World Masters Hockey

World Masters Hockey is often abbreviated to Masters and/or Masters Hockey and is the term for a division of field hockey where senior hockey players (men and women) compete on international level from the age of 35. The organization direct responsible is officially known as World Masters Hockey Ltd (WHM). WMH organizes both outdoor and indoor Field Hockey World Championship and Continental Championship tournaments for senior teams. "Senior" refers to that all players are aged 35 and above. National teams represent their countries, with a subset division where beside National formatted teams also teams featuring mixed players from multiple nationalities can compete.

Origin

The WMH is an international organization dedicated to promoting and organizing hockey competitions for players aged 35 and older. Originating from informal games among older enthusiasts in Australia during the 1970s, Masters Hockey has evolved into a structured global phenomenon, facilitating camaraderie and competitive spirit among veteran athletes.[1][2][3]

Masters Hockey has not only helped preserve the passion for the game among older athletes but has also contributed to the globalization of hockey. As grassroots development programs and increased media coverage have emerged, countries around the world have seen a rise in participation among older players. Major tournaments and events have been instrumental in promoting the sport, fostering unity, and showcasing the enduring appeal of hockey across generations.[4][5][6]

Governing Body

WHM is the exclusive governing body for Masters Hockey, officially recognized by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) as the sole authority for organizing and managing all official Masters Hockey tournaments worldwide. The FIH has a pyramid structure in which the Masters Hockey is the WMH responsibility. The WMH organization was formed as a result of the merger between the International Masters Hockey Association (IMHA) and the World Grand Masters Association (WGMA), following a request from FIH in 2012 to unify these bodies into a single entity. FIH supports this unification, seeing it as a strategic move to strengthen the global hockey brand, enhance its commercial prospects, and streamline the natural progression from Junior to Senior to Masters Hockey.

Committees

WMH committees are tasked with specific functions that are essential to the governance and development of Masters Hockey. The Events Committee is responsible for the planning and delivery of tournaments, which includes evaluating host bids and ensuring quality venues are used for events. Additionally, the Officiating Committee manages the recruitment and appointment of officials for international competitions, ensuring that all necessary support is provided during tournaments.[7]

How countries relate to the organization

Countries have a Masters subsidiary, often affiliated with its National Hockey Association.

Dutch Masters

As example in the Netherlands the International Hockey Federation has affiliate the Royal Dutch Hockey Association (KNHB) which has two Clubs organizing the Masters Hockey, in their name: Masters Hockey Nederland (MHN) and Nederlandse Hockey Club de Zestiplussers (NHC60), they handle the representing organization and team selection.

Australian Masters

The Hockey Association Masters Committee (HAMC) plays a pivotal role in overseeing Masters hockey activities. It is comprised of seven key members who manage various operational aspects such as finance, events, and national teams. Each Member Association endorses a Men's and Women's Delegate annually to facilitate communication and collaboration within the sport. These Delegates meet with the HAMC at least once a year to discuss strategic initiatives and regional topics.[8][9][10][11]

Championships on multiple continents

The WMH invites their members, the countries Masters Associations representatives to organise World and Continental Championships and other events. They follow a bid procedure after which the WMH grands the organization to the best bid. Since there can enroll over 230 teams for a World Championship often the Championship is shared over two or more countries which can be on different continents as well as on different dates. The same applies to Continental tournaments The WMH officials govern the tournaments for which there are very strict rules, following the FIH rules as much as possible. In 2023 the Continental Cup Women over 40 in Asia was won by the Singapore Ladies At the indoor World Championship the first Asian and Sikh female hockey player 'Sandeep Maan' to represent England at the Masters. She hopes that she "can be an inspiration for ethnic minority to budding hockey stars".

World Masters Hockey (WMH) events typically feature a multi-tournament structure that incorporates various age categories, allowing teams from different countries to compete simultaneously. Organizing these competitions is a complex task, particularly when accommodating multiple teams across diverse age groups within a condensed schedule. For example, a national championship might effectively consist of 14 tournaments held over 16 days, requiring careful coordination to ensure all participants have a rewarding experience.

WMH organizes various types of tournaments, including 11-a-side and 5-a-side competitions, categorized into competitive (A Grade) and social (B Grade) formats. The A Grade is aimed at teams with players possessing national or international experience, while B Grade caters to recreational players.[12][13] This diversity allows for a broad range of participation, making the sport accessible to players of all skill levels.

Game Rules and Tiebreakers

The rules governing the competition often vary slightly between different tournaments and associations. Matches may be played with varying durations depending on the age group or specific competition format. Notably, if a game ends in a tie, the outcome may be resolved in different ways, including draws, extra time, or penalty shoot-outs. As of March 2013, the official FIH Tournament Regulations specify that for classification matches, teams will directly enter penalty shoot-outs without extra time, although some organizations may still follow the previous method of "golden goal" extra time[6].

Community Outreach and Development

World Masters Hockey has made significant strides in community outreach, particularly through initiatives like the SA Masters Hockey Legacy Project. This project focuses on supporting under-resourced communities by implementing programs such as the Ikageng Hockey Upliftment Program, which aims to provide young athletes with opportunities to participate in the sport. This initiative not only enhances the visibility of hockey in these communities but also fosters a sense of belonging and encourages local youth to engage in healthy, active lifestyles.[14]

Senior Age groups

The FIH states "no matter what your age or ability is playing at all age levels is one of the cornerstones of the International Hockey Federation's (FIH) Hockey Revolution strategy". Masters teams are grouped in 5 year age differences, starting from 35 all the way up to over 80. So 35-39 is an age group, and so is 40-44, 45-49, etc. The age of a player for his/her group allocation is calculated by the year in which the tournament takes place minus the contender's year of birth. Example: Tournament in (June) 2026, player is born in 1963, age is 63 (even when he/she is born in december), Age group is 60-64.[15]

Popularity masters age sporting

The World Masters Games, the largest mass-participated international sports event, has a rich history that began in 1985. The inaugural event was held in Toronto, Canada, where 8,305 Masters athletes from 61 countries competed across 22 sports.[16]

Volunteers

The Masters events are governed by large groups of volunteers (residing under the organizing country and the WMH), all paying for most of all expenses themselves. Players also absorb all the costs for participation, travel and hotels, occasionally helped by minor team sponsoring.

Match results data

All countries, players and matches are tagged and followed in the Data tracking system named Altiusrt, governed by the match officials, providing a live match result as well as a backlog to statistics of previous tournaments, matches, teams and individual players.

Teams

Teams in Masters Championships matches can consist of either 2 goalkeepers and 16 field players or 1 goalkeeper and 15 field players. and are grouped by 5 years age differences.

Tournaments

2024, 2025

During the World Cup 2024 (taking place in Cape Town and Auckland) approximately 220 teams are participating. Combined with staff and the organizing officials and umpires more than 4.500 people are active at the Championship tournaments.

European Championships 2025 will be held in Nottingham, Valencia and Dusseldorf.

Tournaments over the years

• 2024, Cape Town – World Cup
• 2024, Auckland – World Cup
• 2022, South Africa – World Cup
• 2022, Nottingham – World Cup
• 2016, Tilburg – World Grand Masters 2016

References

This article "World Masters Hockey" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:World Masters Hockey. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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