Indian Hockey’s Olympic Gold quest- Back to the Winning Ways
How technology intervention can help Indian Hockey reach for the skies!
The year is 1975. The fans’ cheering from the Malaysian stadium in Kuala Lumpur can be heard till far and wide. All the men on the field have their eye on the ball, that moves from stick to stick, with a singular focus: to make it to the goal. And then, in the 51st minute, the Wizard of Hockey, Dhyan Chand hits the ball straight into the goal post, declaring India as the world champions of the World Cup.
That remains to be the most memorable moment for Indian Hockey. It’s something people still talk about more than four decades later, because it gave the sport a new lease of life. A lot has changed in the last four decades, including the factors that affect sports as a whole. Player training, coaching, live broadcasting and post-match analytics are all digitised now, and disruptions in technology have definitely impacted the way fans and athletes interact. Traditional, non-tech sports environments just do not make the cut anymore. Modifications to equipment (tech fitted bats, racquets, shoes), GPS performance trackers and databases to analyse player statistics in real time are only a few examples of such interventions.
It’s sad, though that despite the sports industry evolving at such a fast pace, the national sport of the country still remains undermined. The current team is solid, has a good scoring rate and has made it to some of the world’s prestigious tournaments including the Commonwealth and World Cup semifinals, but “consistent winning” and “grooming for the Olympic Gold” still seems far off. As of last year, the men’s team ranked 5th globally, while the women’s team ranked at 9.
What would it take to be the best, year after year?
For one, it would need more investment from the government. We need to look beyond cricket, and while it’s a long shot that hockey will come close to almost being worshipped like cricket is, we owe it to our national sport to at least drive awareness and try. State governments like Odisha are already taking initiatives towards making this happen, as they invested Rs. 120 crore and doubled their budgets to sponsor tournaments in Delhi and Mumbai. It’s a good start!
The Indian sports market, according to the CII, is expected to cross a valuation of more than $10 billion in the next 5 years. Even if sports tech for hockey takes up a small piece of the pie, can you imagine the possibilities that opens up? It can single-handedly be the enabler for better coaching facilities, grooming sportspeople and ensuring fitter candidates in the competitive arena. USA and UK have already championed the cause, as London moves towards becoming the fittest city in the world.
Coaching, Grassroots Talent and Grooming
England Hockey Player Pathway, a portal focused on grooming grassroot talent from a very young age, is a single platform integrating player data, player profiles and coach profiles to monitor player progress continuously. Everything happens at the mercy of one click. Consolidated statistical reports across the entire player-coach ecosystem are generated in real time, and custom pathways based on these results are then created on dashboards for admins, coaches and managers to access. Spread across 17 regions and 48 countries, it reaches more than 249 team managers, 645 coaches and over 15500 students. So awesome, right?
India is taking baby steps in that direction too! Last month, the sports governing body of India launched the Hockey Coaching Education Pathway. It aims at providing certifications and raising the standard of the game to meet international demands. Through web based modules, face to face interactive courses and an assessment process that is based on core competencies, this program aims at bringing coaches from the grassroots level to the forefront. However, technology needs to be integrated into these courses. Consistently reviewing and upgrading coaching skills via certifications is what coaches need to catch talent young! Monitoring progress of skill, fitness and strength of these future hockey players over a period of 10 years consistently using a central software will lay the foundation for getting India back on track for Gold-contention — consistently!
Stepping up
It’s almost our collective responsibility as a country to provide avenues for these players’ growth and development. How else can we ensure holistic teams that are ready to participate in global tournaments as championship contenders? Technology is the answer.
Imagine having accessible online modules for basic training programs with FIH academy coaches that focus on player techniques, while allowing teams to practice with other players who take part in these courses. The long and tedious process of waiting for months to obtain certifications is reduced to hours! Talk about efficient delivery, in the simplest manner possible. Imagine not having to wait for performance results, but being able to see what works and what doesn’t in real time.
Imagine having a Player Pathway portal that tracks registered players right from when they start playing at a young age (U-9) till they play for India! Along this journey, we can track what skills need development, nutritional needs, fitness levels, match participation etc. and generate statistical data about all of this in real time.
This is sure to elevate the level of hockey, and in some cases, may even revolutionize it. Enormous passion for the sport still exists, and evolving with technology is a great way to sustain this.
Hockey India — are you listening
