1st 5-a-side Senior Hockey National Championship from Oct 26

Pune, October 10

The first Hockey India 5-a-side Senior National Championship 2016 (Men and Women) will be held at Shiv Chattrapati Sports Complex at Balewadi here from October 26 to 30.

To be hosted by Hockey Maharashtra, the championship will have eight teams: Association of Indian Universities, Hockey Haryana, Hockey Jharkhand, Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Maharashtra, Hockey Odisha, Hockey Punjab and Uttar Pradesh Hockey.

This explosive short format of field hockey played for the first time in India under the aegis of Hockey India will be conducted on a 38.5m x 22.5m size indoor court.

It is being seen as one of the key development for the sport worldwide. The objective of Hockey 5’s is to allow flexibility so that it can be played on any surface and on different sized pitches, according to a Hockey India release.

A match will consist of three periods of 10 minutes each with an interval of 3 minutes between the periods. Some of the key differences from field hockey are in terms of the ways goals are scored and penalties imposed.

Unlike traditional hockey, goals in 5s don’t have to be scored from inside the circle. A goal is awarded when the ball crosses the line from anywhere on the court. In addition, the ball is moved using a push, scoop or flick and no hitting is allowed as it is being played at an indoor arena.

In terms of fouls, only free hits and challenges are awarded for respective offences by an attacker or defender. A challenge is similar to the way shootouts are conducted in modern hockey. Free hits and fouls follow the same rules as modern hockey as well.

Speaking about the tournament, Hockey India Secretary General Md. Mushtaque Ahmad said, “Hockey 5s is an exciting format that has gained a lot of popularity internationally as an alternative to the traditional game. With the introduction of the Hockey India National Championship we can analyse and see how the format can help us build a fan base as well as a player base at the grassroots level. It is a very spectator friendly format of the sport sport, so we are keenly looking forward to it.” — PTI