Top Countries in Hockey

According to the FIH ( International Hockey Federation), in August 2016 the top five men's and women's hockey teams were:

Men's                                                                                                      Women's

1. Australia                                                                                    1. The Netherlands
2. Argentina                                                                                   2. England
3. The Netherlands                                                                        3. Argentina
4. Germany                                                                                    4. Australia
5. Holland                                                                                      5. New Zealand

In the women's category since 2000 it has always been Argentina and The Netherlands battling for the top spot. For the men's since 2002 it has always been between Australia and Germany. However new competition is always approaching, England for the women and the Netherlands and Argentina for the men's.  India is at the top of the men's Olympic medal table with 11 Olympic medals, Germany also have 11 and are in 2nd while Pakistan are 3rd with 8 medals. For the women the Netherlands are at the top with 8 Olympic medals, Australia are 2nd with 3 and Germany are 3rd also with 3. Some of the best hockey players ever in the history of field hockey have come from these countries. To name a few, Luciana Aymar from Argentina, Jamie Dwyer  from Australia and Dhyan Chand from India.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jamie_Dwyer.JPG
Jamie Dwyer



Luciana Aymar

https://www.flickr.com/photos/29356515@N00/4797765968

However one thing I have always wondered, being a supporter of field hockey, why are these certain countries such good hockey players? Do they have any historical or geographical benefits? Or is it just thanks to their hard work and effort of themselves and also their coaching staff.

Some may say the Great Britain and India had some historical advantages. This is because the game was first properly played in Great Britain and soon spread to India due to the British Army. This was in the 19th Century. They were one of the few first countries to properly have played the game and so they are very developed when it comes to the game of hockey. However the game has now spread across the world and many new countries are coming out on top.

Another area noticed when looking at the world leaders in hockey over the years were many came

from the Southern Hemisphere for example Australia, Argentina, India, Pakistan, New Zealand. These countries have also produced some of the world's best hockey coaches. Do Southern Hemisphere countries have any advantage over the Northern Hemisphere? This also seen as the case in some other sports for example rugby with the leading team of New Zealand followed by Australia. However after looking in to it, today there is no geographical, historical or any advantages. It just comes down to the work put in. These countries are the leading countries due to their mental attitudes, their tactical awareness and knowledge of the game they are playing, their nutrition and training. That is why they are leading yet at the same time that is why the leader is always changing, because new, hardworking and strong teams are coming through all the times and putting pressure on the leaders. This not only adds competition for the various teams but also excitement for us as viewers and sports fans, in this case hockey fans.

Thank you very much for reading and I hope you all enjoyed my post.