Why the Aussies rule hockey

While working on the article on how Michael Nobbs transformed Indian hockey since he took charge in 2011, we spoke to Hockey Australia Director, Mark Anderson, and coach of The Kookaburras (the Australian national men’s Team), Ric Charlesworth. The insights we got from both helped us understand why Australia has been dominating world hockey for a little over three decades. They have made the top four in every Olympics since 1980 and have won medals from 1992 to 2008.

As in business, the ability to stay on top of your game in sports comes down to solid processes and people management. Anderson says, “It’s a combination of a whole range of factors, from the quality of coaching to learning the sport and it includes the history of sport in the country and the community base in the sport.” A large number of Aussie kids start playing the game at a very young age. A key reason for that is the fact that they have a number of role models to look up to. A number of former players coach clubs at the school and community level. What really catches you off guard is that most of these coaches don’t get paid. “A majority of them are volunteers,” says Anderson. “That’s critical. Because they are passionate about the game, they do well as coaches. It creates a great environment for the players.”

The state and regional associations have strong, focussed programmes with high quality coaches that develop young players and groom them for the national level. The support staff works on strength, conditioning and stamina; in short, what Nobbs has done in the last one year with 30 Indian hopefuls, the Aussies have been doing for the last 30 across age groups.

In addition to having an Australian Institute of Sport, there are elite academies at state level; all senior athletes come through a state academy program.

Because of this system, there are always a number of names in contention to coach the team. Any career coach in Australia would want to coach the national team. The selection panel comprises of people who have had previous successes. Add strong support from the national government and the Australian Sports Commission and you have a bunch of highly skilled sportsmen in their prime who don’t have to concern themselves with anything else except winning. Contrast this to the Indian system, where the people who oversee the sport are a bunch of bureaucrats. If former players are appointed they often find their hands are shackled and petty politics on every level doesn't let them execute their vision.

Charlesworth, as coach of the team, has an allocated budget that he is free to spend in any manner he thinks fit. His accounts are available for scrutiny whenever someone wants to take a look at them. His team is motley bunch of professionals from different fields. “Around a third of the players are students, and another third are professionals. The remaining are engineers, teachers, electricians, plumbers and other professionals. They have full time careers,” he says.

India has a glut of riches compared to Australia when it comes to players. According to Charlesworth, who was technical advisor to Indian hockey from 2008-09, there are around 400 professional players in India: “When I was in India, I had a pool of 3,000 good players to choose from. Australia had 50. India is the leading country in the world in terms of resources and possibilities. That is why everyone in the world is so keen for India to do well. It’s so important for the sport’s development.”

It’s not as if Hockey Australia earns enough to support its eco-system single-handedly. A large amount of money comes from the government; that enables them invest in high performance programs. The money covers a whole range of elements. “We have access to experienced experts in their respective fields who understand what’s occurring in sport on a global scale and are able to get in leading practices into our programmes,” says Anderson.

Now, what Nobbs has done for Indian hockey is remarkable. He’s taken a team that was struggling with form — senior players letting their egos get in the way of larger interests, two groups fighting to lay claim over the national sport while the game itself was in disrepair — and installed in them a sense of belief and whipped them into shape. The results are there for all to see. There is a sense that India may not do so badly at London 2012. But when you compare the Indian team to the best in the world, you know we have a long way to go.

The thoughts and opinions shared here are of the author.