Fast, furious and great entertainment, indoor hockey is the lesser-known relative of the outdoor game, but with the advent of the fourth Indoor World Cup in Leipzig, Germany, the sport is making waves around the world. The tournament will start on 4 February 2015 and conclude with the Finals and playoffs on 8 February 2015
While some countries taking part in the showcase event are old hands at the sport – both Germany and Canada have competed in every World Cup – for debutant countries such as Sweden men and Belgium women this is a step into the unknown.
FIH President, Leandro Negre said: “We expect the five days of competition to be fast-paced and action packed across the two halls. The pools contain an exciting mixture of established teams and the two newcomers to the Indoor World Cup, Sweden and Belgium. The German fans are passionate about hockey and will be providing amazing support to their teams at this top-class venue.”
President of the German hockey federation (DHB), Stephan Abel said: “We are looking forward to welcoming the world’s best indoor hockey teams for the second time in Leipzig. We are giving our best to make this World Cup an unforgettable event for all participants and hockey fans.”
Participating Teams
Men
Pool A Pool B
Germany Poland
Austria Russia
Czech Republic Netherlands
Australia Canada
Iran Switzerland
Sweden South Africa
Women
Pool A Pool B
Germany Netherlands
Austria Belarus
Ukraine Czech Republic
Australia Poland
Canada Kazakhstan
Belgium South Africa
In the northern hemisphere indoor hockey has evolved over time to be a unique sport in its own rights with some players choosing to just play indoor hockey. In the southern hemisphere due to the ideal outdoor weather Indoor hockey does not have the facilities and high participating numbers. Although in Australia prior to outdoor synthetic hockey surfaces when indoor hockey was popular across the country there has been a newly founded interest in indoor hockey with Australia sending a men’s and women’s team to the 2015 World Cup.
ABOUT INDOOR HOCKEY
There are still many hockey followers and players who do not know much about indoor hockey. Here is some information courtesy of FIH.
So just what is it about indoor hockey that makes it so exciting? Surely it is just a mini version of the outdoor game?
In fact nothing could be further from the truth, indoor hockey is a sport that calls for skills and abilities that can be very different from the outdoor game and, perhaps surprisingly, not all outdoor players make good indoor players. The fundamentals are the same: players use sticks, albeit lighter and flatter; the ball is the same dimension as an outdoor ball, although slightly lighter; the aim is to score goals past a ‘keeper padded in protective clothing; there are penalty corners and penalty strokes. But the game is lightening fast; it is usually high scoring; the ball is not allowed to leave the ground unless it is a shot at goal so it skids at high speed across the polished surface; and one mistake or bad touch will almost certainly result in lost possession and possibly a goal-scoring chance.
The sport first became popular in Europe in the 1950s, with Germany the driving force behind its development. While it initially became popular among players in northern Europe and Canada who wanted to continue to play their sport during the harsh winter months, it gradually spread across the globe and is today as popular in the warm climates of South Africa and Australia as it is in the chillier countries. Recognition of indoor hockey as a global sport came in 2003 when FIH organised the inaugural FIH World Indoor Hockey Championships in Germany in 2003. Since then Germany has dominated. The men’s team has won every World Cup and the women have won two of the three.
The approach to indoor hockey differs depending on where in the world you are. The indoor season in Europe tends to be in the two month period between the middle of December and the middle of February. This will be a time when clubs take a break from the domestic outdoor leagues and the indoor national competitions take centre stage, with many top outdoor players transferring to the indoor game. Other countries, such as South Africa, the Netherlands and Iran have squads that are dedicated indoor squads and they train and compete throughout the season as indoor players.
Iran and Sweden are both countries where outdoor pitches are a rarity, and so the indoor game gives hockey players a chance to develop their playing skills and techniques and experience international competition. The Iranians are the Asian indoor champions, and have ambitions to improve upon their 10th-place finish at the last edition.
Sweden has been making steady improvements in its indoor hockey performances over the last decade, gradually moving up through the leagues. But progress is often hampered by the popularity of two other hockey-based sports. Niclas Franzen, Sweden’s goalkeeper explains: “Ice hockey and street hockey are popular so we are always fighting for funding and media space. We have good indoor players in Sweden though and many would be a good fit in some of the top indoor club leagues in Europe.” Sweden’s preparations for this World Cup got off to a good start as they defeated fellow World Cup competitors Canada in the final of the Indoor Mason Cup, held in Denmark.
While some hockey players view indoor hockey as a means of honing outdoor skills, for others there is little comparison between the two. Tracey Martens, who is competing for South Africa in Leipzig says: “Indoor for sure! I love the pace and intensity of indoor and that you are always involved in the game, even as a defender you often find yourself in the attacking circle with a chance to score goals.”
If you are keen hockey viewers I suggest you watch the following as this will be what you can expect with the 2015 World Indoor Cup.
With the availability of live streaming all the action of the World Cup can be seen. A live streaming schedule is still to be released. You can find it available closer to the start time either on the FIH websiter or http://www.hockey.org.au/watch In the meantime to get an idea of what to expect
Source: adapted FIH
