The Banks International Hockey Festival completed its 27th edition over the weekend and anyone associated with the game would be concerned with the health of what was once Barbados’ premier sports tourism event.
Only two overseas teams featured, the eventual men’s champions, Aixen, of Germany, and a developmental side from Trinidad and Tobago, Woodbrook, and the local turnout was also lousy, resulting in a men’s competition with a record low six teams and only seven in the women’s event.?Sides also struggled to field a full 11 players during the week.
Since its genesis in 1986, more than 21 countries have been represented and, in the festival heyday in the 1990s, dozens of teams came from Britain and the Caribbean each year.
There are a myriad of reasons for the ill health of an annual event which was once a vibrant sports and social must-do.
There is no denying that the world economic downturn has contributed to a reduction in foreign participation, but there are other major reasons for the recent turn-off.
One major factor, no doubt, has been the unavailability for the past two seasons of an AstroTurf facility, the one at the Hockey Centre of the Garfield Sobers Complex having deteriorated to the extent that it is dangerous for play.
That turf arrived in 1996, and contributed to a high quality of hockey in the next ten years, both in the festival and local leagues.
The shelf life of such turfs is between ten and 15 years and it is inexcusable that no plan was put in place even as the surface gradually lost its battle with the elements over the past five seasons.
If a functioning artificial turf is not in place by next year – 2014 at the latest – the festival could well fail to see its 30th birthday and local hockey could soon follow.
But the lack of a turf is not the only issue.
There have been organizational problems creeping in over the past several years that have had participants, especially those who have spent thousands on their trip, increasingly frustrated.
Unprepared grounds have regularly greeted teams, there have been unsuitable umpires, or none at all, matches have run well behind schedule and the social calendar has lacked the spark of previous seasons.
To build back the brand, the turf is the first, albeit expensive, priority – and Government and the relevant sports bodies must make this urgent business – but the other matters must be eliminated in order to regain the trust of the hockey fraternity, foreign and local.
There are enough willing hockey lovers to ensure that the logistical issues are resolved in future. But the Barbados Hockey Federation must adopt overall higher standards in running the tournament and be intolerant of the recent laissez faire approach.
Also seriously lacking of late had been the marketing push so vital for such big events.
The BHF must lead the initiative but lifelong festival sponsors, Banks, who have had rich rewards from the nearly three decades of being associated with the event, as well as the Barbados Tourism Authority and Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association, can be key cogs in the revival.
Banks is keen to push its export beer brand and there are thousands of small hockey festivals throughout Britain and beyond where lively promotions can be created to attract attention to the festival, Banks and Barbados on a whole.
The patient may be struggling, but his condition is not yet terminal.
