Development of local players
- Thread starter DevilDom
- Start date
But what lasting effect did it have?
GB haven't come close to winning it again in the 28 years since. In fact the closest they got was four years ago with a 4th place finish.
Are field hockey players professional? Do they get big crowds? I've had a quick google and it seems that each country within the UK has it's own league but I don't recognise any of the names.
GB haven't come close to winning it again in the 28 years since. In fact the closest they got was four years ago with a 4th place finish.
Are field hockey players professional? Do they get big crowds? I've had a quick google and it seems that each country within the UK has it's own league but I don't recognise any of the names.
Kind of precisely my point. It's a semi professional game in the UK that doesn't have the strongest of domestic league structures yet they get funding from Uk Sport and the National Lottery as well as sponsor ship from Investec at GB level because they compete at the top level of the sport. They as you said haven't had great success results wise but continue to see external funding for their sport.
This funding goes more into developing national talent and allowing them to train as as close to a fully professional player as possible and means funding is advanced into the grass roots structure to allow a small participation pool to find the talent to compete at the top.
As you rightly point out the domestic structure is not very stream lined but is of a high standard and highly accessible to GB players. It doesn't collect spectator figures in any great numbers especially in comparison to Ice Hockey yet despite this the training programs and grass roots deliver talented enough players to allow a GB team to finish as you say 4th in the world due to its financial backing.
Ice Hockey is a far more sellable game for its in built entertainment values hence the higher attendance figures but you have to question why the sponsors and I mean big sponsors don't come forward. It perceived as niche, non mainstream, Canadian and amateur. How do you buck that perception. GB being seen to be competing with the top instantly gives the sport credibility. Once you have that funding IHUK has its work cut out then to develop the grass roots to a sustainable model. Me personally I think GB eligible Duel Nationals have to be reclassified to Brits to help this process as well but Imports with an inability to assist the national program I'd cap at 10( I had a rethink that minimum roster is 20 so 50% split import / GB eligible.
I'm not bashing Ice Hockey. I love this sport. I don't play field hockey anymore but I do play ice hockey (badly). I dearly want to see the sport go from strength to strength and realise its potential in this country. It could be a big big sport in this country occupying a good % of spectator market share with more and more kids having opportunities to play the sport but whilst the top flight door is being slammed shut and development path closing leading to demotivation of the grass roots system I fail to see a great future with a import inflated league. There has to be a long strategy and I mean all governing bodies being involved in that but EIHL operating as a unilateral road block helps no one especially there long term future. You only have to look at the IIHF comments on the UK. They think the domestic structure is a shambles and won't take the country seriously until they sit down and make tough decisions.
This funding goes more into developing national talent and allowing them to train as as close to a fully professional player as possible and means funding is advanced into the grass roots structure to allow a small participation pool to find the talent to compete at the top.
As you rightly point out the domestic structure is not very stream lined but is of a high standard and highly accessible to GB players. It doesn't collect spectator figures in any great numbers especially in comparison to Ice Hockey yet despite this the training programs and grass roots deliver talented enough players to allow a GB team to finish as you say 4th in the world due to its financial backing.
Ice Hockey is a far more sellable game for its in built entertainment values hence the higher attendance figures but you have to question why the sponsors and I mean big sponsors don't come forward. It perceived as niche, non mainstream, Canadian and amateur. How do you buck that perception. GB being seen to be competing with the top instantly gives the sport credibility. Once you have that funding IHUK has its work cut out then to develop the grass roots to a sustainable model. Me personally I think GB eligible Duel Nationals have to be reclassified to Brits to help this process as well but Imports with an inability to assist the national program I'd cap at 10( I had a rethink that minimum roster is 20 so 50% split import / GB eligible.
I'm not bashing Ice Hockey. I love this sport. I don't play field hockey anymore but I do play ice hockey (badly). I dearly want to see the sport go from strength to strength and realise its potential in this country. It could be a big big sport in this country occupying a good % of spectator market share with more and more kids having opportunities to play the sport but whilst the top flight door is being slammed shut and development path closing leading to demotivation of the grass roots system I fail to see a great future with a import inflated league. There has to be a long strategy and I mean all governing bodies being involved in that but EIHL operating as a unilateral road block helps no one especially there long term future. You only have to look at the IIHF comments on the UK. They think the domestic structure is a shambles and won't take the country seriously until they sit down and make tough decisions.
We could definitely use more GB players. But where will they come from?
Hockey is a demanding sport, physically and mentally and needs to draw in the best athletes from the ranks of young kids wanting to emulate their heroes. At present, the very best athletes look to football, rugby, track & field, etc. Sports that can draw large crowds and attract media attention. What percentage of under 12's could name ANY EIHL player?
So here's the difficulty. If we cut imports and "carry" second-rate Brits, the quality of play goes down. A beer-league will do nothing to attract the attention needed to fire the imagination of youngsters to enter the sport.
Supply and demand: If kids want the sport, the clubs will provide the academies. Economics: they'll do it if it's profitable.
On the other hand, if kids can't see a career path to top-flight, international hockey open to them, why bother?
What British hockey lacks is desire. Leagues need ambition, cooperation and a long term strategy to move the game forward. Promotion (and relegation) between league (e.g. Football league and National League - Conference); links to overseas leagues and clubs, anything to to raise the profile of Hockey in the UK.
It's not just about the EIHL or Team GB; it's about competing effectively with other sports to attract the talent.
Hockey is a demanding sport, physically and mentally and needs to draw in the best athletes from the ranks of young kids wanting to emulate their heroes. At present, the very best athletes look to football, rugby, track & field, etc. Sports that can draw large crowds and attract media attention. What percentage of under 12's could name ANY EIHL player?
So here's the difficulty. If we cut imports and "carry" second-rate Brits, the quality of play goes down. A beer-league will do nothing to attract the attention needed to fire the imagination of youngsters to enter the sport.
Supply and demand: If kids want the sport, the clubs will provide the academies. Economics: they'll do it if it's profitable.
On the other hand, if kids can't see a career path to top-flight, international hockey open to them, why bother?
What British hockey lacks is desire. Leagues need ambition, cooperation and a long term strategy to move the game forward. Promotion (and relegation) between league (e.g. Football league and National League - Conference); links to overseas leagues and clubs, anything to to raise the profile of Hockey in the UK.
It's not just about the EIHL or Team GB; it's about competing effectively with other sports to attract the talent.
Can I ask people's opinions on Callum Buglass? He is doing well in the GB under 20s and doing well at Swindon when do we look at him making the step up to the EIHL? I'm not sure I can imagine him taking the place of any of last years D but do they look at him as an extra D man or keep him developing in the EPL?
Fascinated you like art-house movies. They're usually the place you find over opinionated lefties who have no grasp on the workings of the real world. Art for art's sake, sport for sport's sake.
What a load of twoddle!
Sport is not an art-form; it's a commercial entertainment. Crappy (yes, I agree) CGI-enhanced movies make millions at the box-office, art-house, film festival movies (usually in French or Swedish) make peanuts. These profit enable studios to allow the likes of Spielberg to make high grossing quality.
And so hockey. If we produce an entertainment, we make profit. When the profit is sufficient, clubs can consider their "social" responsibility to develop young players. But youngsters won't want to play unless and until they've seen the game played at it's best. The premier league, not the local beer league, get kids wanting to play football.
Oh, and BTW, I'd love to see kids playing ice hockey in the park!
What a load of twoddle!
Sport is not an art-form; it's a commercial entertainment. Crappy (yes, I agree) CGI-enhanced movies make millions at the box-office, art-house, film festival movies (usually in French or Swedish) make peanuts. These profit enable studios to allow the likes of Spielberg to make high grossing quality.
And so hockey. If we produce an entertainment, we make profit. When the profit is sufficient, clubs can consider their "social" responsibility to develop young players. But youngsters won't want to play unless and until they've seen the game played at it's best. The premier league, not the local beer league, get kids wanting to play football.
Oh, and BTW, I'd love to see kids playing ice hockey in the park!
No mention of Ice Hockey. Except when you mentioned it twice:
Ice hockey in the UK is an entertainment product as opposed to purely a sport for all to participate in. It can only change if the sport becomes available to all at a young age, when children are in parks playing it. It has to compete with mainstream sports that provide this.
Until ice hockey becomes more mainstream, it'll never grow home grown talent in any great numbers.
Ice hockey in the UK is an entertainment product as opposed to purely a sport for all to participate in. It can only change if the sport becomes available to all at a young age, when children are in parks playing it. It has to compete with mainstream sports that provide this.
Until ice hockey becomes more mainstream, it'll never grow home grown talent in any great numbers.
