Hockey Australia banking on new League

Hockey Australia CEO Cam Vale is confident a new international home-and-away league set to start in 2019 will help reignite the sport.

Hockey Australia are hoping a new international home-and-away league set to deliver the world's best players to Australia every year could lead to a grassroots resurgence of the sport.

The global league, which is set to start in 2019, will include between six and nine countries in each of the men's and women's leagues, before culminating in a finals series.

Each team will host their opponents once in a league that will be played between February and May each year, and it will replace the current biennial Champions Trophy and World League Finals.

Hockey Australia chief executive Cam Vale, who sat on a committee to help drive the new competition, also said preliminary discussions are already underway with Fox Sports to broadcast Australian and non-Australian matches.

"As we look at how the sport is now and where it needs to be, there's no doubt how fragmented it is is holding us back," Vale told AAP.

"We might play a major tournament in June or July for a few weeks and then another one in November. And it's very very difficult to make that grassroots appeal from there.

"The broadcasters were very strong that the regular time to view is imperative to build that narrative and story."

The matches would likely be played in blocks similar to the Super Rugby competition, which would see Australia host a number of teams completing their Asian leg before heading to Europe for return matches.

In turn, it would allow Hockey Australia to take exhibition matches to the bush for game development, while the inclusion of both a male and female league would likely lead a number of single and double-header events across all the major capital cities.

"I think it does give us a chance to have a true national footprint," Vale said.

"England is unlikely to come to Australia and just play one match and then go to New Zealand."

"So there is a chance for friendlies or unsanctioned matches that can be played to broaden our footprint in the regional areas."

The competition will also have a similar second and third-tier competition which will run over two years to allow for promotion, Olympic and World Cup qualification.


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Source: AAP



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