On November 5 a battle between very completely different philosophies in our sport will probably be determined for the following few years, possibly many years. Briefly the distinction will be summed up as “play for pay” vs “pay to play” or additionally “develop the fan base first” vs “develop the participant base first”
Two very completely different candidates are working for the place of president of the FIH. Which is the acronym for “Fédération Internationale de Hockey”, French for the worldwide hockey federation. However it would possibly as nicely imply the federation of worldwide hockey as an alternative. However the article on that distinction in nuance will probably be for one more time.
On the one hand there’s Tayyab Ikram, initially from Pakistan however today representing Macau (China). Alternatively we see Marc Coudron from Belgium working as nicely. Each Ikram and Coudron clearly declare they need the most effective for his or her sport and its nationwide associations. However in actuality they need very various things. It’s a conflict of cultures. Each declare growth to be their primary precedence. However for each growth means one thing very completely different.
Tayyab Ikram
For Ikram sport (and thus hockey) is an occasion product, a part of the leisure enterprise. So when he says he desires to develop the nationwide associations or NA’s, he means get them cash from their very own nationwide olympic associations and their authorities. To assist these NA’s fund nationwide groups and particularly their very own administration. Which means some gamers, a few coaches plus a number of directors for every NA getting paid to point out up at worldwide occasions. First, Ikram claims, it’s about rising the variety of followers. As a result of that can enhance the income… and ensure all concerned are assured a job and revenue.
Once we ask him what his first brief time period precedence could be as president he talks about exhibiting the way in which to smaller NA’s how you can get cash from their authorities and Olympic associations
Marc Coudron
Coudron believes sport (and thus hockey) is part of the training of your loved ones. It’s what you do along with household and mates as part of turning into a greater & more healthy particular person. Mens sana in corpore sano. So right here it’s not about getting essentially the most visibility with as few sources as potential. It’s about getting extra folks to be an energetic participant of their sport. Some aspiring topsport ranges. Most for enjoyable at a leisure stage, as part of the training and betterment of your self and your kids. It’s about rising the variety of gamers as a result of that can enhance the extent of training and well being in your nation & household. Worldwide hockey has a job in all of this, however it’s a means to an finish. Rising your participant base first, will assist develop your fanbase in a sustainable method afterwards.
Once we requested Coudron about his first brief time period precedence as president he informed us growth is his brief, mid and long run primary precedence. However to be able to do that, he first wants to verify the FIH funds are wholesome once more and a return to good governance tradition is required.
A conflict of cultures
Subsequently the election of the following president of the FIH is a alternative between two philosophies…or perhaps a conflict of cultures if you’ll.
If I had been a betting man, my cash could be on Tayyab Ikram for profitable these elections. The reason being easy. The FIH has 140 members (= international locations with nationwide associations or NA). Every NA has 1 vote within the elections. Regardless in the event you signify an NA with no taking part in members (as in zero… sure these exist I’m informed) or one with +100K members, it’s 1 vote per NA.
In the mean time we’re missing severely in transparency and accountability. Representatives of the NA’s can’t be held accountable for his or her vote due to secret voting. The secrecy of a vote is sacred on the subject of elections by people. Nevertheless it’s a sacrilege on the subject of folks voting on behalf of others (folks they signify) for my part.
My tough estimate is a few 20 of those NA’s even have a wholesome inhabitants of hockey gamers and in complete possibly 40 additionally assist the philosophy represented by Coudron, with a precedence on rising the variety of gamers. This implies some 100 or so NA’s for my part exist primarily to assist their administration and ensure they proceed to obtain cash from the federal government and the Olympic motion. The latter usually tend to assist Ikram who will attempt to get them their funds from nationwide Olympic associations, with out actually asking them to decide to the tough job of rising the variety of gamers of their nation. On paper sure, in actual life much less so. Whereas Coudron will even do no matter he can to assist them get their cash to run their NA’s. However, he will even anticipate them to work and present proof on rising the variety of gamers in return…
3 questions for each candidates
In my interview I requested them the identical 3 questions.
- What would you wish to proceed?
- What would you want to vary?
- What will probably be your first short-term priorities if elected?
Fulfill the wants of IOC in any respect value
The number one precedence for Tayyab Ikram is staying on the Olympic program, it doesn’t matter what. An important job of FIH is satisfying the wants & desires of the IOC. So he desires to proceed on that path. Clearly for sports activities administrations that’s the “simple” income. The selection that ensures these working for NA’s and federations their revenue to run the game. Aside from that Ikram claims FIH is great in good governance & growth so not a lot wants altering there both. He talked about going additional with tasks like watch.hockey to extend the fanbase all over the place. With the place potential an excellent stronger give attention to the followers.
Wholesome funds
Marc Coudron clearly is extra a candidate for change. The very first thing he talked about is cleansing up the funds of the FIH, being the banker that he’s in day by day life. As a result of, particularly as a non-profit organisation, you cannot afford to maintain on dropping cash yr after yr. He mentioned he might flip it round and ensure the FIH could be financially wholesome once more inside 3 to 4 years and… financially sustainable for the long run.
The second factor that got here to thoughts for him is restoring good company governance with an emphasis on transparency. He thinks he can handle this inside 1 yr in a sustainable method. However is his primary precedence stays rising the variety of gamers (= growth) around the globe as his brief, mid and long run aim.
Ikram too talked about altering the monetary mannequin with a separate price range for his model of growth. However focussed extra on explaining why his sturdy relationship with all the large Asian sponsors could be essential to maintain funds balanced. And he desires to run the worldwide occasions extra cost-effectively so extra money would change into out there for the athletes in these occasions.
Gender stability within the government board
When Ikram talked change he talked about wanting to vary the chief board of the FIH. He says he’s a giant fan of the gender stability we’re identified for in IOC circles. However, he’s not a fan of this gender stability being measured in numbers. So he desires to do away with the principles implementing an equal variety of ladies and men within the government board. He prefers to give attention to “capability constructing” for each women and men.
So right now the rule in FIH is that from 8 elected members within the government board we’d like 4 ladies and 4 males. That may change instantly when Ikram is elected. Moreover altering the principles in gender stability he desires to incorporate extra co-opted members within the government board from different sports activities or walks of life to get completely different and difficult views as an alternative of those that have been in hockey all of their life.
Coudron too desires a change within the election means of the board. However he was pondering alongside the strains of avoiding sketchy elections with uncertain guarantees and blocks of nations supporting their very own candidates, regardless of their suitability for the job. So Coudron’s answer was a easy one. If the president of a continental federation is a person, the identical federation additionally appoints a girl. And vice versa. That method we assure gender stability in a extra wholesome method with out sketchy elections.
How do you assist the smaller NA’s?
As Coudron talked about the highest nations largely look to the FIH for organising the worldwide occasions like a world cup and managing the principles. The challengers need some extra assist in bridging the hole. And the smaller hockey nations search for assist in rising the game of their nation. Assist with amenities, trainers & coaches who know what they’re speaking about and assist in organising a rising hockey neighborhood in their very own nation.
He has confirmed he is aware of how to do that. Nevertheless my concern is Coudron is a bit naive on this final bit and Ikram understands higher the wishes of those smaller NA’s.
A number of the modifications Coudron suggests to assist the smaller nations with hockey on the worldwide scene (due to course this helps elevating extra money) is to develop the world cup, possibly even to 24 nations. Or to merge 5s and indoor into a suitable brief format subsequent to our commonplace of 11v11. We have to assume completely different and we have to adapt…
Ikram says he’ll give attention to serving to them to get extra money from their very own authorities and nationwide Olympic committees to run their very own administration. He packages this messages as growing hope for the smaller NA’s… So the primary (and in my perception solely) factor he’ll do for them helps them write their growth plan in such a method it’ll persuade their authorities to present them cash.
Who’s the higher alternative? It relies upon…
There isn’t a doubt in my thoughts the world of hockey could be higher served by the method Coudron stands for. However that’s as a result of we share the identical perfect of wanting extra gamers for our sport. The place the main target of Ikram is on serving to extra folks generate profits from the game.
Let me attempt to spin this in a optimistic method,for each of them…The dream Ikram has, is rising the fanbase first and he hopes gamers will observe. The dream Coudron has is to develop the participant base and followers will observe.
I do realise I’m all of this by my European eyes, even when no less than I take some time of listening and attempting to grasp different factors of view. After I take a look at the info as I do know them, I see the European method of doing issues has labored. In international locations just like the Netherlands and Belgium we managed to first develop the participant base and due to that the followers (and media) have adopted. In each these international locations, leisure hockey has created the muse for a sustainable method of managing topsport. Hockey is on TV each week through the home season and all main occasions get their fair proportion of media publicity. Would we like much more? After all! However hockey is being performed, week in, week out by gamers from each technology, gender & potential. Wherever you reside, if you wish to play, you possibly can play. In Belgium Coudron is among the sports activities directors who made this potential. And it’s not simply the European method of doing this. International locations like Argentina and Australia additionally give attention to this and make it work in their very own method. So, let’s take a look at what method has delivered outcomes and adapt it to your native scenario to make it work.
After I take a look at Asia, once more by my European eyes… I solely see a decline of a as soon as revered sport with some momentary pockets of success that seldom show to be sustainable. Within the time Ikram has managed hockey in Asia, Pakistan has disappeared. Korea has vanished. China & Japan have seen some very brief lived remoted success tales, none of them leading to extra folks taking part in hockey. Nor are there extra followers watching hockey. Malaysia appears to be doing okay. India will all the time be a particular place for our recreation of hockey. The HIL was promising, however left the scene after solely 5 years. Their nationwide group not too long ago returned to the worldwide prime, however continues to be unsuccessful in making our sport the sport of alternative for fogeys and kids contemplating a sport. After they arrange massive occasions just like the world cup, the stadium is offered out for the house video games. However we can’t see any return of their home arrange of hockey from this. When the Dutch organised these occasions, the stadiums offered out as nicely and we noticed a progress in gamers. Belgium’s investments in prime hockey have quadrupled their variety of gamers through the reign of Coudron, stadiums promote out for main worldwide occasions and hockey is on TV each week in each international locations.
So while you ask me who I’d need to be the chief of our sport globally I’d decide Coudron over Ikram any day. It doesn’t imply I believe the one method is the so referred to as European method. I’m satisfied the arrange of any sport will probably be completely different around the globe. Nothing mistaken with that. I do need to recommend what works today and be taught from these greatest practices. Construct the muse on home leisure hockey first!
However in the event you’re a sports activities administrator making your cash from this in a rustic with virtually no gamers and also you’re joyful dwelling the straightforward life that method, your alternative will most likely be Ikram.
