Hockey ‘back to basics’

Press, 26 July 1989, Page 37

Hockey ‘back to basics’

By

KEVIN TUTTY

The New Zealand Hockey Federation has adopted a “back to basics” slogan in an endeavour to halt the plummetting international rankings of its national men’s and women’s teams.

The management board of the federation met on Monday and discussed the disappointing performances of the men’s team at the InterContinental Cup in New Jersey this month, and the women’s team in a five-test series against Australia last month, and a four-test series against Japan which ended last Sunday. The chairman, Mr David Appleby, said the men, who finished eighth at New Jersey, now had a world ranking of fourteenth. That ranking, he said, reflected the policies adopted by the New Zealand

hockey administration in the last 10 years. “New Zealand hockey has had an active international programme without giving adequate attention to promoting high coaching standards at club and provincial level. “The appointment of Kevin Towns, New Zealand’s most successful provincial coach in recent years, to the national team, coupled with Arthur Parkin, a veteran of 99 internationals, as his assistant, has resulted in New Zealand falling to its worst world ranking. It is clear to the board that quality of performance must take priority over frequency Of international games,” said Mr Appleby. The board has adopted a four-point plan which it hopes will help New Zealand qualify for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Over the next two years it hopes to attract at least three international teams to New Zealand, giving more players exposure to top hockey, intends to restructure the domestic provincial competition and encourage competition with Australian state teams, improve the national coaching and development programme instituted earlier this year, and encourage provinces to take a more active role in the programme. Mr Appleby said that in spite of the disappointing performances of the New Zealand women’s team against Australia, and in the first two matches against Japan, the appointments of Pat Barwick as coach, and Ann McKenna as assistant coach, have been confirmed until the completion of the World Cup campaign in May next year.