This move – which will be for both men and women teams – will not only add more meaning to bilateral series between hockey-playing nations but also increase spectator interest in the sport
World hockey is set to undergo a transformation come 2019, and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) is banking on it for two things: to bring in more context as well as fans into the sport.
From January 2019, the FIH will introduce a home and away league system in hockey, wherein teams will play each other in home and away series – much like how it is in cricket now – every year.
This move – which will be for both men and women teams – will not only add more meaning to bilateral series between hockey-playing nations but also increase spectator interest in the sport, with the home team playing throughout the year against various opponents.
"This is being done to increase hockey's popularity," FIH president Narinder Batra told DNA. "For example, even though India hosts a World Cup, the stadium is half empty if India are not playing a match. What is the use of hosting and playing in big events if half of your stadium is empty? This gets very demotivating for everyone associated with hockey.
"We want to bring in a system where everybody gets involved, and this home and away series is one big way of doing it. This way, your home country is always playing," Batra added.
Every series will have a points system that will add on to the current FIH rankings, which will eventually play a part in the qualification of major events like the World Cup and Olympics.
That's where the added context to every match and series will kick in, something that isn't quite the case now in bilateral hockey tours.
"This will give more meaning to every game that a country plays, and not just at a major event. The points in these series will act as a qualifier for Olympics as well as World Cup," said Batra, who took over as FIH chief in November last year.
India, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa and Spain have so far shown interest in this home and away series for both their men's and women's teams, with a few countries giving their nod just for one.
Batra said this list will be pruned based on various criteria and the final list of countries will be decided by the FIH soon.
"So, if India gets selected, a total of eight countries will come to India and play against India every year. Same way, India will go to each of those eight nations every year," Batra said.
The former Hockey India (HI) president is hopeful that this idea not only spreads hockey internationally, but also within a vast country like India, where the sport is popular mostly in certain pockets.
"In a country like India, let's say eight cities are playing hosts to one bilateral series. That will only bring more people into the sport and into the stadium, which is what we want eventually. So this home and away series will be across the country, and not just in India but other nations as well," Batra said.
Interested countries
FIH has accepted the applications of the following nations for the home and away league system of their men and women national teams...
Both men's and women's teams: India, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain
Only men's team: Pakistan, Malaysia
Only women's team: China, Italy, USA
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