HOCKEY5S:
An exciting format to the game of hockey with new rules and rapid action. It is played in a 5a side format and both halves consist of 10 minutes each.
The high intensity and short format gained a lot of viewership and were the most attended sport in the Youth Olympic Games played in 2018.
Played in about 70 countries in the world, the number of onlookers reached 200,000 which is outstanding for Hockey, 31 players who are taking part in the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 were also playing in the previous Youth Olympic Games.
In these determined players, 4 are captains of their respective teams. Vivek Sagar Prasad of India, Facundo Zarate of Argentina, Gracjan Jarzynsko of Poland and Akhimullah Anuar of Malaysia.
The FIH are planning for the first HOCKEY5S world cup and world tour to be started, as this shorter version of the game has attracted different styles of play and more critical thinking in a smaller pitch, this can allow players to showcase different skills and flicks. The first World Cup is planned for 2024 in Oman.
This is another great step for all athletes and staff involved for the betterment of the Special game of Field Hockey. The Hockey5s’ flagship event is a brand-new FIH competition. 16 teams per gender (3 per continent + Oman, as hosts) will take part in this very first edition. Continental Hockey5s qualifiers for the World Cup will be organized in 2022.
In 2019, the FIH Executive Board decided to create an FIH Hockey5s World Cup, with a view to further boosting the development of hockey globally through the promotion of its 5a side format.
Hockey5s is played with 5 athletes per team. It is particularly known for its non-stop end-to-end action, since the ball is in play for about 90% of a match, thanks to rebound-boards placed against the outside of the side-lines and back-lines. Furthermore, there are usually more goals with Hockey5s than with the more traditional 11-a-side format of hockey, since players can score from anywhere after the attacking line.
