Hope of hosting hockey series

Press, 2 July 1985, Page 38

Hope of hosting hockey series

The New Zealand Hockey Association will make a bid to hold the World Cup tournament in 1990, and if it is successful the tournament will not cost hockey players in New Zealand a cent. The International Hockey Federation will decide the venue of the 1990 tournament at a meeting in Barcelona in October. Other countries interested in staging the tournament are Ausralia, Pakistan and West Germany. If New Zealand’s bid is successful the tournament will be played on the Superturf surface at Mount Albert Park in Wellington in October or November of 1990.

Formal applications for the 1990 event closed at the I.H.F. headquarters in Belgium on Sunday. The N.Z.H.A. sent a telegram last week registering a formal application. It had made a tentative application several months ago. A statement released by the N.Z.H.A. secretary, Mr Alan Barrett, said the chances of New Zealand securing the tournament had been improved “by the acceptance of a proposal by West Nally New Zealand, Ltd, to act as the association’s marketing consultants.”

“The West Nally group has an impressive record in international sports promotion, ajid they are the official promoters of the 1986 World Cup hockey tournament in London,” said the statement.

The group will co-ordi-nate New Zealand’s presentation in Barcelona which will be a co-operative effort involving Television New Zealand, Air New Zealand, the Wellington City Council and the N.Z.H.A. The Mayor of Wellington, Mr lan Lawrence, will be a member of the delegation to Barcelona which will present New Zealand’s case as the ideal venue. If the N.Z.H.A. is awarded the tournament it will be the first time that a team sport has had a premier world tournament in New Zealand. The tournament will coincide with New Zealand’s 150th anniversary celebrations, adding to a high sports profile already assured by the Commonwealth Games.

“The World Cup would provide a tremendous boost for hockey and a stimulus for the development of improved facilities not only in Wellington, but throughout New Zealand,” said the statement.

More than $1 million will be required to hold the tournament, and the N.Z.H.A. is conscious that that amount of money cannot come from the hockey community in New Zealand. “The marketing approach to be adopted will therefore not call for any direct fund raising for the World Cup within New Zealand,” said the statement. Mount Albert Park has no facilities and the N.Z.H.A. has no formal guarantee that facilities will be probut the chairman of

the N.Z.H.A., Dr Bruce Penfold, said last evening that the tournament could not be held without facilities. “The Wellington Hockey Association and the city council are aware of the situation, and are supportive and aware of their responsibility to provide the facilities. We will be having further discussions with them about the facilities.” Dr Penfold said members of the association had discussed the tournament with the Minister of Sport, Mr Moore, and that he had indicated his support. The Government had given no guarantee that it would underwrite any loss on the tournament. Dr Penfold said the “tournament would have to be discussed with the Government again” before the delegation leaves for Barcelona. The delegation members from the N.Z.H.A. will be announced later this month. Mr Brian Bremner, a member of the I.H.F. council, has previously said that New Zealand’s chances of securing the tournament are good. Pakistan is unlikely to be a serious contender, and because the 1986 tournament is in London, he did not think the 1990 tournament would be awarded to a European country.