NEW DELHI: More than four decades after international hockey switched from grass to synthetic turf, and shifted the balance of power in the game from Asia to Europe, the FIH world governing body is actively considering a partial return to the “old ways”.
Why? The game’s world governing body has finally accepted the reality that if hockey is be be more inclusive and viable, then natural surfaces must perforce be encouraged.
Furthermore, the FIH is also looking at ways to replace the existing water-based turfs with ‘surfaces that are more sustainable’ (read grass) as it did not want to be “seen as a sport that’s wasting water”.
Indian Express reports that this change is likely to be introduced for the 2024 Olympic qualifiers, starting with the 2021 Hockey Series Open – a tournament for second-rung teams.
FIH CEO Thierry Weil told IE Friday that the decision, if implemented, will ‘allow far more countries to be a part of the Road to Paris’.
Weil, however, made it clear that at the highest level, matches will continue to be played on synthetic grass.
Weil, who joined FIH in April following a long stint with FIFA as its marketing director, said one of the things hockey can take from football is that the sport can be played on any surface. “You just need a ball, a stick and two goal posts. In football, every girl and boy have a dream to play on the best pitches but 95% play on surface that can be anything… concrete, mud. So it might not just be grass. Basically, any turf which is cheaper and equals to the level that we set,” Weil said.
Going forward, he said the FIH is also looking at ways to replace the existing water-based turfs with ‘surfaces that are more sustainable’.
“We cannot be seen as a sport that’s wasting water,” he said.
The idea was reportedly floated during the FIH Congress, which opened here Saturday, although it was not on the official agenda, the daily reported. “The idea we are considering is that Hockey Series Open 2021 can be played on any surface, including grass. Right now, a lot of countries are not being able to play because of lack of surfaces but we can be a lot more inclusive if we allow it,” Weil told IE.
At present, the FIH mandates that all international matches should be played on an artificial turf that has its certification. But the high installation and maintenance cost of these turfs have alienated a lot of countries and restricted the participation in international tournaments, according to Weil.
So, if a country wishes to play a leg of the Hockey Series Open on any other surface in future, the FIH will no longer object to it as long as the other participating countries give their consent.
“Any country in the world that’s willing to participate in it on a turf of their choice… be it in Latin America, Africa, Asia… if four or five countries decide to play on a turf of their choice, FIH will have no problem with it. That’s the vision,” Weil said.
The Hockey Series Open is a newly-launched tournament, which is at the bottom of the pyramid for Olympic qualification. The competitions under this banner are spread throughout the world, with the winner advancing to Hockey Series Final.
