Hockey: Popularity comes at a huge cost

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Hockey remains the self-help poor cousin of New Zealand sport.

The code appears left well behind in the age of professionalism.

But no one, it seems, is complaining.

While the country's rugby and league players sip lattes and talk up the big dollars, and the cricketers jet around the world with decent contracts and a healthy daily allowance, hockey remains seat-of-the-pants stuff.

Few sports dare contemplate an international programme as hectic as that the New Zealand Hockey Federation faces.

The men's top-seven finish at last month's qualifying tournament in Edinburgh, booking them a place at next year's World Cup, is just another chapter in that full-on schedule.

Since last year's Sydney Olympics, it has been non-stop for federation boss Ramesh Patel and his small staff.

In November, the under-21 men's team upset Australia in Hobart.

Then New Zealand hosted tours by the South Korean and Australian women's teams, and the Malaysian and Indian men.

The men have also played in Australia and Scotland, and the women are off tomorrow for two tests in Germany, followed by the Champions Trophy in Holland.

In October-November, the Black Sticks will play six games at a four-nation women's tournament in Australia.

At age-group level, New Zealand this year accepted a late invitation to compete in the women's junior World Cup (under-21) in Argentina, the under-18 men played four matches against Australian schoolboys in Brisbane, and the under-18 women played a home series against Australia last month.

The under-21 men will be back in Tasmania in October for their junior World Cup and the senior men's side are hoping to play the Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia in January as part of their World Cup build-up.

Home tests against an as-yet unnamed opponent are also planned before the men's team return to Kuala Lumpur for the World Cup.

There will be a brief respite before the men and women play further home tests before the July-August Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

The women's hectic schedule goes through to the November-December 2002 World Cup in Perth.

Patel happily admits the sport is on a roll, even if it comes at a cost.

When he took up his role with the federation 12 years ago, the annual turnover was $1 million. That has now doubled.

"We attempt to split our expenditure into thirds," Patel said. "One on administration, another third on coaching and development, and the rest for competition. The $480,000 we get from our affiliated members and the Hillary Commission goes towards coaching and development and administration."

Hockey is not cheap, because of the high cost of providing facilities such as lighting and artificial turf.

"A senior club player in New Zealand pays about $350 a season, of which New Zealand Hockey gets $40. In Australia, some players are paying $A500."

Only players in the senior men's and women's national teams have their costs met.

All other international competition is pay-to-play. The under-21 women who went to Argentina, for example, paid $2000 each for the privilege.

"We know sponsorship is scarce with so many sports chasing the same dollar," Patel said. "To keep hockey in front of prospective sponsors we have to maintain our profile with good results."

The organisation had hardly stopped paying out in the past year.

It cost New Zealand Hockey $160,000 to send the men's team to Edinburgh, $100,000 (plus the player contributions) for Argentina, $100,000 for the under-21 men (two trips to Hobart), $130,000 for the Champions Trophy, $30,000 for Azlan Shah, about $90,000 for the men's World Cup, $60,000 for the women's World Cup and $240,000 for five inward tours.

Patel is not complaining.

Rather, he speaks with enthusiasm about the crowds attracted to matches here against the Indian men and Australian women, and the growing numbers the sport is attracting.

"The crowds were really good and encouraging for the federation and the associations who hosted them," Patel said.

"We are getting better at hosting matches. In terms of numbers we are getting more people than ever to the games.

"Five years ago, the cry from the players was they were not getting enough international hockey. Now, we have to be careful we get the balance right."

There are probably no more than a handful of fulltime hockey players worldwide.

None of New Zealand's 40,000 registered players (up 10 per cent this year) is paid to play. The internationals do not even receive a daily allowance while in camp or on tour.

"It is an issue which is raised now and again," Patel said. "The board would love to be in a position to do something, but we have to be realistic.

"There has been a huge investment in hockey in New Zealand. There are now between 15 and 20 water-based artificial surfaces. Playing on grass is just about a thing of the past. That has come at a cost."

But with the women - senior and under-21 - ranked in the world's top six, the men in the top 16 and the under-21 men poised for a top-five finish in Hobart, it has been money well spent for a sport which last week celebrated the 25th anniversary of its biggest triumph - Olympic gold in Montreal.