More than 250 coaches, umpires, club managers and players attended a seminar on indoor hockey in Turkey recently, another indication of the fast progress being made in the sport across the country.
The seminar, which received Olympic Solidarity funding, was organised and run by the Turkish Hockey Federation. It was supported by the FIH Targeted Assistance Programme (TAP) currently under way in the country, in cooperation with the European Hockey Federation (EHF) and Netherlands National Association - KNHB.
The seminar, which focused on development and education, is part of a long-term strategy to build a good participation base for hockey, both indoors and outdoors in the southern European country.
Over the course of five days, there were specific sessions for umpires, coaches and players, aiming to develop the knowledge in all areas of the game.
The seminar, which took place in Alanya at the Sunprime Numa Beach, was attended by FIH Hockey Academy Educator Michel Kinnen and Secretary of the FIH Appointment Committee Yolande Brada, as well as other experts and academics from the field of sports development and education.
Kinnen’s programme focused upon the playing side of the game: formations, attacking and defensive structures, creating training programmes, specific skills coaching and bench management. Brada concentrated upon the umpires and spoke about rules and how to manage stress while officiating a game.
Stress was also a focus of the two guest psychologists who delivered sessions.
Speaking of this seminar, the Turkish Hockey Federation President, Kıvanç Hudogan, said: “I would like to thank FIH and the EHF for their continued support for us, as exemplified by their support for this seminar. From all that we have seen and feedback received, the Education and Development seminar had a great attendance and was really beneficial. Without doubt it has accelerated the progress of hockey development in Turkey. Thanks to this progress we believe that we will succeed in Round One of the Hockey World League for men and also do well at the U18 European Championships for girls and boys.”
Turkey is a country that has been making steady progress in the past couple of years, largely due to a highly proactive national governing body.
The men are currently ranked 51st in the FIH World Rankings, while the women are ranked at 36.
Both the men’s and women’s teams competed in the 2014 Hockey World League Round One competitions, the women finished fourth in their event in the Czech Republic, while the men finished fifth in Croatia.
Looking to next season, there will be another seminar prior to the start of the outdoor season. This will feature speakers of international experience and are a demonstration of Turkey’s commitment to inspire the next generation of hockey players.
For more information about the Turkish Hockey Federation, click here.
Photo: Turkish Hockey Federation
