NEW DELHI: World hockey's governing body wants its new competition to draw on the success of cricket's glitzy Indian Premier League and plans to circumvent any 'club v country' dilemmas by incorporating the tournament on the official calendar.
International Hockey Federation (FIH) Chief Executive Kelly Fairweather told Reuters in an interview that it was crucial to present the new league as a form of entertainment, something the IPL has excelled at.
Getting the best players involved was also key, added Fairweather, confirming that the league would be on the official calendar.
“This is why we believe that a professional hockey league organised under a partnership between Hockey India and FIH is key to a new league's success,” he said in an interview.
“If a new league is to attract the best players, it must fit in with the top players' other objectives of competing in the wider Olympic and international events.”
Responding to questions posed via email, Fairweather said FIH member associations were excited about the proposed league, which would take place over six weeks and begin in January 2013.
“If a new league can be scheduled not to conflict with a players' international duties, then playing in the best league in the world would surely be beneficial to a player's performance development and hence, we would expect countries to be supportive.
“Our discussions with the national associations and players have confirmed this,” said the former South African player and coach.
Several high profile cricketers, including West Indies' Chris Gayle and Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga, have opted to play in the IPL instead of representing their countries.
EXCELLENT MODEL
The FIH was very impressed by the IPL success story, he said.
“The IPL is held as a model of excellence for a franchised league in India.We believe we can learn from this model and adapt it to hockey to be successful.
“Since the IPL has become established, we believe the public, broadcasters, sponsors and investors are all looking for the next IPL and we can see interest in a wide range of sports.”
Business tycoons and Bollywood actors are IPL team owners, and the FIH admires the cricket league's marriage of sport and entertainment, such as cheerleaders celebrating every boundary and dismissal.
“Much is made of the IPL's cheerleaders, but the more important point is that IPL have done a great job in presenting sport as entertainment,” he added. “We would seek to follow that example.”
The FIH is yet to finalise the league's details but the early response has left Fairweather bullish.
“The format is not decided yet and we would expect to work with Hockey India and a sports marketing company to finalise those details. From enquiries made so far, we believe that there are more than enough franchise owners. We expect the response from the commercial sector to be positive. However, first we need to establish a transparent and fair procedure to appoint an agency to assist FIH and Hockey India to run the league.
“Once this is achieved, we expect further developments, such as the signing of franchises, players, broadcasters and sponsors to follow quickly.”
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