Across Wales and beyond, many sports are serving up shorter, faster and adapted sports in a bid to appeal to new audiences.
To adapt to people’s needs, to find a spot in our busy diaries and to enable smaller groups of friends to come together and play, the Welsh sport sector is moving with the times by introducing innovative and entertaining formats.
While retaining our love for traditional sports, we are seeing additional, alternative games that are fast, snappy and easier to play.
Take a look at some of the sports that are reaching new audiences across Wales…
Hockey5s
It’s super-fast and it’s highly skilful… introducing Hockey5s.
The beauty is that it can be played almost anywhere at grassroots level. With two teams of five people, you no longer need to drum up a side of 11 players.
Hoci Cymru is keen to use this speedier, simpler version of the game to appeal to younger audiences and encourage more regular, quicker games among friends, just like five-a-side football has done. To help it drive forward, Sport Wales has awarded Hockey Wales £65,000 for rebound boards from Welsh Government’s capital funding.
Paul Whapham, CEO of Hoci Cymru said: “Hockey5s is a super-fast and exciting way to introduce more people to hockey. It’s perfect for our ‘Switch the Pitch’ initiative. You don’t need an astro-turf to play - it can be played on any surface. And with reduced playing numbers, you can have multiple teams which makes it ideal for schools and junior clubs.
“The Hockey5s rebound boards are dotted around Wales - from Colwyn Bay to Monmouth – for schools and clubs to encourage more children to pick up a stick and play hockey.”