Mystery again surrounds the future of Irish hockey’s interprovincial tournaments after the Irish Hockey Association (IHA) confirmed the senior and junior tournaments will not take place during the 2011/12 season.
The IHA yesterday stressed the decision “has largely been driven by the (provincial) branches, who feel that in a year with Olympic qualifiers, the inability to field full squads puts the cost and associated benefits of the events in doubt”.
The national body’s competitions and interprovincial working groups have been asked to review the staging of the senior and junior tournaments for future years in conjunction with national coaches Paul Revington and Gene Muller, and high performance director David Passmore.
Vanessa Sargent, Rachel McSharry, Olivia Roycroft, Ali O'Regan, Yvonne O'Byrne and Sinead Connery celebrate Munster's senior interpros win in May. They will now have a chance to defend their title until 2013 at the earliest. Picture: Pat Sargent
The staging of the U21 interprovincials, currently scheduled for Easter having been scrapped last season in a cost-saving measure, is to be reviewed “as a matter of urgency”.
The IHA board say they are keen for this tournament to take place to facilitate preparation and selection of the U21 national teams, which were re-established in October having been discontinued in 2004.
IHA chief executive Angus Kirkland yesterday said: “The IHA has consulted widely on the challenges of scheduling all hockey this season.
“The board considered carefully the opinions of the branches and have agreed that the best decision for hockey this season is not to not hold these tournaments.”
Detractors argue that the intensification and expansion of the Irish national setups to include more sessions and development panels has rendered the interpros – first played out in 1897 and once a treasured chance to see all the country’s top players lock horns at once – irrelevant.
Aside from Olympic commitments, the presence of current internationals in interpro tournaments has dwindled in recent years, with the senior women focused on their central preparation programme (CPP) while the majority of the men’s side play the sport semi-professionally abroad.
The junior interpros does not feed into any national representative side, but remains a popular outlet for non-elite players to aim for provincial honours, although Connacht were unable to field a side in the 2011 men’s tournament.
I am glad sense has prevailed at last .What a waste of money over the years they have been meaningless with most if our top men playing abroad and the rest having to pay to play .A forced decision by the IHA 10years too late now sort out the womens game before it’s destroyed
Posted by Pat dawson | December 7, 2011, 7:32 amInteresting article in the Times this morning – looking at proposal for the interpro teams to represent Ireland in European club competitions – rather than individual clubs… similar to what rugby has done…. From a talent development perspective, makes sense to concentrate the talent & having those players involved at higher level.. so if that went through, would bring the interpros back into play – big implications for fundraising at branch level to support that..
Posted by From the ditch | December 9, 2011, 2:20 pm@From The Ditch
EHL regulations forbid provincial teams from entering as far as I’m aware. I believe the idea was floated by Irish hockey 4/5 years ago but turned down by the EHF.
Posted by Alan Good | December 9, 2011, 2:31 pmThat is correct. It was floated by IHA before & turned down. To close off European hckey to clubs would be a very bad idea anyway.
Posted by correct | December 12, 2011, 2:24 pmThis is a good decision. Whether or not it was forced, it was the decision of the branches to keep the interpros going. The 21s is a welcome return in my opinion with the 21s international squads coming back.
I think it would be good for the IHA to consider running an U23 tournament instead of a 21s and a senior, with teams compelled to have a certain number of U21s in the squads. That at least would guarantee development of players beyond U21 in the provinces and take pressure off appointing coaches and managers to so many teams.
I feel sorry for the senior management teams and coaches who were appointed already within Munster.
Posted by Anon | December 13, 2011, 8:06 pm