The FIH exists, but it is branded as World Hockey. In every forum their officials sport jerseys wearing the name World Hockey — where both the words are artistically connected by a hockey stick in white. Umpires in particular are popular carriers of the brand; all letter heads, publications, billboard of the FIH will have the unmistakable presence of brand World Hockey.
The World Hockey (FIH) adopted this brand make over probably following the footsteps of Australian Hockey Federation which modified itself into Hockey Australia in the early 2000s. And, almost all the sports bodies in Australia, and west Europe are known in such a fashion only.
The proposal to rechristen the Indian Hockey Federation and the Indian Women Hockey Federation, which on paper comes under the Indian Hockey Confederation – this proposal was disclosed in the press meet at Hyderabad on 18th July on the eve of Junior Asia Cup final – is, on the face of it, is to brand Indian hockey in the manner most other nations do.
To that extent the image make over for our administrative set up is long over due – and as such it is welcome.
Image make over is the marketing strategy, branding is part and parcel of such approach.
This is all the more necessary in India where the word Sports Federation evoke a sense of negativity.
However, just by renaming nothing can be erased or changed, but the effort to brand and organization sends the message that the things are moving ahead, the organization aims for modernity, seeks vibrancy, ready to forgo old image and welcome for future challenges.
Those in the marketing field would vouchsafe for this.
At the same time, it should be borne in mind that unless efforts to make better visibility for the new brand in terms of public events and allied activities are not taken up on continued and sustainable basis, the branding efforts will not meet the intended success – creation of positive image for hockey.
Mere printing the selected emblem on the T Shirts and letter heads won’t do. There has to be matching zeal and spirit to modernize things and outlook.
Now comes the question of branding the Indian Hockey Confederation as Hockey India.
One cannot deny the anxiety of the world body FIH in amalgamating men and women organizations into a singular body. In fact it has achieved this before the 2000 Olympics, but we in India knew for sure the Federations did not merge the way others have done the world over.
The formation of Indian Hockey Confederation was a bad idea in terms of intent and practicability. It was mooted to cover up our men and women involved in hockey administration to cheat, I repeat, to cheat the world body.
All correspondence with the FIH had been done on the letter head of IHC, while the IHF and IWHF continued to function independent of each other.
But the real difficulties in merging the two entities essentially lie in two factors.
One, government of India treates the IHF and the IWHF separately and in effect both get grants separately.
Secondly, the question of who will head the new body? Almost across the world the men bowed out and, on gesture, the women head was elected to lead the unified body. Pam Tye of Australia is one example. Unlike Australia or other countries where the sport of hockey is not that popular compared to India, this generous approach is possible. In India, it is far fetched to expect this to happen.
So, as long as government recognizes both IHF and IWHF as individual bodies – it does so because the IOA does it – and unless and until it makes it clear that the unified body would not mean less allocation of funds, the concept of IHC won’t work.
Now that the IOA has come forward in principle to recognize the IHC as the sole representative body of hockey – this is what they said in the Hyderabad press conference — it intends to make one sacrifice. That one is, a vote less in the electoral college of the IOA. At present, both IWHF and IHF have a vote each. Normally, all people in the seat of power have a tendency to increase the voters. Therefore, we have to wait and see how the things shape up in the November AGM of the IOA.
It may not be too premature to foresee Mrs Vidya Stokes as the Hockey India president and, say, Md. Aslam its Secretary General.
By chance if the male assumes the leadership, then Amrit Bose will become the secretary!!. This development is frightening, to say the least.
If that is going to happen, I see the present set up is far better. Strictly speaking, Jothikumaran is far better than Amrit Bose — and nothing more need to be said on the matter to put the things in the right perspective.
The ideal will be to see both Stokes and Bose also disappear from the scene as was the case with Gill and Jothi. They are hanging around for almost 20 years, five years more than Gill’s
Unless personalities change, public perception won’t change.