Black Sticks women pull out of Hockey Pro League

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Hockey New Zealand has pulled the women’s Black Sticks out of the next edition of the Hockey Pro League, citing hefty costs and the volume of travel.

Despite qualifying for the fifth season of the elite international competition, HNZ reached agreement with the International Hockey Federation to withdraw and prioritise next year’s Paris Olympics.

The women’s team finished second-last in the 2022-23 league, avoiding the fate of the men’s Black Sticks, who finished last and were relegated to the second-tier Nations Cup.

However, HNZ chief executive Anthony Crummy said it made sense to pull the women out of the travel-heavy format of the next Pro League, which will comprise seven “mini tournaments” at various international locations from December to June.

“As a founding participating nation in the league, this was a difficult decision for us, but the right one to ensure we are best placed to qualify and prepare for the most important event in our calendar, the Olympic Games,” Crummy said in a statement.

“The doubling of travel costs in a post-Covid environment, and the volume of travel coupled with the timing of season five’s events in a busy 2024 meant it’s just not possible to participate in Pro-League while qualifying and adequately preparing for the Olympics.”

Crummy said both the men’s and women’s schedules would be built towards Olympic qualification.

Both can book automatic berths for Paris if they win a best-of-three Oceania Cup series in Whangarei in August.

If unsuccessful, the women would travel to Spain or China for an Olympic qualifying event in January while the men would need to head to Spain or Pakistan.

The New Zealand Hockey Players Association Executive Manager Glen Sulzberger said that even though the players are disappointed, they understand the reasons for the withdrawl.

“The players are naturally disappointed with this decision, with the women having worked so hard during the recent European matches to finish eighth in the (nine-team) Pro League,” he said.

“We understand the challenge that Pro League presents and look forward to working together with HNZ to confirm both programmes for the next 12 months.”

– RNZ