Essay Ideas - Hockey
ref: C Haycock
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An Analytical Account of the Local and National Provision for Hockey
The governing body for hockey is the Federation Internationale de Hockey (FIH) although it may be changing to All England Hockey Association. The federation is seen to be the ‘guardian’ of the sport as it works in co-operation with both the national and continental organisations to ensure consistency and unity in hockey around the world. The FIH not only regulates the sport, but it is also responsible for its development and promotions so as to guarantee a secure future for hockey. The federation is split up into committees such as the umpires committee, equipment, competition and there are many more. These committees are always under review to ensure they are working beneficially for the hockey association and therefore providing an efficient service for hockey players. For example the umpire committee decided that the Sidney Olympic Hockey coaches were required to attend at least one top international tournament in the month prior to Sidney. At the event their fitness was tested. Umpires were video and then the video was viewed and discussed allowing the umpire to have feedback and advice about their on-pitch skills and interpretations. Upon arrival to Sidney, the umpire’s fitness is re-tested and another video will be produced, therefore there is consistent feedback to the umpire. The federation has set up coaching courses to ensure the players receive the best training possible
There are many hockey federations throughout the world, but the problem occurrs in less-developed countries. Great Britain has many facilities and the funds to provide them, but many other countries lack this. For example, the African Hockey Association had to appeal to the IOC because its Olympic Committee refused to send the South African Men’s team who qualified for the Olympic Games in Sidney, the IOC also declined the appeal due to lack of funds. This created a shocking and damaging precedent for hockey throughout the world. South Africa has only 30 artificial pitches and Egypt only has five, this proves that hockey is only seen as a minor sport.
Hockey is wide spread throughout the world and many professional players begin in a school team. Most schools have a team and it provides a valuable starting point for students to experience the game of hockey. Although the teams are of mixed ability, students are given a chance to play against other school teams, which brings an element of competition into the game. Most training happens either on a lunchtime or after school, but the time is limited and some may feel it’s not long enough and therefore they may go and join a local hockey club.
I am studying the local area of Suffolk and I found that it has many hockey clubs available to the public. I have shown these in the spider graph on the next page. All the clubs provide excellent services, as there is an experience coach and an artificial surface to play on. The club will normally train once a week and then it is the team manager's responsibility to arrange a fixture against another team. The teams are normally in a league, which ensures that the players regularly can practice skills learnt in training sessions.
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The main organisers for the set up of sports in the local areas are the local councils; for example St. Edmunds Borough Council provides the sporting services in Bury St. Edmunds. This is responsible for providing the hockey and sports facilities. It also has sport development officers who attempt to stimulate levels of sports participation within the localised community. For the council to be able to provide the services it requires a financial subsidy to survive. A subsidy represents the difference between the cost of a service and the amount recovered from the paying customers. I visited Bury Hockey club and the players had to pay one pound per training session and three pounds for match fees. Often the work of the council employees is co-ordinated within specialist departments such as the leisure services.