As many of the population can attest, many things are ingrained in South African culture, from jazz and religious choral music to the taste and texture of traditional South African foods like Durban Bunny Chow, Braai, Boerewors, and much more. One of the most affluent influences in South African culture is the world of sports such as football, golf, basketball, and netball, which has created some of the most popular South African athletes.
Yet, despite being a country renowned for its pleasant climate, especially from November to March, one of the most popular sporting events is hockey – a sport typically played on ice! Yet, as the end of April beckons, it begs the question, how can hockey fans fill that puck-shaped void in their hearts during the off-season?
As many fans of seasonal sports can confirm, it doesn’t take long for the withdrawal symptoms to kick in, but fortunately, there are many ways to satisfy your puck passion during the off-season. From saving your money towards seats at a future game to entertaining yourself with a new pastime, continue reading to discover several ways to engage yourself during the hockey off-season.
Save Towards Future Seats
No matter what sport you’re a fan of, showing your passion for it can be shockingly expensive, and ticket sales are just starting to go live for the legendary FIH Hockey Indoor World Cup 2023. Setting foot on African soil for the first time, the FIH Hockey Indoor World Cup allows South African hockey fans to experience the thrill of up close and personal.
However, with tickets starting at one hundred and fifty Rand each, not all South African hockey fans will be privileged to participate in the historic event. Yet, with the off-season fast approaching, hockey fans could use this time to budget and save money for a potential seat at the FIH Hockey Indoor World Cup 2023 or future games.
Fortunately, for those hockey fans dedicated enough to save their money, there are many ways you can cut down your monthly outgoings and put the percentage saved towards something else. Some of the most popular methods of saving for something you want are as follows:
- Use the 50/20/30 rule coined by Elizabeth Warren and LearnVest, which teaches individuals how to budget their finances by splitting them into three groups, necessities, savings, and lifestyle.
- Set up automatic transfers from your current account to your savings account so you won’t be tempted to spend your allocated savings on nonessentials.
- Set achievable saving goals; start with a small amount, then increase it as it gets easier or if you can afford to spare more.
- Start a ‘savings jar’ and empty all your loose change at the end of each day. Although it may sound simple, it’s certainly effective!
- Move your savings into a high-yield savings account which enables you to gain interest, but it could go down at any time, and many more.
Entertain Yourself With A New Pastime
Another way that hockey fans can entertain themselves during the off-season is by starting a new pastime that can occupy the time they’d usually spend watching or playing hockey. Nowadays, you can find various pastimes suiting any skill level or personality, from learning an instrument, going to the gym, teaching yourself how to paint, and much more.
One of the most popular pastimes of this generation is gaming, with twenty-four million gamers making up South Africa’s population alone. There are many reasons that video gaming has become so popular today, from personal reasons like providing an escape from the real world to profitable reasons like earning a little extra money on the side.
Since gaming is such a popular pastime, there are a variety of genres of games for individuals to choose to entertain themselves with. Whether you prefer the thrill of first-person shooter games like the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series or the more relaxing experience of online slot games, you’re bound to find a game for you.
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Educate Yourself
Even if your love for hockey dates back generations, and you feel like there is nothing left for you to learn about the sport – every day is a school day. Whether you’re baby-faced or a seasoned hockey fan, there is much to learn about hockey, from the greatest and latest players to the ins and outs of the action out on the ice.
Fortunately, the internet is a great way to stay up to date with anything sports-related, since everything can be accessed by our phones anytime and anywhere. Due to this, there are many ways that you can brush up on your hockey knowledge, from taking online hockey quizzes to purchasing books written by influential players.
Another valuable resource for hockey fans is the NHL’s official website, which you can use to find information on any player/team, including statistics and the past histories/careers of players and teams. Once you’ve made your way through the entirety of the NHL’s site, there are plenty of hockey blogs and websites that contain informational videos and much more for new and seasoned fans to digest.
Alternatively, you could consider purchasing hockey-related publications detailing the game’s history and even memoirs from some of the sport’s greatest stars, like Bill Keenan, Ray Walker, Wayne Gretzky, and many more. These are particularly useful if you want information about a specific player or team and can be obtained from online marketplaces like Amazon or local bookstores.
Socialise With Other Hockey Fans
Watching hockey is good, but talking about it with other fans in person or over the Internet is even better! If the puck-shaped hole in your chest has gotten so big that no other activity on this list can fill it, consider getting together a group of hockey fans and socialising, or you could join a hockey fan page on social media if you aren’t in contact with any hockey fans.
When you’re talking with other fans, your passion is ignited anew. You practically bounce off each other with discussions about past games, memorable moments, upcoming events, and much more, which can help scratch that itch that the off-season has created.
You could socialise at a local bar or invite your friends back to your place for a hockey-themed barbeque or other casual gatherings. During these meetups, you could even play hockey-themed games, test teach others hockey knowledge with trivia, or name drinks/food after teams, players, or other recognisable hockey figures.
Just ensure that if you’re socialising with players online, you do so respectfully and safely, as things can often get out of hand when discussing sports over the internet. Since you’re not face-to-face (and likely never will be!), the internet can be a hateful place where people can hurl insults back and forth just for supporting a different team than them. So, ensure that you don’t rise to the occasion and use safe online practices if this happens to you.
