There are various benefits to investing in artificial grass, including reduced water use and maintenance time. As such, many sectors have already embraced the versatility that artificial grass provides, thanks to generalised benefits like it being easy to clean, keeping indoor areas clear of dirt, and looking good all year round. 

One area where debate still rages, however, is in the sports world, where real grass remains the standard for most outdoor field-based sports, despite it being commonplace in indoor sporting varieties. An outlier is hockey, which formalised the use of artificial grass years ago. In fact, artificial grass is so commonplace in hocky that it’s unusual for even school-level hockey players to play on anything other than artificial turf. 

The popularity of artificial grass for this particular sport is based on a number of factors, including, primarily, that it allows for a far more even playing surface. This means that players have greater ball control and are less susceptible to the same kinds of injuries that generally occur during a game as the result of damage from hockey sticks and so forth to the ground. Artificial turf is also more predictable, which means that players playing at one venue one week and another the next do not have to adapt their style as much as they would when navigating the differences present in natural turf. One final benefit is that it’s possible to play on artificial turf in just about any weather without worrying about the damage posed to the field or players.

As other sports begin to more seriously consider how things like climate change might impact their games going forward and the fields on which they play, artificial turf may well become standardised in the same way it already has in hockey. 

A trio of hockey players from Christchurch’s Rangi Ruru Girls’ School has been selected to attend the NZ U18 Development Camp from the 15th - 21st of December.

Brittany Wang, Anneke Calder and Abby Lennon were all named in the announcement this morning listing the top 32 players in the country who will attend the camp; Rangi Ruru has more players going than any other South Island school.

Rangi’s Director of Sport, Jo Fogarty, says she is incredibly proud of the girls.

“Being invited to attend the camp is a huge honour,” she says. “I see how hard they work and they are so passionate about their hockey, making no bones about what their aspirations are. They have now been recognised as our top players and we are delighted for them.”

Fogarty says a lot of young sportswomen choose Rangi Ruru because of the very successful sports programmes, including hockey, and seeing these senior girls achieve at this level is inspirational for the younger players coming through.

“This is huge for them, they see what is possible and playing alongside the older girls, being coached by them - when they see what Anneke, Abby and Britt have achieved, it makes these kinds of opportunities so attainable and possible.”

Prior to the Federation Cup in the first week of September (New Zealand’s premier secondary school girls’ hockey tournament) the Rangi 1st IX heads into the business end of the School Premier hockey competition, where they currently sit at the top of the table having not lost a game so far this season. 

ENDS                                                                                                  www.rangiruru.school.nz

Sixteen hockey players from Rangi Ruru Girls’ School are currently in the middle of a two week tour of Europe.

Director of Sport Jo Fogarty says after a massive fundraising effort and a lot of hard work, the group is thoroughly enjoying the competition which is seeing them play top club teams in the UK, Netherlands and Belgium.

“Experiences like this are key to extending our players’ horizons beyond New Zealand, so they experience first-hand the rigours of international competition,” she says. “We are delighted to be visiting some of the best hockey nations in the world, learning the insights and local knowledge both on and off the hockey field.”

Fogarty says Rangi Ruru have won four and lost three, and yesterday (Sunday NZ time) Rangi Ruru played the Royal Antwerp U19 team, easily winning 10-1.

“The temperatures have been really warm, in the late twenties, and today was no exception. After the match we all came together for dinner and a few games with a bit of dancing to finish off the night, the Belgian girls were awesome hosts and we were able to trade some of our tops with their playing strip which was very special.”

Jo Fogarty says the Rangi girls are embracing every game, every opportunity to learn and experience playing these top teams. “We are all constantly learning,” she says.

The group left Christchurch on the 11 April and return on the 26 April.

They will be in London for ANZAC Day and Jo Fogarty says they are all looking forward to taking part in official commemorations with other Kiwis and Londoners alike.

Rangi Ruru has won the title of top South Island Secondary School girls team and 2nd in the country after narrowly missing out on the national title in the final against St Cuthbert’s today.

The final score was 1-0 in the Federation Cup final played in the Hawkes Bay.

Rangi won their quarterfinal against Iona College on Thursday, 3-2 and took the semi-final against Villa Maria College with the final score 4-1.

Director of Sport at Rangi Ruru, Jo Fogarty says it’s been a demanding week for all the girls and she is very pleased with the result, acknowledging the hard work of the girls and Head coach Aaron Ford and Assistant Coach/Manager, Megan Wang.

Our success is due to quality coaching, our support team (which includes Nutrition, Strength and Conditioning, and Mental Performance coaching), and of course our hardworking, motivated and talented students. Many are studying for exams at the moment too. Our programmes and environment support our girls to attain the success they, and we as a school, achieve,” she says.

http://www.rangiruru.school.nz

Amy Robinson has been training and playing alongside the Black Sticks squad this year with the hopes of making the Junior World Cup - now that dream has been realised. 

The Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology student has just been named in the NZ U21 team to compete in the Junior World Cup in Chile, 24 November to 5 December.

A recipient of a Toi Ohomai High Performance Sport Scholarship, Amy balances the demands of playing top-level hockey with her final year of the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation at the institute.

“I have gained a lot of extra sporting knowledge through doing this Degree,” said Amy. “I’ve just done a hockey case study which I can relate right back. It all goes towards helping my game and my recovery methods.”

The multi-talented athlete also competes in athletics at a national level but is firmly focused on hockey the moment.

“My next goal is to make the Women’s Black Sticks squad,” she said. 

Rangi Ruru’s second hockey team has taken out the national 2nd XI title winning the Chris Arthur Cup in Hamilton.

Beating local rivals, St Margaret’s College 4-0 in an emphatic victory the young team convincingly bettered their 2015 place of ninth.

Assistant coach Amy McKerchar says the team’s sense of self belief was key to their success.

“The girls were determined they could improve on their placing from last year and improve they certainly did”, said Ms McKerchar.

“The team had mixed results in our round robin competition here in Christchurch but the girls were coming together nicely pre-tournament and were rewarded for their positive attitude and ability to work as a team. They are a true team of champions and an absolute pleasure to work with,” added Ms McKerchar.

The first pool game against Westlake Girls High School showed the girls were well prepared, securing a 6-1 win. The second game against Queen Margaret’s College did much to steel the resolve of the group as they roared home with a massive 19-0 win.

The team’s only loss of the tournament was against another local team, Christchurch Girls’ High School, going down 2-0.

Having secured top spot in their pool, the quarter final match up against St Cuthbert’s College was a tightly contested game and resulted in 1-0 win to progress Rangi Ruru to the semi-final against defending champions, Whangarei Girls’ High School. Played in a similar fashion, the girls held onto their 1-0 lead to book themselves a spot in the final.

Rangi Ruru’s Most Valuable Player for the tournament was goalkeeper Alys Mathew (Year 12) who had a remarkable tournament with only three goals conceded against her.

Rangi Ruru was also recognised with the two top goal scorers of the tournament, Jemima Bell (Year 11) scoring 11 and Haley Stephens (Year 13) scoring eight.

Other winter tournament results

The Rangi Ruru senior basketball team finished second at the South Island Secondary School’s competition in Christchurch losing in the final to Waimea College 63-47. This secured them a spot in the National Secondary School’s competition to be held in Palmerston North from 26 September to 1 October.

ENDS                                                                                           http://www.rangiruru.school.nz

Six of the Black Sticks players will be in Hastings tomorrow (Tuesday 18th September) to thank the Hawke’s Bay community for supporting the teams during their Olympic campaigns.

Captains Kayla Sharland, Emily Naylor and Dean Couzins as well as Kyle Pontifex, Katie Glynn and Bianca Russell will share their Olympic experiences with business and community leaders who supported them on their journey to the Olympics.

Twelve months ago, Bruce and Robyn Mactaggart along with Hastings businesswoman, Jenni Giblin and Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule assembled a group which included some of the regions’ most influential and forward thinking residents.

“It has been a very special sponsorship. These leaders have really rallied the support of the whole community and engaged with us as players,” says co-captain Kayla Sharland.

“We were getting lots of messages from Hawke’s Bay people while we were in London – and that really helps when you are preparing to take on the best teams in the world,” says Sharland.

The sponsorship package allowed both teams to come to Hawke’s Bay for an Olympic induction weekend and a separate training camp. The support also helped the teams get the extra international competition they needed during their build-up to the Olympics.

Lawrence Yule says “This was a unique package and Hockey New Zealand must be congratulated for having the courage to take on the sponsorship. The 24 Hawke’s Bay businesses that supported this initiative should also be recognised for their foresight in providing the opportunity for the region to be promoted to a worldwide audience. All these businesses can be very proud of their support for the Black Sticks.”
Mr Yule says “Hockey has come away from the Olympics with a very high profile and we look forward to further gains in player numbers and the achievements of the international teams in the years to come. Hawke’s Bay is extremely proud of the efforts of the players in both teams.”

Billboards, adverts and radio competitions were just some of the ways that the Hawke’s Bay community showed their support. A 6m x 3m banner was covered in messages of support from the Hawke’s Bay community and was sent to London to further inspire the teams.

As part of the Black Sticks visit tomorrow, they will meet the Hawke’s Bay Under 13 Girls Representative Team to share their experience of life in the Olympic village.

The Black Sticks players will meet the sponsors on Tuesday 18th September from 4.30-5pm at Vidal Estate in St Aubyn Street, Hastings and media are invited to attend. The players will be available for interviews during this time.

Drills are out and game simulations are in – according to new research on sports coaching by a Massey University researcher.

Dennis Slade, of the School of Sport and Exercise, is a world leader in the area of “games for understanding” – a technique that uses simple versions of games to teach, rather than skills exercises and drills.

He is completing a research project studying the coaching techniques employed by the top international hockey teams at last year’s Champions Trophy event. Mr Slade interviewed the coaches of the eight teams and observed training sessions.

“Seven of the eight teams there all used this empowering technique,” he says.

“Giving players ‘game sense’ – where they know exactly what to do in any situation – is the key.”

The best team in the world, Australia, based all of its practice around scenarios from games. “They made up scenarios that reflected an aspect of what happens in a game. Then, when you watched the actual game, you could see those scenarios playing out.”

Australia practiced various versions of these scenarios, Mr Slade says. “It ensured their attack was not predictable and therefore difficult for opponents to prepare for. Their approach also forces opponents to have flexible attacking and defending options too – not something you can achieve through a drill.”

Some teams, such as Australia, placed an emphasis on attack while others, such as Germany or Spain, focused on defence and counter attack, he says. “But they all used this ‘game sense’ approach to training.”

Pakistan was the only team at the tournament that used repetitive drills as the main training device. “It was evident that the team was not responding as well.”

He carried out this same research in 1999 and drills were the main training technique used then. “For example in a goal scoring drill, players would run up unopposed to the goalkeeper and try and score a goal – now this rarely happens in an actual game. It bears no resemblance to the game at all.”

Now, practice better reflects what happens in a game and these repeatable scenarios give players the field vision and understanding required to make the right decision at the right time, he says.

The research, funded by SPARC, was presented at the Teaching Games for Understanding Conference at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom last month.

Sold out signs will go up for the finals of the Owen G. Glenn FIH Champions Trophy at North Harbour Stadium on Sunday December 11 with organisers confirming over 13,000 tickets have already sold for the six days of competition. Only tickets for the grass embankment are available for day one action tomorrow.

“It’s a wonderful start to the tournament. It strongly reinforces hockey’s position against other major codes and I am overwhelmed by the response to tickets and local support”, says Hockey New Zealand Chief Executive Hillary Poole.

The Mayor of Auckland says Auckland was awarded the rights to host the event only three months ago and pays tribute to the speed at which Hockey New Zealand has pulled this world-class event together.

“Auckland is a world-class events destination. Rugby World Cup, ITU World Triathlon Champs and now the Owen G. Glenn FIH Champions Trophy in less than three months – we have the infrastructure and the people to make it happen. I feel enormously proud and congratulate Hockey New Zealand”, says Mayor Len Brown.

North Shore Stadium has been transformed for this week long event. The New Zealand Black Sticks come in as clear underdogs for this tournament, ranked 7th, and face Germany in the first Pool B match tomorrow afternoon at 4.05pm.

Owen G. Glenn FIH MEN’S CHAMPIONS TROPHY Saturday 3 – Sunday 11 December:
North Harbour Hockey Stadium, Rosedale Park South, North Shore, Auckland

New Zealand were denied a Commonwealth Games women’s hockey gold medal by the cruelest of circumstances today.


The higher-ranked Australian beat New Zealand in the final in a penalty shootout after scores were locked at 2-2 at full-time and after 15 minutes of golden goal extra time.
Australia won the shootout 4-2.


The New Zealanders showed their fighting spirit by equalising at 2-2 with only 35 seconds of normal time remaining. They had the better of the second half and had plenty of chances in the extra time period.


However the Australians absorbed the pressure and in the penalty shootout, there were two missed shots by the New Zealanders and only one by the Australians.


Australia opened the scoring against a tentative Black Sticks combination with a goal to Jessica Arrold after nine minutes following a well-worked penalty corner.


Thirteen minutes into the second spell Samantha Harrison finally equalised for New Zealand after a period of sustained pressure.


But Australia bounced back 10 minutes later with another goal from a penalty corner, this time by Ashleigh Nelson.


New Zealand launched wave after wave of attacks in the closing minutes and finally, with the crowd beginning the countdown to the end of the game, Clarissa Eshuis slammed home the equaliser.


The Black Sticks were understandably devastated afterwards.


Captain Kayla Sharland said it was a tough way for the match to end.


“It sucks. It was a frustrating way to finish,” she said.


“In the second half we came out strong and put a lot of pressure on the Aussies. We played our hearts out out there and dug really deep right till the end.”


Sharland took some satisfaction from the fact that the gap between Australia and New Zealand has clearly closed.


“We were slow to start – too tentative. They dominated us in the midfield at the start but we came back very well.”


Asked how many goals she would expect her team to score from five penalty flicks in the shootout, she said: “Five. There’s a lot of pressure, but you are there to put the ball into the net.”


New Zealand coach Mark Hager said it was a frustrating way to end a tournament in which the New Zealand women had achieved their best result ever at a games.


“It just didn’t roll our way at the end,” he said. “Last year we won a shootout against Australia in a World Cup match in Invercargill. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t.”
Hager felt New Zealand had looked ”shy and scared” in the first half, but that they had been very good in the second half.


“I told them at half-time they had to toughen up and get on top, and they did.”
Hager said his team’s performance in Delhi augured well for the Black Sticks in London at the 2010 Olympics.


“They just need some more experience, but you can see the ability is there. It’s exciting.”

New Zealand bowed out of Commonwealth Games gold medal contention in the men’s hockey when they were beaten 6-2 by the world’s No 1 team Australia in the semi-finals today.


Though Delhi turned on another hot, steamy day, the two teams played fast-moving, attractive hockey, but the Australians always appeared to have an edge.


They launched a match-defining assault in a six-minute spell just before halftime, scoring three quick-fire goals that meant New Zealand was playing catch-up throughout the second spell.


To New Zealand’s credit, they never gave up and after falling behind 4-0, they fought back with goals by Blair Hilton and, with 10 minutes remaining, captain Phil Burrows, to give the Black Sticks a slight sniff of a chance.


The Australians responded again, however, with two late to seal the issue.


Burrows was disappointed a New Zealand goal with quarter of an hour remaining was disallowed because of height. "I thought it was below shin-pad height," he said. "It went through a gap and I believe it was a goal."


Burrows felt the 6-2 scoreline was not an accurate reflection of the competitiveness of the match.


Australia have dominated Commonwealth Games hockey tournaments, winning all three since 1998. In the 2002 final they beat New Zealand, the only time New Zealand has won a men’s hockey medal at a Commonwealth Games.


New Zealand will play the loser of India v England for the bronze medal on Thursday, the last day of the games.

The New Zealand men’s hockey team went within three minutes of elimination from the Commonwealth Games today.


The Black Sticks met Canada in their final pool match and needed just a draw to advance to the semi-finals.


But Canada took the game to the New Zealanders and with just three minutes remaining led 1-0.


To the relief of the New Zealanders, Hayden Shaw then converted a penalty corner with one of his specialty drag flicks to level the scores at 1-1.


New Zealand now meets world No 1 Australia in the semi-finals.