ago, but is expected to be one of 16 names included in coach Colin Batch's team for the Games.

The player of the tournament in leading Central to the national under-18 title last year, Phillips was handed a surprise call-up to the New Zealand side for the home series against South Korea in March and has clearly made a big impression since.

He played well enough in those four matches to earn a place in the 18-man squad for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia in April and a strong performance there is set to earn him a coveted ticket to Rio in August after just 11 games at the top level.

While the selection will be brilliant news for a skilful, tireless teen who only completed his time at Palmerston North Boys' High School at the end of last year, it is also likely to mean disappointment for another hugely talented young midfielder.

Phillips' inclusion is expected to come at the expense of North Harbour's George Muir, who has more than 50 tests to his name since debuting in 2013, but has not been helped in recent months by a niggling hamstring injury.

Muir could still head to Rio as one of two standby players, with the second goalkeeper likely to be named in one of those spots.

Kyle Pontifex and Devon Manchester are the two in contention for the No 1 shot-stoppers berth, with the latter appearing to be the front-runner after the pair shared time in goal fairly equally in Malaysia.

It is also understood the team naming will confirm the absence of long-time squad member Nick Haig.

Capped 186 times for the Black Sticks, the Canterbury defensive midfielder is part of the 25-man national squad, but his likely exclusion from the Games team was signalled when he missed out on selection for the Azlan Shah Cup.

Led by two-time Olympian Simon Child (260 tests), the New Zealand men will not be lacking experience as they bid to defy their world ranking of eighth in Rio.

Eight seven others with 150-plus tests - Ryan Archibald (313), Shea McAleese (225), Arun Panchia (187), Brad Shaw (179), Hugo Inglis (176), Nick Wilson (156), Blair Hilton (153) and Stephen Jenness (150)  should also hear their name read out on Friday.

Phillips will be part of an exciting batch of young players including defender Kane Russell and midfielder Nic Woods, who have become the team's leading drag-flick exponents after 197-test veteran Andy Hayward did not make the wider national squad.

The Black Sticks are set to face world No 1 Australia first up at the Games, with Great Britain (unranked), Belgium (5), Spain (11) and hosts Brazil (32) also in their pool.

Stuff

Australia's Kookaburras - just try and knock them off top spot!



"What better preparation for Rio than winning the last major, just before the Olympics take place," says Tim Deavin – or Deavo – as he is known among his Australian team mates. "We go to every tournament to win and anything less is a failure. We will be giving players the opportunity at Champions Trophy to play for Olympic selection. So, like most tours, it is not necessarily our strongest team at the time; while saying that we still we have a team mix with the purpose of winning."

It is a point that team mate Jake Whetton agrees with. "We go to every tournament with the intention of being in the main game at the end of the tournament. It's our last major hit out before the Rio Olympics and for every athlete it is another opportunity to show the coaches and selection panel what we have and pushing for final selection for Rio."

While no team selection is set in stone, Whetton's record of 42 goals from 99 games and a list of medals and wins to his name that includes a Hockey World Cup, a Hockey World League winners medal as well as a recent first place finish with the Hockey India League team Jaypee Punjab Warriors, would suggest the 25-year-old would be among the first names on the team sheet.

However, no-one in Australia's Kookaburra colours takes anything for granted and the level and intensity of training the players go through to secure selection is eye-wateringly tough.

Deavin describes a typical training week: “We train six days a week, all year round. In an Olympic prep period we do have more contact hours, we have extra meetings, these include scouting, yoga, Pilates, psyche, game learnings. But our physical time spent on the pitch is essentially the same. Training on pitch for six days can’t really be increased without negative consequences on player performance. Our schedule consists of four group turf sessions, two individual turf sessions, one set play session, two gym sessions, one psychological meeting, two team development meetings and one yoga session. So it’s a pretty full on week and is definitely draining. We run on average 30kms a week in training.”

And, while they might be World Cup winners and the world number one team, Australia is a team that is constantly evolving. Both Deakin and Whetton struggle to explain the culture and belief within the Kookaburra camp, but both players agree they are a side where small changes are constantly being made to ensure they stay at the top of their game.

“It’s hard to identify from within,” says Deavin, “As with most sports teams the way of playing and the culture is constantly changing and evolving. I’m sure there a bunch of differences but as they are constant small things I cannot give a definitive answer.”

And what about the complacency that often creeps into teams that constantly win? Is there a danger the Kookaburras might take their eye off the ball?

Whetton’s answer is definite: “The past is the past, 2014 was an unbelievable year [Australia won the Hockey World Cup and Commonwealth gold], but we can't rely on that any more. Even last year with our results in Belgium [FINTRO Hockey World League Semi-Final] and India [Hero Hockey World League Final] we are still playing great hockey to win major hockey tournaments but we don't go into any game just expecting to win. If we did we wouldn't see the results we are seeing.”

And his teammate concurs: “We are always 'expected' to win. This comes with the territory of being ranked the number one team in the world. It can have a negative impact but not necessarily on motivation, but rather or positive motivation for other countries. For those striving to hunt the leader it is easier to do than to stay ahead.

“There is a lot of pressure on the team to perform and come away from the Olympics, and every other tournament, with the gold. Success has affected us as a group in the past. Is it now? I don't think so, only time will tell."

FIH site

Pressure? What pressure?


Ashley Jackson shoots from a penalty corner

Pressure is a funny thing in sport. It can make the most accomplished and high profile players seemingly lose all their talent, even for the briefest of moments. On the flip side, some seem to thrive on it, stepping up to the plate time and time again when it really matters, excelling whilst others fall.

Perhaps two kinds of players in hockey are exposed to high pressure situations more than others: The goalkeeper and those responsible for shooting from penalty corners. We have two of the best of those in our ranks in Maddie Hinch and Ashley Jackson.

Jackson’s abilities from penalty corners make him one of the most feared players around. Whilst the Holcombe man bristles at the use of the term “penalty corner specialist” his ability to convert set pieces can often mean he is the man shouldering the responsibility for his team’s chances. It seems to be a responsibility he relishes:

“Penalty corners still have a large part to play in modern hockey. There is always that pressure on you to score when you step up, but there is also the chance to take the pressure away from the other guys. If you score an early corner or you get that one at the end of the game, whatever it may be you can help your team out. Most of the time it is enjoyable; sort of just standing around taking it all in with goose bumps that everyone is waiting for that one moment for you to deliver. There are probably many more occasions you fail than when you succeed but it’s still an enjoyable feeling.”

In the 2009 EuroHockey Championship Final, which England won, Jackson scored one goal from one penalty corner and team mate Richard Mantell two from two. What pressure?!

There are few more tense situations than the shootout. Of course last summer, goalkeeper Maddie Hinch embraced the tension to make a series of saves to capture the EuroHockey title for her country. Her method of dealing with the pressure is simple but effective:

“I’ve learnt that ultimately, if I'm out there enjoying just playing and not really worrying too much I can put in a decent performance.”

“There's no doubt I'm always very nervous but on the pitch I try to have a very relaxed approach. That means having a clear head, relaxing and just going out there to enjoy it. I think you've got to learn to embrace the pressure otherwise you just won't like playing. No athlete wants to do that.”

It seems to be working well for our goalkeeper so far! Pressure? What pressure?

England Hockey Board Media release

Inspiring thousands of School children this summer

School kids in crowd

We will have over 8,000 school children cheering on the teams at this month’s Hockey Champions Trophy at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and your kids can join them!

We want to inspire the next generation as we offer ticket deals to schools around the country to attend specific sessions at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. Last time we held a schools day was in April 2015 when Great Britain women beat Japan. This saw 3000 kids cheer on the women to a 5-1 win.

Laura Unsworth who scored in that 5-1 win loved having the loud support from the children; ‘Having the crowd here was amazing, it brought back fond memories of London 2012 and the noise then. They were phenomenal especially when we had a bad patch in the game they really helped get us motivated again.’



U18s’ ticket prices start at just £5 over the two weeks of International hockey action, this will be the last time you can watch your favourite hockey athletes before they head to Rio for the Olympic Games. You can purchase your tickets now before they all sell out!

England Hockey Board Media release

Looking back and moving forwards

Sarah Juggins


Gold Medal: Argentina. J-M PHOTOGRAPHY

With the dust settling on the women’s Junior Pan American Championship, we take a moment to reflect upon the results and what it means for the three teams who will now be contesting the Junior World Cup in Chile, later this year.

For anyone who missed the event, Argentina were outstanding; a tremendous 6-0 win over the USA secured the title, but this was just the icing on the cake after a run of performances that netted 63 goals for the Lionesses in six matches, with no goals conceded.

The bronze medal went to the up and coming Chile side, who defeated their higher ranked opponents, Canada, 3-0. There was a small consolation for Canada as their ‘keeper, Lauren Logush won Goalkeeper of the Tournament. The Player of the Tournament and Top Goal-scorer accolade was won by Argentinian sensation Maria Granatto.

For Janneke Schopman, USA U-21 Women's National Team Head Coach, the major gain for her charges was the wealth of experience they gained during the tournament. A knowledge and insight that they can now take forward to the Junior World Cup later in the year: “The Junior Pan Am tournament has been a great experience for our team, both on and off the field. Being away for two weeks, playing under different circumstances provided us with more understanding of what's important for us to play to our potential as a team.

“We reached our goal with qualifying but now want more. With the lessons of the tournament, especially the final, we know what we have to do to be ready for the first game in the Junior World Cup and bring the fight to whoever we’re playing.

“Overall I am very happy with how we were able to play, with a lot of movement and good use of the available space, scoring both field and penalty corner goals. Our goal was to qualify for the Junior World Cup and playing Argentina in the final provided us with some insights as to what the highest level in U-21 hockey looks like.

“With this experience we know what we need to do and work on in the next six months to be ready for the first game at the Junior World Cup. It will be an exciting journey I am looking forward to.”

USA forward Gab Major was Team USA’s joint top goal scorer with eight goals during the Junior Pan Am Championship. Speaking on the Team USA website, Major said: “I think our attack puts very good pressure on the opposition, which is something that we talked about before each game. Stepping together is a strength of ours and I think it even got better as the games went on. I also think our ability to move the ball around the outside gave us many attacking opportunities.”

And, like her coach, Major sees the experience as vital for the team as they set their sights on Chile in November. “Going into the tournament, we were focused on improving each game. We wanted to play to our full potential, connected as a team, and not worry about much else. Looking ahead after the first few wins, we wanted to keep the momentum going. We didn’t want to let up for any game no matter who our opponent was. Short training sessions on the field in between games helped us with that.”

While Team USA left the pitch at Tacarigua with plenty to think about, Argentina’s coach Agustin Corradini was a man who was pleased with where his players currently are in their preparations for the Junior World Cup.

“As a coaching staff, we are very pleased with the performance of our players at the Junior Pan Am Championship. It was not just about a good technical or tactical performance, it was also all about how the players behaved during the tournament. It was their ‘human performance’ if you like. I am delighted that they behaved with such a high level of professionalism. They were professional athletes throughout.”

For the players there are now two phases to the season, explains Corradini. For many of the players involved in the junior team, they now have an even bigger challenge as they will be stepping up to the senior squad and preparing for the Olympics. With squads still to be announced and a Champions Trophy to be played in London in June, these are tough times for the players.

Once the Olympics have been and gone, the U21 squad enters phase two: preparation for the Junior World Cup. In the meantime, those players not involved in the Olympics will be training hard to be at the top of their game come December.

And Corradini and his staff know the monumental task they face in Chile. While Argentina and USA had a relatively easy ride through to the finals of the Pan Am Junior Championship, it is a whole different level once you reach the World Cup.

“The teams in the World Cup are going to be much stronger than the Pan American teams (with the exception of the USA),” says Corradini. “They will be more prepared, with more support from the backroom behind their program. It is impossible to say who will be our strongest challengers to the title, for us we have to think about our own game. The biggest challenge for us is to be better than yesterday. We have to spend every day thinking in that way.”

For third placed Chile, winning the bronze medal over Canada was seen as revenge for recent closely contested matches – in the senior 2015 Women’s Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada won 1-0, while at the Women’s Junior Pan American Championship in 2012, it was Canada who beat Chile 3-1 in the semi-finals.

"We achieved our goal, we got the Pan American bronze medal,” said a member of the coaching team after the game. “Two years of effort has begun to pay off, however, this is just a first step towards something bigger, the Under-21 World Cup."

For all three Pan-American Junior World Cup contenders, the next few months are vital in their preparations. For many of the USA and Argentinian players, there is an Olympic Games to consider first. But for Chile’s players, the biggest stage of their hockey careers so far is closer to home and all their attention will be focused on performing on their home turf in Santiago.

The women’s Junior World Cup runs from 24 November to 4 December.

Pan American Hockey Federation media release

Canadian Women’s National Program to hold junior development camp in August

Shaheed Devji



Below is information regarding the upcoming Women’s National Program junior development camp in August.

When: August 15-26, 2016
Where: Vancouver, British Columbia (athletes selected will be required to find accommodation for the duration of the camp) More information will be provided to those selected).

Who: Selection of athletes will be made following Under-16 and Under-18 National Championships (which take place at the end of July). Athletes selected will be notified via email following the competition of the Under-18 Nationals in Toronto and will be made aware the first week of August.

Purpose: The purpose of this camp is to selection athletes for the 2016-2017 Women’s Junior Development Squad following the conclusion of the National Championships.

Further Opportunities: Following both National Championships athletes will be identified to attend camps that will be held in Eastern and Western Canada in October and November respectively. These camps are for athletes who may not have been selected for the Junior Development Squad Camp in August.

Field Hockey Canada media release

Team culture behind UJ hockey’s success

By Coetzee Gouws



University of Johannesburg men’s hockey captain Gareth Heyns has identified a consistent drive for improvement as the reason behind their Varsity Hockey success this year.

Under the guidance of coach Garreth Ewing and Heyns, UJ retained the title in the biennial event after defeating Tuks in a thrilling final at the Johannesburg campus late last month.

Heyns, who lives in Primrose near Germiston, said he could not single out any individuals, instead putting the triumph down to an overall team effort.

“I really can’t identify any particular players,” said Heyns. “Everyone played a key role.

“It was due to efforts from the performance staff, to coaches, to everybody involved with the squad.

“Everyone pushed each other to get better and better. I think that is one of the benefits of the culture that has been created at UJ over the past few years.”

The 24-year-old national player, who attended Bedfordview Primary and Jeppe High, said they now needed to focus on further development of their game as a team.

“We are in the process of rebuilding and we have a few new guys in our system. It is nice to be able to do them justice by winning their first university tournament and to justify their decision to come to UJ.

“I think going forward we need to focus on refining our game. The guys haven’t played together for long but it amazes me at how well they connect with each other.

“That is one thing we can always work on so that everybody is on the same page and we all have one common goal on the field.”

Heyns, who is currently studying towards his master’s degree in marketing, said there would always be ups and downs and that it was unrealistic to think one could never lose.

“Nobody wants to lose but I think if and when we encounter that situation we will need to be humble, mature and professional and use it as a stepping stone in our journey.”

As the defending champions, he said there had been a sense of nervousness before the tournament.

“We attempted to deflect the pressure by focusing on the competition as a new event and not one in which we were trying to defend our title.

“If I’m honest, I was quite nervous,” he said.

“It is always quite a big moment knowing that you have to defend a title, but I really enjoy the pressure, especially knowing the team we had.

“The big thing that was discussed between the coach and us was that we should not go into the tournament with the mind-set of having to defend our title.

“We are a new team, in the process of building something new for the future, and so we decided the approach should be to try and win another title instead of defending one.”

Heyns paid tribute to Ewing’s role, valuing his honest approach and the team environment he created.

“Springer, as we like to call him, was extremely important to our success. He is professional in the way that he approaches games and is straightforward as to how we are performing.

“It is one thing to have a coach who sugar coats everything so that they don’t hurt anyone’s feelings and that does have its place.

“But, with Springer, we always know where we stand and I believe it creates an honest environment, and one where players are determined to improve for themselves and for the guys they are playing with.”

Varsity Sports media release

Mixed Finals weekend

Just a week before international teams from around the world take to the pitch at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in the Hockey Champions Trophy, the venue plays host to the England Hockey Mixed finals

The teams playing in this weekend's Mixed Trophy & Plate finals have fought their way through a number of rounds, as the competition is the most popular of all the England Hockey KO competitions with over 130 entries.

Harleston Magpies are the reigning Trophy champions and they play Formby who return after losing in last season’s Plate semi final. Banbury and Bristol Firebrands meet in the other semi final

Reading, the Plate winners in 2015, also return to defend their title. They play Havering whilst the recently crowned England Hockey Club of the Year, Sevenoaks, play Sutton Coldfield in the other semi.

Tickets for the event are available on the day or can be purchased at a cheaper rate in advance, see ticket details for more information.

SATURDAY 4th JUNE
09:30 - Plate Semi Final 1 Sevenoaks v Sutton Coldfield
11:30 - Plate Semi Final 2 Havering v Reading
13:30 - Trophy Semi Final 1 Banbury v Bristol Firebrands
15:30 - Trophy Semi Final 2 Harleston Magpies v Formby

SUNDAY 5th JUNE
09:30 - Plate 3rd/4th Playoff 
11:30 - PLATE FINAL 
14:00 - Trophy 3rd/4th Playoff
16:00 - TROPHY FINAL

England Hockey Board Media release

85-year-old hockey player who played for India is now broke

Satyanarayana played till his retirement at 55.

Lamya Karachiwala


Image: Anusha Puppala, The News Minute

Kota Satyanarayana, who once represented the country in hockey, cannot afford hearing aid worth Rs 15,000. His 35-year-old daughter is unable to find a suitable groom due to their financial condition.

At 85, the once national and international player is forgotten. He lives in a one-room rented apartment in Hyderabad with his wife, daughter and two sons, and has no cash to spare. He has no savings either. When Anusha Puppala, a reporter based out of Hyderabad had gone to meet Satyanarayana and his family, she was told by his daughter that Satyanarayana never worried too much about money. “He was so passionate about the game that he never thought about anything else. He didn't do financial planning,” she told Anusha.

Satyanarayana started playing from the time he was six till his retirement at 55. Today, in his time of helplessness, even the government is not doing anything. “Last year, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had honoured some old players from the city and he was one of them. He was promised Rs 10,000 per month. However, after few months that stopped. They have approached the government again but have received no response,” Anusha shares.

Presently, although his two sons are working at small stores, the money they earn is spent in taking care of day-to-day expenses. Anusha decided to start a crowdfunding campaign on Ketto so that Satyanarayana and his family can be helped momentarily. “We are starting off with Rs 1 lakh. Gauging the response to the campaign we will increase the amount,” says Anusha.

To help similar causes, log on to Ketto - a platform to raise funds for social, personal and creative causes.

DNA