Hockey: Deals mean jolly hockey sticks

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Never has a losing team achieved so much.

The New Zealand women's hockey team fell short of their dreams at the Sydney Olympics but their efforts have been richly rewarded. There is a level of interest not seen in the sport since the heady days of 1976, our gold-medal year in the men's game.

The six-figure sponsorship announced by the New Zealand Hockey Federation yesterday follows a breakthrough in negotiations with TVNZ, which will see matches televised next year.

These off-field fillips go hand-in-hand with a resurgence in on-field interest. The numbers playing summer hockey are up on previous years and next season's [winter] registrations are also expected to be substantially higher.

The national women's team will play as the "Telecom 2Go Black Sticks" for at least the next three years, after yesterday's agreement.

Hockey federation chief executive Ramesh Patel would not divulge figures, but said it was the biggest sponsorship yet for the sport in New Zealand. The deal and the rekindled interest from television were a direct result of the women's efforts in Sydney.

Patel, a member of our 1976 team, said he did not like to think, however, that players would remain in the game at that level simply because of the money.

"Their reasons to stay on have to be personally driven and because they want to continue playing international hockey."

There had been some talks with TVNZ following the Olympics but initial suggestions had hockey being faced with a "user-pays" agreement.

But Patel is now due to meet the head of TVNZ sport, Dennis Harvey, next week to complete an agreement which will provide for live coverage of at least five internationals in 2001. The only costs to the federation are likely to be for production.

"The deal we have come up with is a lot better than we had anticipated," said Patel. "We wanted a minimum of five matches shown live and we have that. There might be even more. Obviously, the emphasis will be on the women but we also hope to have at least one men's international on television as well."

The ratings for the women's matches at the Olympics were through the roof, he said.

"We have been having discussions with the Koreans, Great Britain and South Africa but, like us, they are going through a few player changes and looking at their coaching staff so it might be a bit early to play them in February as initially planned."

Australia were also potential opponents.