Falcons Dominic Dixon gets battered Premier Hockey League- Men’s Final Falcons v Alpiners, 2024. Photo: Andy Skinner / PHOTOSPORT
There is confidence within hockey circles that New Zealand's Premier League will help the Black Sticks on the international stage.
The Premier League returns for its second season this weekend.
The competition involves four women's and four men's teams and was introduced in 2024 with the hope that it would test current Black Sticks players.
The expectation is that the country's top domestic competition will unearth future talent.
"In the second year we're seeing a lot more quality local players stepping up to be a part of the Mavericks women's team which is cool because last year it was quite challenging," Hauraki Mavericks women's coach Danielle Cranston told RNZ.
There is now more focus on the Premier League after New Zealand Hockey decided that neither the Black Sticks men's or women's sides would contest the International Pro League, because of the cost, despite both becoming eligible for a return to the competition.
Cranston, a former Black Stick who now works for Hockey New Zealand, said the national body's move away from a centralised performance programme following the Tokyo Olympics, to a regional one, has played a big part in a swell of interest within the game.
"We can see the base growing around the country and having access to more players which hopefully makes it more competitive for selection into the Black Sticks," she said.
Cranston said the interest can be seen on turfs around the country when club teams finish training and then stay on to watch performance players start their training.
While a number of New Zealand's top male players compete in leagues in Europe, the majority are involved in the Premier League.
"The Black Sticks (players) add a lot of value and there is development and growth for them as well and they're also supporting the next generation that is coming through," Cranston said.
However Cranston believes it may take a couple of years before the full benefit of the decentralised development programme and the emergence of the Premier League will be reflected in the Black Sticks.
"The quality of hockey when we have our top players playing in the Premier League adds value to everybody and especially to those players aspiring to play for the Black Sticks."
With hockey not included in the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the World Cup is the main focus for the Blacks Sticks next year.
Falcons, Women's Premier Hockey League champions, 2024. Photo: Andy Skinner / PHOTOSPORT
Premier Hockey League
Round 1:
Sat 8 Nov, Alpiners vs Tridents, Dunedin. (women's and men's)
Sun 9 Nov, Falcons vs Mavericks, Napier. (women's and men's)
Round 2:
Sat 15 Nov, Mavericks vs Alpiners, Hamilton
Sat 15 Nov, Tridents vs Falcons, North Harbour
Round 3:
Sun 16 Nov, Tridents vs Alpiners, Auckland
Sun 16 Nov, Mavericks vs Falcons, Hamilton
Round 4:
Sat 22 Nov, Tridents vs Mavericks, Whangarei
Sat 22 Nov, Alpiners vs Falcons, Christchurch
Round 5:
Sat 6 Dec, Mavericks v Tridents, Hamilton
Sat 6 Dec, Falcons vs Alpiners, Wellington
Round 6:
Sun 7 Dec, Falcons vs Tridents, Wellington
Sun 7 Dec, Alpiners vs Mavericks, Christchurch
Play-offs:
Fri 12 Dec and Sat 13 Dec, Auckland
