Now it’s hockey’s turn to shrink

Former international and Air India forward Gavin Ferreira will be coach of the team and he is already excited about the new assignment. “The coaching assignment has come as a surprise for me. I have been involved in coaching juniors but never a national side. But during my stint in the European leagues I have played a lot of indoor hockey and that experience will be of big help,” said the Ferreira, who will be conducting a camp in Bangalore.

The 36-year-old doesn’t know what the competition will but he is confident that India wouldn’t have problem adjusting to this new form of hockey. “The beauty of indoor field hockey is that it helps player, especially forwards, to improve their finishing skills. There are no positions, no designated midfielders. A player has to both defend and attack,” he says.

The technical director of the Indian Hockey Federation, MM Somaiya too is of the view that the indoor competition will have long-term benefit for the players.

“The Europeans teams play this form of hockey all the time and that is one of the reasons they have all-round skills. The skills learnt in the shorter version can be utilised in the conventional form of the game.”

Indoor hockey for dummies

• Field dimensions: 18m to 22m wide by 36m to 44m long

•The shooting circle is a semi-circle measured out 9m from each goal post

•The goal cages are smaller: 2m high by 3m wide and a minimum of 1m deep

•A team consists of 6 players on the pitch, 5 field players and 1 goalkeeper

•The game is divided into 2 periods of 20 minutes

•The pitch is made of wood or synthetic gum