THE Guyana Hockey Board, in an effort to keep Guyana ahead of the curve, has partnered with Southside Sports Management and Old Fort to popularize the hockey’s 5’s format locally.
The shortened format of the sport is geared to be more fast-paced and involves continuous play which is more attractive to spectators and players.
Samuel Roberts, who started his hockey journey with the Old Fort Hockey Club before spending some time in the USA, is driving the initiative locally.
Old Fort and Southside Sports Management is partnering with the Guyana Hockey Board to host a 5’s tournament dubbed Friday Nights 5’s at the newly developed Skip Roberts Youth
Development Complex on Orealla Avenue, South Ruimveldt Garden.

Roberts, whose father Cecil ‘Skip’ Roberts was a national player and President of the Guyana Hockey Board as well as a founding member of Old Fort Hockey club is seeking to help the country prepare for the format.
“FIH is changing hockey; they are changing the format and trying to drive 5’s because people say hockey is boring, so by going with the 5’s, the ball does not always go out, and the action is nonstop, so FIH, the international body, is trying to push the 5’s agenda, so we are trying to make sure we are ready and can compete.”
Roberts says that this is the second competition for the year where they are trying to help bridge the understanding gap to the new format.
He says they believe by preparing the next generation now, it can secure the game’s future in Guyana.
“We are trying to get the juniors accustomed to it because it’s like pools; getting to understand it is like playing pools, hitting the sideboard and backboard, and bouncing back, so we figured for the longevity of Guyana hockey we got to push this version of the game; this is the hockey of tomorrow.”
He says the shorter version of the sport is steadily growing, and it could revolutionize the game in Guyana.
“This is taking off because of the fact that it is exciting and people coming to watch the game, they are seeing a different version of hockey and they are enjoying it because everybody is in the game, its nonstop, we see great potential from an international level and we are focus on the local Guyana level and we like what we are seeing especially with the u21, u17, getting engage and being more creative than some of the seniors because we are accustomed to laying a different style of hockey.”
The shortened version of the game features Five athletes per team on the pitch at one time playing two halves of 10 minutes each in a 40×24 meter space surrounded by perimeter boards to keep the ball in continuous play with players able to score from anywhere in the attacking half.
The next FIH Hockey5s World Cup will be held in 2028, the inaugural edition was held in Muscat, Oman, in January 2024, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) operates the flagship five-a-side tournament on a quadrennial cycle.