Emerging Sport Proposal: Indoor Hockey Current Level of participation in Indoor Hockey in USA: Ø U12 Clubs: beginning to grow with scattered tournaments specifically targeting U12s Ø U14 Clubs: paper qualifier for the USFHA National Indoor Tournament. 310 players competed on 32 teams in the 2005 National Indoor Tournament run by USFHA Ø U16 Clubs: 7 qualifier tournaments (654-1308 players on 109 teams) for the USFHA National Indoor Tournament. 362 players competed on 40 teams in the 2005 NIT. There is countless club tournaments/leagues that take place that are not qualifiers. Ø U19 Clubs: 8 qualifier tournaments (864-1728 players on 144 teams) for the USFHA National Indoor Tournament. 608 players competed on 64 teams in the 2005 NIT. Youth teams from 15 states and Washington DC competed in 2005 for a spot in the U19 National Indoor Tournament in Virginia Beach, VA. Ø College Clubs: A toss-up with the Men for the weakest link in the indoor game. There is no organized structure of tournaments which lead to a championship. Various colleges and clubs hold indoor tournaments though this number is decreasing because of increasing restrictions created for the outdoor game and non traditional seasons. Ø At the College level well over 20 teams competed in Indoor Tournaments in the past four years: Depauw University, Goucher College, Juniata College, Lock Haven University, Lebanon Valley College, Longwood University, Mansfield University, Messiah College, Monmouth University, Mount Holyoke College, Penn State Club, Robert Morris, Slippery Rock University, St Joe’s University, SUNY New Paltz, Towson University, Union College, University of California-Berkley, University of the Pacific, University of Southern Maine, Washington & Jefferson College, Wesley College, Wilkes University, as well as a group of UMBC players. Ø Women’s Clubs: Paper Qualifier for up to 24 spots in the USFHA National Indoor Tournament for Women in the “Adult Open” Division. There are countless club tournaments that take place before and after the NIT Ø Men’s Clubs: A toss up with the College Clubs for the weakest link in the indoor game. Ø Women’s National Team with Pan American and World Cup Tournaments Men’s National Team with Pan American and World Cup Tournaments Ø Ø North American Premier League (NAPL) 6 Mens and 6 women’s teams in 2005, 5 teams in 2004 and 4 teams in 2003. This is the only National Field Hockey League in the USA; and it’s indoor. They have added a team each year since inception. The league plays 6 weekends; November – April and competes 1 weekend each month
Ø No one could give me an approximate number of females playing indoor hockey in the USA, but it appears to be a growing number and trend at organized levels. Number of Student-Athletes Needed: 8-20 on the practice squad With 6-12 on the travel squad per team entered in tournaments Estimated Start-up Cost: Boards – 2” x 4” or 4”x4” boards run down each side, but not the ends. $200-$400 Tape to mark the floor - $20 Indoor Sticks - $500$1000 usually purchased by individual players. Many will already have them from competing at the club level. Balls – 2 Dozen $4-$6 each ball. Schools with Field Hockey will have balls for practice. Uniforms - Shirt and shorts/kilts $20$40 for each player. Most schools with Field Hockey will already have uniforms for their field hockey team. Goalkeeping Equipment - $500-$800 per goalkeeper. Most schools with Field Hockey will already have goalkeeping equipment for their goalkeepers. Goal Cages and Nets $300 - $1000 Total: $0 and up Facilities: Indoor Space according to FIH rules not less than 36 meters nor more than 44 meters in length and not less than 18 meters nor more than 22 meters in width. This can be modified to accommodate available spaces. Surface can be wood, rubberized or turf. Most gym spaces will accommodate indoor hockey. Number of Coaches Needed: Two (1 Head and 1 Assistant) Annual Cost of Program: Transportation: $300 - $3600+ Food on the Road: $300+ Umpires: $300 - $900+ ($150 - $300+ per tournament for each team.) Athletic Equipment: $1000+ Recruiting: $1000+ Professional Develop: $250 500+ Total: $3,150 - $7,300+ Typical Season: Varies (November-April) Proposed Season: February-April 8 practice opportunities prior to first qualifier tournament. No scrimmage dates 24 Qualifier Tournament Weekends 1 Championship Tournament *Provide room for expansion as the sport grows* Key Organization/Agencies: United States Field Hockey Association One Olympic Plaza Colorado Springs, CO 80909 719-866-4339 719-632-0979 (fax) National Field Hockey Coaches Association 11921 Meadow Ridge Terrace Glen Allen, VA 23059 (804) 364-8700 (804) 364-5467 (fax) International Hockey Federation/Federation Internationale de Hockey Residence du Parc Rue Du Valentin 61 1004 Lausanne Suisse +41 21 641 0606 +41 21 641 0607 (fax) Rules: The FIH has a set of Indoor Hockey Rules which can be modified by the NCAA as needed. The FIH has manuals to aid with the organization of tournaments as well.
Remarks: Indoor Hockey is a sport growing all around those of us, at the college level. The number of participants and opportunities to compete continues to increase for populations not yet in college and those that are out of college. At this time there is a total break in the development of the indoor game because of the lack of organized opportunities for men and women at this level. The indoor game has taken an especially hard hit at the college level over the last five years because of the continual decrease of competition opportunities supported for the NCAA sport of Women’s Field Hockey. College coaches are choosing to put all their energy and time into the development of players for the traditional fall season, the outdoor field hockey game. Many coaches no longer compete with their team in indoor tournaments. In December of 2004 the selections to the US Indoor Team took place. The men’s team consisted of eighteen players, a head coach and two staff. The women’s team consisted of eleven players, a head coach and a manager. The first Men’s and Women’s World Cup was a 12 team tournament. The US Men’s team qualified for the 1st Indoor World Cup while the Women’s team did not make it past the Pan Am Indoors and into the 1st World Cup. The men opened their 2005 schedule in Canada while the women opened their schedule in Austria. The Women’s Indoor Pan American Cup took place in December 2005, with our US women’s team coming out on top in pool play but losing to Canada in the Championship game. The Pan Am events serve as a qualifier for the 2nd Indoor World Cup scheduled for 2007. In looking at the other sports that have been proposed and accepted as emerging sports I see indoor hockey as a sport that meets the standards. General Championship Rules: Per NCAA Bylaw 17.32, member institutions shall conduct all of their intercollegiate competition in accordance with the playing rules of the Association in all sports for which the NCAA develops playing rules. For those sports in which the Association follows rules that are developed by other governing bodies and modified by the governing sports committee, the adopted playing rules shall be used. The governing sports committee will not consider any results for selection purposes that are not played in accordance with the NCAA rules, or those rules adopted by an outside organization. The Indoor Field Hockey Championships will be conducted according to FIH rules of indoor hockey any NCAA rules modifications that may occur. General Championship Format: The Indoor Hockey Championship provides for 15% - 40% of teams to be selected to the championship tournament. Depending on the size of the championship it will be held over one or two days. Teams will be selected to participate in the championship tournament after a series of two to four qualifying tournament weekends. Teams will receive points based on where they finish in each tournament. Teams will be selected based on the number of points they receive throughout the regular season tournaments. Team will be sorted into one to four pools with four to six teams in each pool. The seeding in the pools will be organized to create equal strength across the pool(s).
In the Championship Tournament structure, as in the qualifier tournaments, teams will receive 3 points for a win in pool play and one point for a draw/tie in pool play. No points will be awarded for a loss. At the conclusion of pool play the top one to two teams in each pool will advance to crossover play to determine the championship. References: National Collegiate Athletic Association Website www.ncaa.org United States Field Hockey Association Website www.usfieldhockey.com International Hockey Federation/Federation Internationale de Hockey Website www.fihockey.com Planet Field Hockey.com Website www.planetfieldhockey.com