How can one make hockey grow?

[<TJ> 0]

OK...

So my question is: What can one, who doesn't have limitless resources, do to help hockey grow??

As some of you may have read in previous posts of mine I live in Argentina. Hockey is not big at all here. In fact, most people don't even know that there are a few of us who actually practise it, and that there are leagues and everything. I live in Buenos Aires (the capital city), and we only have about 4 rinks, none of which is nowhere near to regulation size. Out of those 4, there's hockey in only 2, and that's after hours, when they are closed to public.

We all dream of the day when we may find ourselves playing 5 on 5 in a real rink, with proper boards (not iron bars like we have), and where there are a few stands, where at least our girlfriends can sit and watch. Not to mention a national team with chances to make the trip to the olympics or anything.

Does anyone have any advise at all on what we players can do to get closer to the dream?

[Aussie Joe 0]

It's so hard to build a sport that is shadowed gargantuanly by something such a football in your country. Write to your local member of parliament/congress/whatever, see if they will help out.

Also get the word out to your family, co workers etc. See if they will help do a fund raising drive through a hardware store or something. You raise funds AND get the word out. Everyone at my work knows I am hockey obsessed and have recruited some new players to the sport via the office before.

Network the sport, plug it, sell it, scream it!

Via condios ;)

[Chadd 916]

Grow the game via inline hockey. It is much cheaper and easier for people when they get started. You can play on any smooth surface as well. Once you have that base, you can build the ice side of the game.

[BucksAway 16]

Grow the game via inline hockey. It is much cheaper and easier for people when they get started. You can play on any smooth surface as well. Once you have that base, you can build the ice side of the game.

good luck, in australia we cant do that

[gxc999 7]

Grow the game via inline hockey. It is much cheaper and easier for people when they get started. You can play on any smooth surface as well. Once you have that base, you can build the ice side of the game.

That's definitely a good idea for the southern portion of the US and mid-west as well, or anywhere ice rinks aren't all over the place. The synthetic ice is giving me hope for the immediate growth of ice availability though.

[Big Jim 1]

good luck, in australia we cant do that

why not? ..just curious as to why you said that.

I wish here in the states hockey was more popular. In all honesty I don't really understand why it's not(Bettmann.. I know). It's fast, very physical, and it's a game of finesse ...IE you see a lot of fancy moves an whatever. I miss living in Buffalo where hockey was supreme..compared to Omaha, NE where I live now and people laugh at you when you mention hockey.

[furlanitalia 1]

Yah, I'll never get why NASCAR is more popular than hockey.

As for growing the sport I agree with the push for online, along with just getting as much info out there as you can about the sport.

[iceholes19 0]

Unless a person has some kind of involvement in hockey i.e. as a player or as a parent, it's hard for them to imagine themselves playing the game. As for Nascar, everyone has a car, and judging by the number of morons on the freeways, they all think that they're Dick Trickle.

[Big Jim 1]

good point

[BucksAway 16]

why not? ..just curious as to why you said that.

I wish here in the states hockey was more popular. In all honesty I don't really understand why it's not(Bettmann.. I know). It's fast, very physical, and it's a game of finesse ...IE you see a lot of fancy moves an whatever. I miss living in Buffalo where hockey was supreme..compared to Omaha, NE where I live now and people laugh at you when you mention hockey.

hockey in australia isnt going very far, the winter olympics did nothing for the sport in australia in regards to both inline and ice. Ice hockey probably has grown a little due to the rink built at the docklands but thats 1 rink in a big country. Where i play inline it is advertised everywhere, school newsletters, local newspapers, radio but still not many people are joining in.

I think the cost is definetly a mjor concren down in australia though suppliers want $600 for an SE16 STICK, yes 600 for a stick...the lower end bauer and mission skates are minimum $350

[<TJ> 0]

It's so hard to build a sport that is shadowed gargantuanly by something such a football in your country. Write to your local member of parliament/congress/whatever, see if they will help out.

Also get the word out to your family, co workers etc. See if they will help do a fund raising drive through a hardware store or something. You raise funds AND get the word out. Everyone at my work knows I am hockey obsessed and have recruited some new players to the sport via the office before.

Network the sport, plug it, sell it, scream it!

Via condios ;)

What you say about football (soccer) is true. It's much cheaper and easier to just go somewhere and kick a ball around. I've actually grown to resent that sport, which I used to absolutely love. I blame that on ESPN. I remember that when I was a kid (I'm 25 now) we used to get ESPN international, which was basically almost the same as the signal you guys get up there. That meant we'd get a few hockey games, golf, fishing, and all kinds of sports. Some years ago though, we started getting ESPN Latin America so, nowadays, it's football 24/7. You're lucky to get a little rugby in on weekends, and a few tennis tournaments (which I love).

Back on topic though, I suppose that aiming for media exposure is the way to go. Just getting the sport out there.

Going through the government might not be a great idea. Dealing with that sort of thing over here is extremely frustrating. They may tell you you're getting funds and, when the time comes, you get stuck with the bill and all you get is people telling you that there's no money for that sort of thing, even though you were previously told otherwise.

[rangers1234 0]

This may be a little off topic, but this is my opinion why Hockey has not grown in the US.

1) Initial start Up Costs For Parents - The only reason my brother and I never played as kids (Besides Pond Hockey) and the reason we play now is b/c the cost comes out of our pocket.

2) Too Many Travel Teams & Not Enough Local Play - With Soccor / Baseball / Football and even Lacross now, you don't have to travel when your young. There is way too much travel for 6 -> 12 year old kids in hockey. So even if the parent can afford the money, a lot of parents don't want to commit to the life-style.

3) Way too much focus on winning for the younger kids. Winning is fun, but not at the expense of the kids who are still developing. There needs to be more house leagues, where a kid can play for fun.

4) Not Enough Ice Time - I think a lot of the firt three issues are b/c there just isn't enough ice time for everyone.

5) Also, the parents that are involved need to back off and let their kids to have fun. I here way to many coaches complaining about the parents. I have even heard some parents not having there kids play b/c of the stereotypical parent and don't want to be a part of that culture.

The biggest thing to happen to hockey is HD TV. My wife has always liked going to games, but wouldn't sit for more than 2 minutes watching a game on TV until we got HD. Now she can see and follow the puck.

So if your trying to start a program in your country, get wood sticks, a tennis ball and make a net. Get the kids playing floor hockey and work your way up from there. Then get into roller blades and then eventualy Ice skates. Although the fun part is the speed, so if you can afford it, get right into roller hockey.

Yah, I'll never get why NASCAR is more popular than hockey.

As for growing the sport I agree with the push for online, along with just getting as much info out there as you can about the sport.

[Chadd 916]

As for Nascar, everyone has a car, and judging by the number of morons on the freeways, they all think that they're Dick Trickle.

Not only that, it's perfect for American TV broadcasts. You can have frequent commercial breaks and the action is is very limited. On the off chance something interesting does happen, they can show a dozen replays and explain everything in detail a number of times before anything else of interest happens. It's always fun to hear a couple guys with the IQ of a sponge talking about the physics a couple days after any Nascar race around here.

[furlanitalia 1]

I just could not sit and watch a car go around a circle for 500 laps. Although I'm not exactly a speed demon on the road (I save that for the ice ;) ).

[Aussie Joe 0]

good luck, in australia we cant do that

In Australia we DID do that, around 1996 but. There are many reasons why inline has died off. Political, cultural, economical etc. However we in Vic are now seeing the highest number of juniors wanting to be badged and registered to play in the last 10 years at least. There is also increasingly high demand for development sessions for adult beginners as well. The IceHouse is doing its job nicely.

It's always tough when one sport is so all consuming. TJ, you have allot of work out for you, just keep talking about the sport to as many people as possible. You never know, if you and people as dedicated as you keep working hard at it, you might become one of the original fathers of hockey in Argentina.

[Dubbs 0]

This may be a bit of a stretch, and I haven't really researched it, but maybe instead of going to local government you could write the IIHF. I would think that like USA Hockey they have funds allocated to help the development of the sport (again totally guessing here, but it can't hurt to write a letter). Even if they don't, maybe you draw some attention to the need for that kind of thing. Anyone involved in hockey knows its expensive, and the more the sport grows the better it is for everyone involved.

[kklinder 0]

Warning: ultra-long post. The mods don't like links (found that out after my post mysteriously disappeared), so it was suggested I post the content directly. Anyway, here's an article I wrote about starting something new, using youth hockey as an example (PM me if you want the link). Hopefully you'll find it somewhat useful. Bottom line: Chadd's comment about starting with roller was barking up the right tree.

I’m In

The fast lane to starting something new often feels much more like the slow lane.

What would you do if you recently moved into a new area only to find, to your surprise and disappointment, no youth hockey league for your children? Here’s what you probably wouldn’t do: start a youth hockey league. Not yet anyway…doing so would be exhausting, frustrating, and expensive.

Hockey – particularly ice hockey – is a sport that requires a lot of commitment, both in terms of money and time. The equipment can be expensive, and so is the ice time. Rinks generally aren’t around the corner like most baseball fields, and games and practices are often held at very odd hours. Even just getting suited up takes a bit of time…certainly not as simple as putting on a pair of cleats and a glove. Oh, and of course, you’ve got that whole learning to skate thing. Suffice it to say, the hurdles for kids to really pursue the game – and experience the sensation of sharp blades cutting through the ice, the satisfaction of a well executed passing sequence, and the thrill of watching the back of the net flex in submission to the puck – are high.

So, instead of starting a league straight away, you might start simply by playing hockey with your children in the street, on the driveway, or in a local park. As others saw you together, interest among some would be stirred. You might also bring up hockey in conversation with other parents at your kids’ soccer games. Your kids could talk to their friends and classmates about hockey…maybe invite some over to watch some games on TV. Perhaps, before long hopefully, enough interest would surface for some to pick up a stick and join you on the driveway. Soon, somebody will pick up some goalie equipment…maybe somebody else another net. After a while, there might be enough kids for some informal games at the park. From there…

Here’s the point: most people don’t make significant changes all at once. When you start something new, you are asking people to change behavior. And the more substantial the shift you seek, the harder it will be for people to adopt that new behavior. So, to increase the likelihood of success, you need to make it easy for people to experience a taste of the change. I call this lowering the barriers to trial. If you do that, and provided people find the change – whether a product, a service, or an idea – worthwhile, you will be well on your way to successfully realizing your mission.

Lately, I’m getting to see these ideas in action in my neck of the woods – Bergen County, NJ – with regard to (surprise, surprise) youth hockey. Now, Bergen County is not devoid of hockey as you might expect from having read above. However, having played a bit of hockey as a kid, I am well acquainted with the commitment it requires. So, when my young son told me he wanted to play ice hockey, I turned to two organizations that are doing a great job collectively at keeping the doors open for kids: Doug Brown Hockey Development Program and Pre-Game Pro Shop in Westwood, NJ. Here’s what they are doing:

Doug Brown, mastering a fine balance of encouragement and drive, teaches weekly sessions to kids (and adults actually) in which the first half hour focuses on skill development and the second half hour is game play. In this way, the kids can give hockey a try – finding out their interest and aptitude – without committing to a team and the associated expense and scheduling demands. Of course, even with Doug’s great program, full ice hockey equipment is required for all players. This is where Pre-Game Pro Shop comes in. They buy and sell lightly used (and new) hockey equipment, specializing in youth. So, rather than spending several hundred dollars before your child ever steps on the ice, Pre-Game cuts the investment by half to two-thirds. Of course, because kids grow through equipment so quickly, Pre-Game saves parents a lot of money every year their children play.

So, here are some things to consider if you want to expose people to some sort of change…perhaps a product, a service, an idea. What can you do to help them experience it in a small, low-investment way? How can you give them just a taste? The bigger the bite you require, the fewer people will try.

Most people don’t make changes based on imagination; they make them based on experience.

[mug25 2]

Grow the game via inline hockey. It is much cheaper and easier for people when they get started. You can play on any smooth surface as well. Once you have that base, you can build the ice side of the game.

That's true however when you have parks neglecting the outdoor rinks, removing nets in fear of being sued OR having the Soccer players encroach on your rink it's kinda hard.

Yes, all of that happens here in South Florida.

Example #1: Really nice covered outdoor rink called Loggers Run. We used to play pickup their on Tuesdays & Thursdays, sometimes Sundays. We'd get at least 20 people out each night. Now, I go there a few years later, the nets have been removed. Reason being: Some parent sued the city b/c their kid got hurt in the rink. The surface is trashed. The fences are destroyed, likely from the soccer players kicking the ball at the fence...even though their are 3 soccer fields lined up directly behind the rink (fail).

Example #2: Pioneer Park. A little older but still decent rink. It's in an average neighborhood. Vandalized. Now bums live on the benches...no nets either.

Example #3: Sugar Sand Park. Horrible surface but it was one of the last rinks around. It shares the surface with Basketball hoops. Yeah, good luck ever playing hockey when you've got pickup basketball going every night.

Example #4: Holiday Park. Really nice rinks. Two side by side, it's where I first started playing Hockey in fact. Too bad the rink is locked. Only used for the Pee Wee league.

So you see, some states it's a little hard, especially in the warmer climates. Thank goodness I live 2 miles away from an ice rink...I just dont see Hockey ever becoming much more popular than it currently is.