International Canoe Federation

Widely welcomed by athletes, federations and the media alike, the carefully considered changes to Canoe Polo were made to produce a more attacking hence attractive and exciting game. The points system changed along with the introduction of an ‘overtime/golden goal’ rule which replaced penalty shoot-outs. With input from TV, the media and spectators, together with an ongoing review, the ICF Canoe Polo Committee are currently considering how to make this discipline even more exciting while still maintaining its unique elements. Greg Smale – Chairman of the Canoe Polo Committee – talks to the ICF about the changes and the progress of the sport.

So why have the changes come about? As with any competitive sport there are very strong opinions about rules. It’s sometimes difficult to explain that we are not trying to change, or not change, any rules to be negative; in fact the exact opposite! As a past club and national team player, coach and now administrator and referee, I and the Canoe Polo Committee are tasked to lead the discipline and make every effort to find the right ways to move the sport forwards.

So why have the changes come about? As with any competitive sport there are very strong opinions about rules. It’s sometimes difficult to explain that we are not trying to change, or not change, any rules to be negative; in fact the exact opposite! As a past club and national team player, coach and now administrator and referee, I and the Canoe Polo Committee are tasked to lead the discipline and make every effort to find the right ways to move the sport forwards.

What’s the main purpose of the changes? We hope to find ways to increase media and spectator interest but it’s not sensible to propose changes unless we genuinely feel they will be of real benefit to the discipline. In 2008 I think we got the changes right, but we must continue to move forward. Listening to the athletes, federations, the media and spectators is important.

So how have the changes been received, and do you feel they have they improved the game? The present rule feedback is much more positive, but its been noted there is still the occasional game which is not exciting to watch. We should not be too hard on ourselves as most team sports suffer from this, however we need to try to find more ways to stimulate attacking play; even when teams start to lose and revert to playing for ‘goal difference’ in a group stage of a tournament. This will make games more exciting to all involved.

Which do you think are the most memorable games so far and why? Probably the Men’s World Games final. It’s a great example of how all games should be played. Both teams just kept attacking and both teams knew they were in a very special game. The Men’s bronze medal game at the 2009 European Championships is again a great example where neither team gave up. This was between the past World Champions Great Britain and reigning World Champions Netherlands. The final score was 8-4 to Team GB and it proved to be a really good game for players, spectators and media.

What measures are Canoe Polo taking to look good for TV? Having discussed Canoe Polo with television and media we must maintain the unique element that is ‘5-out’ or ‘pressing’. Other sports only have this for brief periods of a game. We are seeing more games have longer and longer periods of ‘5-out’ which is very exciting for players, for television, to photograph and for spectators to watch generally. We are currently beginning to explore how to move forward again when the rules next change in January 2011.

What measures are Canoe Polo taking to look good for TV? Having discussed Canoe Polo with television and media we must maintain the unique element that is ‘5-out’ or ‘pressing’. Other sports only have this for brief periods of a game. We are seeing more games have longer and longer periods of ‘5-out’ which is very exciting for players, for television, to photograph and for spectators to watch generally. We are currently beginning to explore how to move forward again when the rules next change in January 2011.

What problems do you face when looking into changes for the better? As managers of the sport, the Canoe Polo Committee represents ‘the entire world’ and must keep in mind that geographically countries outside of Europe often have less chance to compete against each other. Any changes can actually have more of an impact outside of Europe than many realise. Moreover, I don’t think Canoe Polo at the top level should have different rules from beginners which in itself causes some issues.

So attacking play is the main goal. How do you achieve this? There are a number of ways to increase attacking play; bonus points for winning by a certain margin, possibly some form of shot-clock – but this is difficult especially at club level. Also, we could maintain the tactic of 5-out, and perhaps even limit the number of players that can defend – but this may be too radical! However, the ‘trick’ I feel is to find a simple way to ‘encourage’ teams who are losing to be positive and still try and win, rather than ‘play for goal difference’. Some form of penalty for negative play by teams that are losing is perhaps the way forward.

It’s quite a mammoth task then? Yes! But we will continue to try and develop Canoe Polo in a sensible and structured way. We won’t be making any big changes without serious consideration and consultation. I didn’t think for one minute when taking on this responsibility that it would be easy. I’m still very passionate about this great sport and hope to continue leading its development.

To learn more, go to our Canoe Polo page. To see footage from some of last year’s Canoe Polo competitions visit www.canoekayak.tv.