VHL Expansion: Asia

[Dabnad 174]

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my articles where I just talk about stuff. This week, I’ll be talking about expanding the VHL. While I know that there are probably no plans to expanding the VHL right now, there’s no harm in talking about this stuff. Today we’ll look at 10 different cities in Asia where we can possibly see VHL expansion in the future. These cities will have a mixture of cities which have hockey influence to support a team, population, world relevance, and likelihood. Without further delay, let’s get right into the 10 cities. In this context, we will assume Russia and Turkey are European rather than Asian. Today, we will look at the first 4 cities, and we will later look at the next 6 cities. 

 

1. Delhi, India

Delhi, India, in my opinion, is probably the best city in Asia that we can have for expansion. Granted, there may be some bias here as I am Indian, however I do think that Delhi would be the perfect next place for a VHL expansion team. Why so? Firstly. Delhi has north of 16.5 million people as of 2011, however I predict that this number is around 20 million as of 2024. The large population along with the chilly weather make this a perfect city for hockey. The largest sport in Delhi is cricket, a sport which largely runs around the summer months, and often doesn’t run during the monsoon season. This means that during the April-June months when the playoffs occur, many people are looking for something to watch, and hockey could capture this audience. This makes hockey an ideal location for VHL expansion. Delhi is also the capital of India, and relevant worldwide, making it a viable location for travel, as there are thousands of planes that go to and from Delhi to Europe. It is close enough to Europe to have direct flights to the whole of Europe, and Eastern North America, and only need one stop to get to Western North America. The relevance of the English language in Delhi/India also make communication between players, the league, and fans possible. A problem in Delhi, however, is the high pollution in the city. While this does not seem like a huge deal, high performing athletes could destroy their lungs in conditions like these. This, however, is not a deal-breaker in my opinion. All these factors, along with the already semi-developed hockey leagues, make Delhi an optimal spot for a new VHL team in Asia. 

 

2.  Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo, Japan, a land of beautify, landscape, high speed trains, and discipline. Tokyo is probably one of the most optimal places in the entire world for VHL expansion, from the large population, to the sporting influence of the US and foreign leagues, to the relevance it has to the world, being the anime capital of the world, providing entertainment, cars, and many other things to the world, Tokyo is an extremely relevant place on the global stage. For many, I would say that Tokyo would be the best place for Asian expansion, and maybe even expansion in the whole world. Tokyo has few flaws, however these flaws are glaring us in the face. Firstly, the VHL would have to compete with leagues such as the local baseball leagues, the MLB, and other sporting leagues. Tokyo is an established in terms of sports, meaning that breaking into the market with a new team will be tough, not impossible, however very hard for an area where hockey is not known. Another problem could be the proximity of Tokyo compared to the rest of the league. Tokyo, located in Eastern Asia, would likely be 2-3 flights to Eastern North America, and likely 2 flights to Western Europe. This makes it so the players would have an extremely hard time, getting used to time zones and travel. This is a huge deal-breaker for many players, which would make Tokyo an unpopular free-agency location. There is also a language barrier, however English is used. Overall. Japan would be a great location for a new team, however the distance to the rest of the teams, along with the competition between the different sports which exist in Japan would make it hard for the VHL to break into the city.

 

3. Beijing, China

Beijing, China, an ever-growing city in one of the fastest growing countries in the world. Ignoring the geopolitical problems which would come with having a city in Beijing, Beijing would be another city which I suspect would be perfect for a team in the VHL. I would argue that any city in the top 3, rather top 5, would be a great choice, depending on what you’re looking for. A huge population, along with great geopolitical importance make Beijing another optimal city for a VHL. The problems come with China, and its geopolitical rules. To not get too specific, for an international league, going between China and the rest of the league would likely be a problem. Another problem could be the low English-speaking population, which would likely hurt the amount of people that get into the VHL in China. While Beijing is in Eastern China, travel can be a problem, however it would not be as bad as Tokyo. Time zones do hurt the chances of Beijing. Another problem with Beijing is the relevance of basketball in the country. As basketball has taken over China, there is a low chance that a sport like ice hockey could share dominance between the sports. Between basketball, table tennis, and soccer, there is little space for a sport like hockey to grow. There is enough hockey infrastructure to help support the team which would come into the country, however the concern would be if there would be enough investment for the team to come to life. Overall,  Beijing would be a great city to expand to, however the distance between Beijing, along with time zones would harm its chances. This along with the other sports which clutter the sports market make Beijing a tougher, yet viable choice.

 

4. Dubai , UAE

Dubai, UAE, home of the ever growing sports market. In the recent days, we’ve seen many sports come into the UAE and Dubai, from cricket to football (soccer). Dubai is a city that will keep growing, home to the largest mall in the world, and home to a great ice rink. While Dubai may be a slightly controversial pick this high, Dubai is a great location for a VHL team in Asia, from the relevancy on a world stage, to the distance to other cities in the VHL, to the smaller time zone shift, there is little wrong about the city. One problem is the smaller population that would be supporting the team. As Dubai is not a hockey city as of now, there is not a large enough population to beat the problem of no popularity with a humongous population. This is why Dubai is so low on the list compared to what was expected, as the small population of Dubai/the UAE is not enough to fit the need for a sports team. The newer sports which have showed up in the UAE market are a huge problem, as I doubt that hockey could break into the market effectively. The investments needed to help grow the sport would likely heavily outweigh the benefits. I also doubt that there could be a VHL team in Dubai as it is too hot in the city, which would likely result in many players getting sick due to the drastic change in weather every time they would leave the ice rink. This would make it unsafe for players and spectators alike, along with possibly causing other team players getting sick. The weather would could be a huge deal-breaker for any player that decides to join the team. Overall, Dubai could be a strong contender for a team in Asia, as it is one of the only major cities close enough to be viable, while also being globally relevant, however the weather, along with the smaller population could harm its chances of getting a city. 

 

5. ???, South Korea

 

6. ???, Saudi Arabia 

 

7. ????, China 

 

8. ????, India 

 

9. ????, Pakistan 

 

10. ????, Philippines 

 

 

As we see in this incomplete list, there are many cities that still have a chance of getting a city. These cities are less likely to get a city, due to a multitude of reasons. These reasons could include things like global relevance, lack of proper funding, another sport being more popular, or as simple as the fact that there is another city in the same country which is more qualified, making it less likely that this city gets the location. When we look at the first four cities, we see the pros and cons of each city, however, we also must understand that each city is as qualified to be a city that hosts a VHL team as the next, and it is extremely important for us to understand that there is no right or wrong answer when expanding the VHL, unless the team is in Micronesia, then that is the wrong answer. Overall, Asia is not the most optimal location for an expansion due to the vast distance major Asian cities are compared to North America and Asia, however, never say never. The first 4 cities are definitely the best choices, however, I will soon reveal the rest of the list, for now this is Narnia Shaw, signing off, until next time.

 

1591 words

2024-07-28 - 2024-08-10