The Hockey Federation (FIH) has abandoned the trial of new penalty-corner rules, which were due to be implemented from August 2023 to May 2024. The decision was announced by FIH President Tayyab Ikram on Friday, during the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai.
The proposed rule changes would have required all attackers except the pusher at the backline to start at least five metres outside the striking circle. The ball would also have had to travel outside the 5m dotted line — which is beyond the ‘D’ — before it could be played back into the ‘D’ for a shot on goal.
The FIH said the decision to abandon the trial was made after consultation with stakeholders, including players, coaches, and national federations. The governing body said it had received feedback that the proposed rule changes would have made penalty corners less exciting and would have had a negative impact on the safety of players.
“We have listened to the feedback from our stakeholders, and we have decided that the proposed rule changes are not in the best interests of the sport,” said Ikram. “We are committed to making hockey a safer and more exciting game, but we believe that the changes we proposed would have had the opposite effect.”
The FIH said it will now review the penalty-corner rules and will consult with stakeholders again before making any further changes. The governing body said it is committed to finding ways to improve the safety of players and to make the game more exciting for fans.
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The decision to abandon the trial of the new penalty-corner rules has been welcomed by players and coaches. Indian hockey captain Manpreet Singh said the changes would have made the game “less skillful” and would have “reduced the chances of scoring goals from penalty corners”.
“We are happy that the FIH has listened to our feedback and has decided not to implement the proposed rule changes,” said Singh. “We believe that the current penalty-corner rules are fair and balanced, and we are confident that they will continue to produce exciting and high-scoring games.”
The abandonment of the trial of the new penalty-corner rules is a significant development in the world of hockey. It shows that the FIH is willing to listen to the feedback of its stakeholders and to make changes to the rules when necessary. It remains to be seen what changes the FIH will make to the penalty-corner rules in the future, but the governing body has made it clear that it is committed to making the game safer and more exciting for fans.