MHC NATIONAL TEAM MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

This Committee is crucial in the success of Malaysian Hockey Team. Therefore, the quality of selected members in this Committee will determine the progress and stock-take of the Performance Plan of various National Team.

This Committee has become merely a Public Announcement Department, announcing the names of National Teams rather than playing a bigger & important role to bring glory to Malaysia.

In my opinion, this is "How a good National Team Management Committee must be":

1. Road Map

Firstly, the Committee has to develop a clear Road Map. A roadmap is a strategic plan that defines a goal or desired outcome and includes the major steps or milestones needed to reach it. It also serves as a communication tool, a high-level document that helps articulate strategic thinking—the why—behind both the goal and the plan for getting there.

You need to be well versed with FIH World Ranking system and use this as a guide and chart the map accordingly. 

 2    Performance Plan & Training Methodology

Secondly, a detail Performance Plan of all National Teams (M&W) to be established till 2024 Paris Olympics and beyond. A great way to summarize documentation is through a performance improvement plan, which specifies your expectations for performance, establishes your definition of success, sets regular meeting with the employee to discuss their progress and explains the consequences for failing to meet and sustain improved performance

 3.       Target Settings

Target Settings is imminent facets to dictate the progress of National Teams’ performance. Previously, illogical announcement made such as Top 8 in 2018 and recently will break into Top 10 soon. It must be backed with data driven and statistical to make such an announcement.

Targets must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. By setting goals it gives a target to shoot for. This sense of direction is what allows this Committee to focus on a target and rather than waste energy shooting aimlessly, it allows you to hit your target and reach your goal.

 4.       Independent Review Committee of Experts

National Team Management Committee must initiate an Independent Review Committee of Experts that on periodical period provides the stock-take and realignment of Performance Plan and Target Settings.

Periodic review is the essential mechanism for evaluating programmes and subjects holistically at least every quarterly and yearly basis, taking a view of the quality and standards of the National Teams, allowing for external and independent confirmation.

The Experts must be former Team Managers, Coaches, Players and personnel from ISN that acts as check and balance. When Team Managers & Coaches of National Teams report are submitted, these are the Experts that will review the reports and provide a third eye solution to National Team Management Committee and thereafter to EB.

 5.       Sports Science & Technology Support

In modern sports, this 2 elements dictates the success or failure at International stage. There must be enough of Research & Development on this aspects. Learn from the European Teams and understand what they are doing and using the latest Sports and Technology on field hockey to maximum their performance output.

In order to compete with World bests, we need to be inline or better in this 2 facets and we need to move in modern times on achieving results. No longer the stop watch & whistle Coaches that could bring success at High Performance level.

 6.       Quality of International Matches

If we look at all previous successful Malaysian Hockey Team, this element was a prerequisite to attain a World Class performance.

Previously, a minimum of 40 to 50 International Matches were required to establish a good “Malaysian International Hockey Team”. The Quality of Matches is important to gauge the gap and differences in standard of play between the Top 6 and others. And most matches were played against the Top 8 Teams as this allows a great learning curve for the team.

We used to have the Germans, Dutch, Spain, India, Belgium, Pakistan, England, Australia and New Zealand visiting Malaysia during that era because they knew they could get a good quality sparring match and studying Malaysian team on the standards as on any good day Malaysia team could beat them and impose a great challenge. But recently, the gap is getting wider by day and is difficult to get a high quality match due to our standard of our current National Teams.

The Top 8 Teams believe that Malaysia is no longer a threat to World Hockey and therefore, they decided not to compete with Malaysia. Only teams that are ranked from 12 to 20 are willing to play matches with Malaysia.

Another previous success methodology, our National Junior teams and National Under 16/18 teams were well exposed in International Matches as early as possible. The maturity and experience of young future stars grew well and understands the requirements of being a good International Hockey player in years to come.                                                               

7. Liaison with NSC & ISN  

These two Agencies are important in the preparation on National Teams. NSC provides the Program Management aspect including funding and other support. ISN provides the Performance Management aspect of National players. The National Team Management Committee must have a road map with Performance Plan and Target Settings in placed prior to communicating with this 2 Agencies. And the commitment and implementation must be done a minimum of 4 years i.e. a Olympic Cycle rather than on a yearly basis currently done.

Conclusion:

If the National Team Management Committee could take the above 7 key points, then this Committee will be a well functioned and achieve the desirable results by lifting up the ranking of our National Teams and the Teams will be better prepared and consistently qualifies to Olympics, World Cup and Junior World Cups. 

But to do that, this Committee has to get the right person in the right position who has the required modern International hockey knowledge. Sorry to say, the current composition could not comprehend the required details. It will be a stagnant Committee if no changes are addressed and it will reflect in the results of the National Teams.

And the Article 40 of the Constitution must be expanded further as currently limited to liaison role with stakeholders.

Small advice to the new Team Manager that it is only proper to resign as the Deputy Chairman of National Team Management Committee due to conflict of interest as the Jury & Judge cannot be represented by the same person. Attend based on Invitation.

Also all other Committees (National Team Management Committee will be the next to host Bengkel) has undergone a “bengkel/workshop” which is a waste of time exercise and in modern way is a Town Hall session and getting the right audience or experts to argue and provide solution to move ahead.

Malaysian public wants to know the Performance Plan and Targets of each National Teams when any announcement made not the team list of Teams. 

Hope in next PC, better and real details are given out to Malaysian public as the sports is belong to its Nation and Rakyat.

Good Luck…