Revolutions are a rare phenomenon in history, occurring once in a long cycle. But it is a matter of routine in some unstable domains like the sport we love. Field hockey is perhaps the only global sport that witnesses revolution as a routine, demeaning the word itself.

Now another big bang revolution is going to rock the sports world, crowds will blast stands, world will be different, if the latest narratives of the FIH about the impending revolution are to be believed.

This is the difference between the Federation Internationale de Hockey (FIH) and the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The former manages world’s most unstable and conservative sport while the other transforms almost magically a gentleman game into world’s most professional sport.

If cricket today comes under top three sports in every country it is popular, hockey is number one game in NONE of the countries despite it is played ten times more countries than Cricket.

Cricket innovated without destroying old forms.

Hockey does the reverse.

The latest merry is dispensing away with yet another spec of history, the Champions Trophy, the tournament that entertained hockey connoisseurs for about five decades.

When the Test cricket could not stand test of times, ICC came out with One Day Internationals. When ODIs too proved to be too long for another generation of spectators, it came out with T20s.

Now, all the three forms survive, extent of success depending on the true merit or lack of it of each form.
This is basically the difference in outlook between pro sports and the ones that ape them without application of mind.

Hockey has undergone revolution as many times ball is intercepted in a hockey match.

Revolutions are one time affair, but in hockey it’s a routine.

When the synthetic grass was introduced in the early 70s it was hailed as revolution. The change was not because the FIH wanted it, or it foresaw its dividends, but because one Olympic Organizing Committee compelled them, threatened them.

But the FIH called it revolution.

Then when they removed offside, it was touted as another revolution.

Other revolutions (!) that have taken place in field hockey include

Rolling substitution

Introduction of dotted line as if number of lines dotting the hockey field is less,

Hockey 5s, abolition of tie-break for shoot outs.

Introduction of Hockey World League.

Quarters and reduction of play time from 70 mins to 60

These all disfigured hockey, did not usher in any revolution that the FIH promised to the sporting world.

Four years ago, the FIH claimed in an gay abandon akin to Archimedes innovation that HWL is the answer it was looking and got it. The FIH officials just were just short of rushing out of water body the way Archimedes did when he found his theories as a matter of chance.

HWL is a joke in itself at least nomenclature is concerned. For example, India and Pak met at

Raipur in HWL last stage. What was that match?

It was Semifinal of the HWL Semifinals!

Can any layman understand what all these semifinals are about?

Every stage had a semifinal yet you had a full blown HWL Semifinal in which not four but 8 teams participated out of which four reached, what, semifinals! Hell with semifinals!

Its irksome, nauseating, still we had undergone it last four years.

Leave aside, now the FIH brainstorm tells us Global Hockey League is just another Revolution in waiting.
Now half of the HWL will be there, and the remaining part will be GWL.

When HWL was put on board, it came after killing various Qualifiers (World Cup, Olympics, Champions Trophy) all in one stroke. These Qualifiers were attractive, understood and drew public attention. HWL is in that way confused everyone. Countries qualified 5, 6 months after HWL SFs! The purpose of league has become qualification to other tournaments while it should have been what leagues are meant to be.

Now the GWL will kill half the HWL and also Champions Trophy.

Can FIH not bring new tournaments, if it wants to, without throwing away historical ones?

We don’t know the nitty gritty of GHL. Better not to loose sleep. When you clearly understood what is GHL, another revolution will have swept it!

If HWL is success then why now GHL, which proves HWL has flopped. Which means the promised Revolution of last 5,6 years did not occur. But we have another Revolution. But according to the FIH yet another promise full stands and full revenues waiting to happen as it ushers in GHL.

If the FIH will make GHL successful, I will count it miracle.

But as of now the digging of graveyard for Champions Trophy, hurts.

GHL is yet another revolution in FIH hockey, but only in boardrooms.

When will the FIH will have some vision to keep history along side whenever it wants usher in Revolution