Field goal conversions and a mandatory winner are some of the exciting initiatives to be rolled out for Australia’s new national League, Hockey One.
The rules for the inaugural Hockey One season, which have been ratified by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), are designed and expected to produce fast and highly entertaining hockey that encapsulates the buzz surrounding the new league.
Hockey One League (H1) General Manager Tony Dodemaide said the rules had been made with a single focus in mind: entertaining fans.
“Hockey One is really fan-centric. We want all fans, those new to hockey and hockey fanatics, to experience world class hockey that is fast, exciting and entertaining,” said Dodemaide.
“We believe these rules and innovations will help us give fans more celebratory moments.”
For Hockey One games, team lists will be restricted to 14 players in total, irrespective of the number of goalkeepers, which is in contrast to international matches.
Another initiative is the implantation of the field goal conversion rule, which was at the 2018 AHL and is a slight variation to a rule used in the Euro Hockey League.
“When a field goal or penalty stroke awarded during field play is scored, the same athlete will have an automatic one-on-one shootout with the goalkeeper for the chance of an extra goal,” explained Dodemaide.
“This will encourage a move away from a reliance on penalty corners (drag-flick) and is a great example of H1’s focus on creating moments to celebrate.”
All matches must also have an outright result, with drawn matches to be decided by a penalty shootout.
“Match points will be given with five points for a win, or two points to each team in the event scores are level at full time. A shootout will then occur, with one point awarded to the winner of the shoot-out,” said Dodemaide.
The loser of the match decided in regular time will receive 0 points.
The rules and regulations were based on trials conducted during the last season of the Australian Hockey League (AHL) in 2018 and after extensive feedback from the hockey community. A pump play rule trialled during the 2018 AHL will not be implemented for H1.
The rules have been given approval until the end of the 2019 season, after which Hockey Australia will review the impact of the changes and submit a report with recommendations to the FIH. The outcome will determine the rules and regulations for the 2020 season.
Memberships for Hockey One’s seven franchises are available now. Click here for more information on how you can support and be part of your team.