Earlier, hockey games could not begin till a goal keeper wore a helmet and a face guard. Forget the helmet and face guards. Hockey games can start even without a goal keeper in the near future. DNA has more:
In order to make hockey more attacking, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has recommended some drastic changes in the goalkeeper’s role in the game, even giving teams a choice of not fielding a custodian.
“We’ve set out three clear options: playing with a goalkeeper wearing full protective equipment; a goalkeeper just wearing protective headgear; or no goalkeeper at all,” Wolfgang Rommel, Chairman of the Hockey Rules Board (HRB), said.
The piece says that the rule has been enacted to bring in more attacking flare into the sport. It is a misplaced perception that attacking = more attractive. Be it basketball, football, cricket or hockey, bigger scores or goals is unrelated to the quality of a match. A good contest is much more fascinating than the scores which finally come up on the score board.
The defenders can now play a larger role as the article goes on to say:
The other important change in the rule book is that the defenders can now stop a high shot at goal with their sticks.
With this rule in place, you can expect to see most of the players looking to score a goal with only a few holding back as and when necessary. The community of goal keepers will no wonder be a bit saddened by the development.
I am all for improvements in sport. However, I see the current changes as unnecessary. Hockey is a tactical game and at the centre of the tactics lies thwarting the goal keeper and the defense around him. Things will be very different if there is no goal keeper present.
If you want to bring in new audiences to a sport, you can try with forming fun games – like cricket is going with Twenty 20. It is essentially attracting people who found the older versions of cricket uninteresting. With the changes like the ones proposed, you only lose a few of your already established followers.
There is the big question of how many teams will use the new options also which can be pondered over. Despite more options to the defenders, a goal keeper is some one who is tough to replace to stop goals. So would teams really take such a big risk? I love the way hockey is and don’t think the new changes are adding much either way.
