Hockey Club Research Articles

Building Sports Brand and Fan Relationships Through Social Media During Covid-19 Pandemic and Post Pandemic Era

This study aims to investigate the measures taken by professional hockey clubs in Sweden for building brand and relationship with fans through social media (SM) during the global pandemic Covid-19. The study followed an inductive approach and qualitative method. Data were collected from officials and fans of three well-known Swedish Hockey league (SHL) teams through semi-structured interviews. A content analysis was undertaken to analyze the collected responses from the club officials and fans. The findings provide insight on the actions taken by the clubs to build their brand and fan relationships through SM. The study provides a framework signifying the important factors that sports organizations need to focus on while building their brand and fan relationships during a global pandemic and in the post pandemic era.

Understanding internationalization variance within a sport brand: case study of the Sparta Prague ice hockey and football clubs.

This article examines the internationalization of HC Sparta Prague (ice hockey) and AC Sparta Prague (football) by focusing on management decision-making. Using interviews with key personnel, it explores the varying levels of internationalization in these clubs, emphasizing their reliance on foreign players, the utility of foreign ownership, fan responses to foreign coaching, and marketing efforts toward foreigners. Football, being more global, is subject to 'Europeanization,' whereas ice hockey, centered in North America, is influenced by 'Americanization' and 'eventification.' Despite significant fan overlap and efforts at eventification, neither team has had success attracting Prague's tourists and neither currently views it as an important market, instead focusing on the domestic Czech market. Both clubs have undergone various phases of ownership, from foreign investors to a return to Czech owners, reflecting broader social and economic changes in the region following the fall of communism. The article further discusses the influence of historical and cultural contexts on the acceptance and resistance to globalization influences, emphasizing the importance of preserving national identity and selectively integrating global elements within the modernization of sports. The study proposes that, despite the Sparta brand identity being heavily influenced by internationalization, it remains largely a Czech brand, and cultural sporting identity currently plays a more crucial role in resisting globalization than sport brand identity in Eastern Europe.

Results of Indoor Hockey Training on Mastery of Dribble Techniques in Hockey Games

The purpose of the study. Mastery of fundamental techniques in hockey is essential for players. Mastery enables player cooperation to achieve the game's objective. Key techniques include dribbling and pushing the ball, applicable in both indoor and field hockey. These techniques are vital for effective gameplay. In indoor hockey, only dribbling techniques are permitted according to regulations. Practice enhances dribbling skills, requiring repetitive training. This study aims to compare indoor and field hockey training effectiveness on dribbling mastery. Materials and methods. An experimental method was employed, utilizing 24 athletes from Sambas Hockey Club, divided into two groups. Results. The results indicate a significant improvement in dribbling technique mastery in the indoor training group. Conclusions. The research concludes that indoor hockey training significantly enhances basic dribbling technique mastery compared to field hockey training.

Incidence of injuries and their prevention in Czech ice hockey players.

Ice hockey is a dynamic game. We can observe collisions between the players that bring a risk of injury. There are many hockey clubs in the Czech Republic. These clubs raise great hockey players and many competing players in various levels of national leagues. The aim of this study was to map injuries in Czech hockey players and outline the situation of injury prevention and body care in ice hockey players. We used a questionnaire survey method to obtain data. We received answers from 100 male active Czech ice hockey players, playing in the top three highest men's competitions (Extraleague - 2nd league). Individual injuries were analyzed according to specific body parts, injury type, playing position, level of competition using basic statistical characteristics and relative frequency analyses, including the recovery time, injury reason and the injury statistics per 1000 sporting performances in ice hockey. We found that 81% of participants suffered injuries with the overall incidence of injuries was 17.1 per 1000 sports performances and mainly happened during the match compared to training. The most common injuries were in the head and neck area (25%), often caused by a collision with another player, a stick or puck hit, or a collision with a board. Other frequently injured parts were the knees (21%), where internal ligament injuries predominate, and the shoulders (20%), where we recorded mainly ligament injuries. There is a high risk of various injury types of ice hockey players, that are developed accidentally in all body parts mostly in the match (mostly upper part of the body and knee) or by overloading (hip/groin area). We recommend strategies to avoid or minimize the injury risk of players. The hockey clubs, coaches, and players should extensively and regularly cooperate with physiotherapists, starting from the younger age of hockey groups, to prevent injuries and use regular strengthening of crucial muscle parts, regeneration, and compensatory exercises. We endorse adequately evaluating dangerous foul actions for referees and disciplinary officials also in minor competitions.

‘Cheap, Scientific and Free From Danger’: Accounting for the Development of Field Hockey in Aotearoa New Zealand

Hockey’s emergence as an organized sport in New Zealand is typically regarded as having occurred during the 1890s. Reverend Henry Mathias, who formed the Kaiapoi Hockey Club in 1895, has been credited with a particularly influential part in the game’s development. Indeed, there is considerable truth to this foundation story in that the formation of clubs in Christchurch was the catalyst for the adoption of the 11-a-side form of the game played under the rules of the Hockey Association of England. Arguably, however, these 1890s developments represent a reformatory phase rather than an origin story in and of themselves. The analysis of online newspaper records contained in this paper suggests a widespread presence of informal games from at least as early as the 1860s, through to the formation of the Dunedin Hockey Club in 1876. Hockey also appears to have been played in schools from at least as early as the 1870s and, outside of school, was sometimes associated with ‘larrikinism’. By the 1890s, though, it was perceived to be a respectable game, supported by dedicated patrons and a much more developed sporting infrastructure in New Zealand.

Theoretical prerequisites for planning the content and focus of training sessions in the pre-season preparation of hockey players

Importance. The rapid growth in the number of student sports teams in recent years has predetermined the issue of combining sports and academic activities. In this regard, the considered aspects of the processes of fatigue and recovery in amateur sports become relevant and require analysis and systematization of the views of domestic and foreign scientists on the issues of localization and mechanisms of development of fatigue, as well as the patterns and time of recovery of the athlete’s body in the process of training activities. The study purpose: analysis and systematization of scientific articles on the problem of fatigue and recovery of the athlete’s body after physical activity, determination of the fundamental scheme for the formation of the content and focus of training sessions based on the analysis of the theoretical component of the problem of fatigue and recovery during physical activity of various nature, direction and magnitude in different types of sports.Materials and Methods. The study is conducted on the basis of studies concerning the problem of interaction of the body’s life-supporting systems in the development of fatigue mechanisms, published in scientific journals, monographs of famous physiologists covering a large time period. The study is based on a systemic-structural approach, which allows, during the analysis of scientific publications, to identify the main patterns of the development of mechanisms and localization of fatigue, to put forward hypotheses regarding the prospects for developing an appropriate scheme for the formation of the content and focus of training sessions, to determine the range of issues that require instrumental confirmation of the recovery time of the athlete’s body during combining various characteristic aspects of loads in the training process. Within the framework of this study, the following research methods are used: scientific and methodological literature analysis, systematization, pedagogical observation, generalization.Results and Discussion. In the course of the study, the main factors are identified that influence the mechanisms of the development of fatigue during work of various sizes and directions, in different intensity zones; The interrelationships of various localization systems and mechanisms of fatigue development, as well as energy supply to support the athlete’s vital activity during physical activity, are revealed. An attempt is made to substantiate the strategy of expediently combining types of training activities, the content and focus of training sessions in the preparatory period of pre-season training for students involved in hockey at Hockey club “Derzhava”.Conclusion. Research prospects include issues of experimental substantiation of the construction of a system of training sessions, taking into account the registration of the main indicators of lifesupport systems, allowing the trainer to expediently distribute and quickly regulate training loads and ensure the effectiveness of recovery processes in the period under study.

Journalistic Framing of Finnish Ice Hockey Club Jokerit in the Russian-Led Kontinental Hockey League

One of the major franchises in Finland’s top division in men’s ice hockey (Liiga), Jokerit Helsinki, sold its home arena and half of its shares to Finnish-Russian oligarchs in 2013. Jokerit also switched to the Russian-led Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and competed there from 2014 to 2022. Russia’s KHL project and its expansion to the West can be viewed as a form of soft power. This study delves into the journalistic coverage of Jokerit during two specific periods: Its early days in the KHL and its later stages when exiting the league. These periods coincide with critical geopolitical events, such as Russia’s annexation of Crimea (2014), Belarusian protests (2020–2021), and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (2022). Our data consists of Jokerit-related articles in the newspaper <em>Helsingin Sanomat</em> as well as interviews of the journalists who followed the team closely. We explore the critical socio-political coverage of Jokerit in <em>Helsingin Sanomat</em> during these periods and investigate whether the sports journalists recognized the broader geopolitical context of the KHL project and, if so, how this influenced their reporting. Utilizing the framing theory, we identified five frames under which to divide the articles: (a) sports events, (b) international relations, (c) power and governance, (d) business, and (e) unity. The sports event frame predominated during the early KHL era, whereas international relations and power and governance frames only emerged later. These shifts were not initiated by sports journalists but resulted from the efforts of journalists in other fields and increased the societal scrutiny of ties to Russia.

Experiences of volt hockey from family members’ perspectives: an interview study

Volt hockey is a team sport developed for persons with physical disabilities. Because family members are important resources to enable sports participation, the purpose of this study was to illuminate experiences of volt hockey from family members’ perspectives. Focus group interviews were conducted, including 20 family members, and the verbatim transcripts were inductively analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Family members saw the value of enabling participation in volt hockey, being an inclusive team sport that brings enjoyment and strengthens social relationships within, and outside of, the family. Trying to facilitate sport participation, the need for material resources and other actors was emphasised, such as personal assistance, funders, and healthcare professionals informing about the sport and the engagement of the volt hockey clubs. In conclusion, involvement in volt hockey is emotionally and socially rewarding for family members, but there is a need for additional enablers to allow the sport to grow.

Interaction of Skating Agility Tests and Postural Stability in Hockey Players

Study purpose. In this work, we point out the interaction of complex postural stability (CPS) and skating agility tests among pupils in the hockey club HK Nové Zámky. We determined postural stability using the SEBT and agility with skating tests. We expected a significant interaction between performance in skating agility tests and CPS for both standing legs, which was most closely identified with the eight-item SEBT test. Materials and methods. The level of CPS was characterized by descriptive statistics. Laterality between right and left standing leg was assessed by t-test and Cohen’s “d”. The relationships between CPS and skating agility tests were determined by Pearson’s correlation coefficient “r”. Predictors were selected by stepwise regression. Statistical significance of differences and relationships was assessed at the 5% significance level. Results. The results showed no differences in the laterality of the CPS between the right and left standing leg. Correlation analysis demonstrated the interactions of the left and right standing leg with all skating agility tests. Stepwise regression was used to select the tests that were most identified with the performance on the eight-item SEBT test in terms of their skating expression. The Illinois test has the most significant informational power for CPS. Conclusions. The presence of positive interactions between skating agility and CPS in hockey players point to the importance of a balanced and stable stance of both legs in all directions. The perfect balance and stability of hockey players eliminates the fluctuations caused by skating movement in all directions and facilitates their execution without major changes in dynamic performance. The chance of shortening the activation time of the muscle chains involved in the technique of performing the test also increases significantly, or in the very structure of technique – the economics of ice hockey players’ skating.

Ab. No. 26 Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Pain in Field Hockey Players of Maharashtra – An Observational Study

Introduction: Field Hockey has a dynamic nature. A sudden change in directional movements may cause the player prone to musculoskeletal injury and pain. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to find the prevalence of pain among these players in Maharashtra state. Secondary objectives were to find the same concerning gender, type of players, and their playing positions. This would help to gain knowledge on the types of injuries caused, to take adequate and appropriate measures for the ultimate prevention, and help to prepare a guideline for injury prevention strategies. Methods: 363 field hockey players, with experience of more than a year, were recruited from various hockey clubs in various zones of Maharashtra. A Cross-sectional observational study was done. After obtaining Ethical approval, participants were recruited as per inclusion criteria. Informed consent was taken and a Nordic musculoskeletal pain questionnaire was administered to establish the pain prevalence via electronic medium. Descriptive statistical analysis was done by using MS EXCEL, to calculate the percentage/average and proportions of pain prevalence amongst – Males and Females; Elite and recreational players; and among various playing positions acquired. Result: It was found highest injury prevalence was in the lower back (34%) among field hockey players. It also showed differences in pain prevalence depending on gender (22%), type of players (42% in elite), and various playing positions (47% in goalkeepers and defenders). Conclusion: It was concluded to have maximum pain prevalence in the lower back region. Owing to the type of players and playing positions, the prevalence also varied. Physiotherapists can help to educate hockey players regarding the targeted prevalent joint areas and guide them to attain appropriate preventive strategies while training these players.

Comparative Analysis of Speed Endurance Production and Maintenance Drills: A Study on Enhancing Performance in Hockey Players

Hockey features a variety of high-intensity motions that cause tiredness during the most intense moments of play. During these gaming phases, anaerobic energy turnover and muscular activation are significant, which may exhaust the physiological mechanisms that fight tiredness. Objective: To determine the effects of speed endurance production and speed endurance maintenance drills on hockey players. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted at Gojra hockey club, Gojra. Total sample size was 60 male healthy field hockey players. Participants were selected by sealed envelope method and divided into Group A (speed endurance production) and Group B (speed endurance maintenance). Speed endurance production group received very high intensity training around 30 seconds exercise interval time followed by 2-3 minutes rest period to guarantee sufficient recovery time. Speed endurance maintenance training group involve small side games in 30-60 sec similar recovery time. The data were analysed using SPSS 23.0. Results: The age of participants with mean± SD was 21.60 ± 4.6. SEP and SEM techniques were applied in both groups. The result shows significant effect with (p˂0.05) in all respective tests: 50-meter, 400-meter, yo-yo distance and yo-yo Intermittent Recovery 2 and non-significant with (p˃0.05) in 100-meter, 200-meter and fatigue index test in between group analysis. It shows statistically significant effect within groups. Conclusions: Study concluded that speed endurance production and speed endurance maintenance is effective in improving intermittent exercise capacity and fatigue index in both groups.

Strategy of Sustainable Development in Sport: Estimation and Control

The impact of sports industry on nature stipulated the necessity to work out strategy to resolve related problems. This concern gave rise to two ecologic initiatives: to reduce ecologic track and use sport as a tool to raise ecologic knowledge. The goal of the research is to review academic works dealing with ecologic sustainability in sports and ecologic programs adopted by sport organization all over the world. The article analyzes the international agenda of sustainable development in sport industry, ecologic orientation of sports club strategies and the development of green agenda in management in sport sectors. The authors studied results and outcomes of introducing strategies of sustainable development in sport industry and arranging sport events. Apart from that, web-sites, documents and concrete steps of clubs aimed at reaching goals of sustainable development were analyzed. Analysis was carried out by high-quality methods of assessing the impact of sports industry on nature. On the basis of the UN program ‘Sports for Climate Action’ a big amount of information concerning certain sports was gathered and work of sports clubs connected with sustainable development and environment protection was studied. Information about football, hockey and basketball clubs, participants of the UN program ‘Sports for Climate Action’ was aggregated. The number of ecologic initiatives adopted by professional teams and leagues were identified. Goals and concrete steps aimed at environment protection being realized by sports clubs were fixed.

Side-by-Sidedness: A Conceptual Rethinking of Post-Peace Agreement Encounter

ABSTRACT Between the poles of conflict and reconciliation are the complex and simple interactions of the everyday. This article introduces the conceptual development of ‘side-by-sidedness’ – a form of ‘lightened encounter’ that is civilly inattentive to differences and divisions, thus contributing to improved relationships between individuals in violent protracted conflict. Emerging from a case study centred on the supporters of the Belfast Giants ice hockey club, this concept is developed around shifts in identity, encounter and space that occur through the willingness to sit side-by-side across historical divisions at ice hockey games without a necessary willingness to live side-by-side the person in the seat next to you. The case study is utilised as an unorthodox meeting point – the ice hockey arena of Northern Ireland sits outside the disputed histories in the region and yet offers a banality in the inclusion of the ‘other’. Side-by-sidedness thus lies between the narratives and imagery of a divided past and that of a reconciled, hand-in-hand future, instead identifying the willingness to share space as a means of ‘getting on with it’ in everyday Belfast.

Skating to Legitimacy: Institutional Work Practices within Collegiate Club Hockey

ABSTRACT This study explores how serious leisure pursuits, in the form of sport clubs within the American collegiate setting, can realise sustainability through maintaining their legitimacy in a setting that includes a multitude of opportunities to experience leisure. Collegiate sport clubs often compete with similar programmes that have superior resources and infrastructure for participants and other stakeholders, threatening clubs’ organisational viability. The study used a case study methodology to explore how stakeholders perceive the institutional processes of a collegiate club hockey programme within a serious leisure framework. Stakeholders from a collegiate club hockey programme were asked about their perceptions of the collegiate club hockey programme in relation to the programme’s activities to remain relevant among more well-funded hockey programmes. Based on the findings, partnering with the community and the professionalism of the programme helped the collegiate club hockey programme maintain their legitimacy as a serious leisure option. The programme gained a sense of trust within the community through mutual exchanges between the club and their fans. Additionally, the programme’s game-day procedures and organisational success contributed to the community’s perceived professionalism of the club. The study identifies legitimisation tactics that sport club organisations can use to demonstrate a commitment to serious leisure.

In conversation with Renee Hess of Black Girl Hockey Club

Renee Hess founded Black Girl Hockey Club in 2018 as a way to create a sense of community of Black women who identify as hockey fans. She currently works as the organization’s Executive Director and collaborates with its many committees organizing social, educational, and advocacy activities all centered around anti-racism. Outside of this role, Hess holds a Master’s degree in Literature and works as the Associate Director of Service Learning at La Sierra University in California. This text is a transcript and related commentary on Black Girl Hockey Club written by sociologist Kristi Allain based on her conversation with Hess about the importance of leaning into discomfort around committing to change, inauthentic displays of solidarity and progress, and the importance for Black women to feel a sense of joy and community among other like-minded folks when participating in hockey.

Mixed-methods process evaluation of the injury prevention Warming-up Hockey programme and its implementation

Warming-up Hockey (WUP) is an effective injury prevention programme to reduce acute field hockey injuries among youth. This paper describes the process evaluation of the nationwide scaling-up. We conducted a...

Hip and groin pain in male field hockey players: Prevalence, incidence and associations with patient reported outcome scores and hip muscle strength

ObjectivesInvestigate point prevalence (second half season 2018–2019) and incidence (season 2017–2018 and first half season 2018–2019) of non-time-loss and time-loss hip/groin pain in male field hockey players. Secondary aims were to study associations between: current/previous hip/groin pain and hip muscle strength, patient reported outcome measures (PROM) and hip muscle strength, and previous hip/groin pain and PROMs. Additionally we studied normal values for the PROMs (Hip and Groin Outcome Score (HAGOS)). DesignCross-sectional study. SettingTesting at field hockey clubs. Participants100 male field hockey players (elite, sub-elite and amateur). Main outcome measuresPoint prevalence and incidence of hip/groin pain, strength: eccentric adduction and abduction, adductor squeeze, HAGOS. ResultsHip/groin pain point prevalence was 17% (time-loss: 6%) and incidence was 36% (time-loss: 12%). Presence of current or previous hip/groin and lower HAGOS-values were not associated with lower hip muscle strength. Previous hip/groin pain was associated with a significant lower HAGOS-values in all domains, except for the ‘participation in physical activities’ domain. ConclusionsHip/groin pain is common in field hockey. One fifth of players have hip/groin pain and one third had pain in the previous season. Previous hip/groin pain was associated with worse ongoing patient reported outcomes in most domains.

Measuring the Technical Efficiency of Hockey Players: Empirical Evidence from Czech Hockey Competition

Ice hockey is a very popular sport in the Czech Republic. Nowadays, hockey player efficiency analysis is a useful tool that helps sports managers with player selection, team composition and team performance evaluation. The literature offers only a limited number of scientific studies that deal with the evaluation of the efficiency of hockey players or clubs. The aim of this research is to use data envelopment analysis to help Czech hockey clubs, managers and coaches to evaluate the efficiency of their players. This research evaluates the technical efficiency of Czech hockey players using three data envelopment analysis models, ranks the best players based on their super-efficiency scores, and then tries to uncover the main sources of player inefficiency. The models are empirically applied to players playing in the Tipsport extraliga in the 2021/22 season. The evaluation used in this paper attempts to incorporate greater objectivity into decision making and thus may be an important step in developing a systematic methodology for evaluating hockey players.

Influence of Self-Reported Concussion History and a Dual-Task Paradigm on Multidirectional Gait and Cognitive Performance of Athletes

Single-task assessments may not identify lingering effects following a concussion that may be detected under dual-task (DT) paradigms. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a novel DT paradigm and concussion history on gait and cognitive performance. Hockey and rugby club college athletes (n = 26) completed a box drill and the color and word Stroop test under single task and DT. Distance ambulated around the box, response rate, and accuracy were recorded to calculate dual-task cost. Mean comparisons and linear mixed-effects regression models were performed. Compared to athletes with no concussion history, those with a history had a greater motor than cognitive dual-task cost and were 3.15% less accurate in Stroop responses (p < .01). Athletes walked 0.72-m shorter distance under DT compared to single task (p = .04). A multidirectional, low-tech DT assessment may highlight long-term motor and cognitive deficits among athletes with a concussion history, which will provide valuable information to prepare and track performance within an athletic season.

Navigating a White, Male Space: The Lived Experiences of Black, Female Ice Hockey Fans

With few exceptions, researchers have seldom explored the experiences of any female sport fan who may be identified as a member of a racial minority. Given related calls for further research, an examination into the lived experiences of ice hockey fans who identify as Black and female was undertaken. Interviews with 18 such fans revealed that the sport and its fandom were akin to ‘White spaces’: therein, participants were keenly aware of their minoritized place; subject to racial and gender stereotyping and discrimination; and prone to experiencing exclusion and trepidation. Conversely, interactions with the Black Girl Hockey Club, an organization devoted to making ice hockey more diverse and accessible, provoked feelings of belongingness and validation; and afforded a means through which interviewees could deepen their engagement with the sport. The research participants’ lived experiences ultimately point to the need for organizations and managers to construct more inclusive spaces.