By ERROL D’CRUZ

Big things, they say, come in small packages. Whether such an adage would apply to Hockey 5s remains to be seen. However the version of the sport for which there has been a mixed reaction received a boost with the announcement of the World Cup and the invitation by the FIH for bids for the inaugural editions (men and women) of the competition planned for 2023.

Much of the world body’s keenness for the five-a-side version of the sport allegedly stems from the threat hanging over hockey’s Olympic future although the FIH emphatically refutes such fears and backs its 11-a-side version to continue its presence at the Games.

Intense contest was witnessed in the Asian Youth Olympics Qualifier 2018

With the population at the Olympic village bursting at the seams and costs skyrocketing, Hockey Fives would more than halve the demand of space and resources at the Games thereby increasing the chances of the sport retaining its Olympic spot – albeit in another avatar.

The thought of Hockey Fives at the Olympics drew outrage from some sections of the global fraternity but there were a few eminent names – like five time FIH Player of the Year, Australian Jamie Dwyer — who threw his weight behind the concept. “Having some form of hockey at the Olympics rather than none at all” was his viewpoint. And it does make a lot of sense.

For the moment, 11-a-side hockey will continue to be played at the 2024 Paris Olympics and by all accounts and impressions the 2028 Los Angeles Games as well. But viewing the future of the sport beyond that would need crystal gazing.

The FIH suggests that its resolve to institutionalize Hockey 5s is inspired by pushing the frontiers of the sport – much like T20 cricket. And much to the world body’s glee, 5s has been a hit at the Youth Olympic Games in both Nanjing (China) 2014 and Buenos Aires (Argentina) 2018.

The version, as the theory goes, played on approximately half the dimension of the standard 11-a-side pitch is ideal to draw more nations into the fold.

4th Hockey India 5-a-side Senior National Championship was held last year at Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh)

With less demand on space and associated costs of artificial turf and fewer players on the pitch, nations struggling to promote hockey would be better placed to do so. For that matter, the FIH hopes, the sport could spread its wings and enter unchartered territory.

Some of the results at the Youth Olympics could lend credence to this notion. At the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics, Zambia crushed Germany 8-1 and South Africa put it across Australia 6-5. The Aussies eventually won the gold medal but not before a shootout against Canada. In the girls’ section, Uruguay got the better New Zealand and Australia 6-3 and 6-2 respectively and in the final, China overcame the Netherlands via the shootout to claim gold.

Then, in the 2018 Youth Games, Zambia beat Australia 6-4 en route to finishing fourth in the tournament while Malaysia won the boys’ gold medal beating fancied India 4-2 in the final to bring up their first global title at any level.

Side boards are one of the salient features of the Hockey 5s field

The features of the 5s may come across as radical. The absence of the striking circle is seen as ludicrous to some and maybe dangerous as well as this version of the game permits goals to be scored from anywhere on a pitch admeasuring 55m x 41.70m. A full blooded rising hit from the opponent’s half could reach a dangerous height at the extreme end of the pitch and is a grey area that needs attention.

Boards on the sidelines and touchline brings in the “sixth player” concept akin to ice hockey and promises fewer stoppages and unrelenting action during two sessions of play of 10 minutes duration each.

In a nutshell, a version that is ostensibly simpler and more transparent than the esoteric-to-many traditional 11-a-side form could be the Hockey 5s ultimate selling power.

In its wake, hockey could successfully reach out to, not only fans within the community but to curious outsiders, broadening the base which the sport desperately needs to substantiate its claim of being global.

Even as the 11-a-side version of the game has taken rapid strides to raise its spectator and TV appeal, impediments to this end continue to exist.

The “no-offside” era has resulted in annoying overcrowding of the circle and the maze of sticks and feet obscures action thereby vexing both the aficionado and members of the general public who turn up to watch hockey either by persuasion or curiosity.

The Hockey 5s, by its very nature, presents a more frequent and clearer sight of the ball. The licence to score from anywhere on the pitch reduces the possibility of crowding in the goal area. In turn, that results in action in the business area of the pitch being viewed clearly be it from the stands or on TV screens in the living room.

In India, Hockey 5s progress has been scratchy and it’s perceived that a version restraining participation by half meets with little enthusiasm, given that the sport is a vehicle for employment and progress among its young adherents.

For all that, a World Cup in India would be well received if marketed well and held at a centre where the sport has a healthy following. There is no information coming through at the moment from Hockey India about its intention or lack of it to bid for the 2023 World Cup – men or women or both.

A sincere bid reinforced by an excellent marketing and organizational plan in an Indian setting would be just the fillip the Hockey 5s movement needs.