Another goal
No team sport has perhaps been as determined as field hockey has been to keep itself from becoming boring. In what is being described as the IPL effect, hockey has been quick to propose an International Super Series. Overseen by the International Hockey Federation, the matches will be abbreviate, more interactive and just more fun. The first competition is to be held in Perth this October, and besides hosts Australia competitors would include India, Pakistan, Malaysia and New Zealand.
How the first season fares will be interesting, because hockey, one of the most entertaining sports on the ground, too often struggles to keep enough television audiences interested to consolidate its popularity, and also reap the financial benefits of broadcast rights. The Super
Series is attempting some innovations that may help: music on the public address system, and earpieces for umpires and some players to make the game more interactive. In addition, the game will be abbreviated as well as made faster by some changes: 30-minute matches in 15-minute halves, nine players on field with a minimum two in the attacking half and a less crowded fray for penalty corners. Before the purists start gasping, it’s worthwhile to recall the innovations that have made hockey ever more athletic and pacier: astroturf gave the sport speed as well as portability, rolling substitutions and the no-offside liberation, and the recent self-pass allowance.
How it goes in Perth is bound to have consequences for international hockey. For one, if such complementary formats work, it will be valuable for Indian players, on whose behalf it’s often argued they don’t get enough big-match experience. It could make viable club-based leagues to fill in gaps in the international calendar. If it doesn’t work, be sure that hockey will find another way to innovate — it’s in the DNA of the sport.