Sports and business

Sports and business, or: the Da Nang Redshanks, and what sports can teach us about business. In this blog post, VNHL co – Founder Marijn Sprokkereef writes about his ball hockey team in Vietnam: the Da Nang Redshanks. Earlier this month, they traveled to Chiang Mai in Thailand for the annual Lanna Ball Hockey Cup. This blog offers a summary of the event, as well as some parallels between sports and business, and a few sports lessons that may be learned for businesses.

The Da Nang Redshanks

When I came to Vietnam in 2012, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there was an actual ice hockey team in Ha Noi. Yes really, ice hockey, in a tropical country !! Growing up in the Netherlands, I played a lot of street hockey with my brother Sander and with my friends in front of our house. So joining the Ha Noi ice hockey team was an easy decision, and I thoroughly enjoyed every Tuesday evening training session in the Royal City shopping mall. In 2019, when my wife Thao and I moved to Da Nang city, there was unfortunately no ice hockey. But an old ice hockey friend from Ha Noi was in fact running a ball hockey team in Da Nang. So before I knew it, I became a proud member of the Da Nang Redshanks. Our team is, by the way, named after a colorful and protected monkey species that can be found in the mountains of Da Nang.

An international hockey affair

Ball hockey is a form of hockey that is played indoors, on a court which is surrounded by boarding, and which is a little bigger than a basketball field. We run on regular sports shoes, so there are no skates involved. We use ice hockey sticks, and in terms of physicality it resembles a little bit the style of ice hockey. Each team has a goalie, who wears protection like an ice hockey goalie, and who defends a goal that resembles an ice hockey goal. At this point, it should come as no surprise that this sport is mostly popular in countries where people love … , ice hockey. And this is reflected in the composition of our team: the majority of our players is from Canada, some of us are from America, we have players from Finland, from Latvia, every now and then a Russian or a German player shows up, there is the odd Dutchman, and we have one or two brave Vietnamese players. What this international bunch has in common are: the love for the game, the social aspect of meeting hockey friends on a regular basis, the looking out for each other, and definitely the camaraderie.

Signing up for the Lanna Cup

It was exactly in this spirit that we signed ourselves up for the annual Lanna Ball Hockey Cup in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Having participated in 2023 as a mixed team from Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, this year our aim was to enter the tournament under our own name: the Da Nang Redshanks. We soon managed to lock in a core team of regular Da Nang players. But in order to have a full roster of 12 – 15 players, some networking needed to be done. So we started reaching out to players who once were a part of the Da Nang Redshanks, but who had since moved to other countries for Family-, work, or business purposes. Indeed, constantly meeting new people and making new friends from all over the World is one of the things I personally like the most about expat life. But the fact that some of these people and friends may leave again after 2, 3, or 5 years: that is of course the other side of the medal. It is therefore extra important to keep in touch with them, to add them to your network. So that when the opportunity arises, you can meet again and pick up where you left off. With combined efforts, soon the Da Nang Redshanks completed their full roster with friends from Seoul (Korea), Shenzhen and Macau (China), Singapore, and Yangon (Myanmar). As I said, it was an international hockey affair.

Let the tourney begin !!!

The tournament would start on Friday evening (1 game), and it would continue and finish on Saturday (3 – 5 games). Already on Thursday, the first of our team members flew into Chiang Mai and settled into their hotels and AirBnBs. When we met up for a pre – tournament dinner early Friday evening, we were 90% complete. Seeing familiar faces and meeting old friends in a completely different setting felt exciting, and everybody seemed eager to catch up with each other. Sharing a meal, listening to everyone’s personal updates, while also discussing our strategy and our line – ups for the tournament: the team – building was definitely underway. A short drive to the Chiang Mai Highlanders hockey field later, we had a chance to get a few practice shots and passes in. Our first game of the 2024 Lanna Cup would be against the Hanoi Donkeys, the reigning champions. This being another team from Vietnam: we like them and we support them, but we also knew that we would have to bring our A – game to even have a chance against them. And indeed, our A – game only brought us as far as a hard – fought and narrow loss: 1 – 2. Nothing to be ashamed of, in the end they have been competing in hockey tournaments for years, and their roster included several top athletes. At least we showed that we could, as a team, compete with the defending Lanna Cup champions. We had some things to reflect on, as we drove back to our beds, already mentally preparing to get back into action the following morning for our second group match.

A new day is dawning

Waking up in my AirBnB the next morning, I got dressed and drove with my rental motorbike and two helmets to the hotel of one of my Redshanks team members. First a coffee stop at a “7/11”, which is one of Thailand’s very convenient mini – markets. Hey, let’s bring some extra coffee for our team members, and also some chocolate. Ah, somebody is asking for bananas: sure, let’s get those as well. And let’s hurry up, because our game already starts in 15 minutes !! We would play against the “Thai Stix”: a veteran hockey team from Bangkok, which we had never – ever beaten in our short tournament history so far. But considering that we had lost against Ha Noi, we knew that we had to enforce something. And that is exactly what we did: helped by some lessons learned from the previous evening, a few tweaks in our line – up, the coffee, and who knows maybe even the bananas: we pulled off a 4 – 2 victory !! Normally this should be enough for us to move forward to the semi – finals. However, this year’s edition of the Lanna Cup was going to be defined by its unpredictability. With teams closely matched, predicted outcomes were never guaranteed. For example: we unfortunately lost our next game against the (on paper weaker) Chiang Mai Whites, and meanwhile the Thai Stix surprisingly drew against the Ha Noi Donkeys. Things were starting to look a little gloomy … .

Finishing on a high

Because of the other results in the group, we knew that we had to get a result in our final game against one of the title contenders: the Chiang Mai Blacks. A draw or a win, that is what we needed. The physically imposing Blacks had flown in a star player from Laos whose very name, “Courage”, inspired intimidation. Here we go: during the game we truly gave it our all, and at several times we were reaching our boundaries, resulting in a few 2 – minute “power plays” (i.e. penalties) against us. Yet, through perseverance, a good strategy, pure will power, and teamwork, we managed to pull off a draw: 3 – 3. We had made it to the semi – finals !! Unfortunately for us, our semi – final would already start after a 15 minute break, and we would be playing against the very same team that we had just given our everything against. The Blacks managed to find that little bit extra, which we had already used up in our previous game. We lost the semi – final, but with our heads held high: 2 – 4. While we did not win the tournament, Ha Noi did, our debut was a triumph in many ways. From a hockey perspective: we demonstrated our ability to compete with more experienced teams, we built a strong foundation for future tournaments, and we saved and strengthened our reputation in the Asian hockey community. From a personal perspective: the whole journey of training for the tournament while still in Da Nang, going to another country for an international hockey tournament, meeting new and old friends from all over the World, and playing together in pure camaraderie: this is simply priceless 🙂

Business parallels and lessons learned

While reflecting on the tournament, I realized that there are quite a few parallels to be drawn and lessons to be learned from our sports experience in Thailand. Teamwork is an obvious one: of course it was essential for us to “source” the right talent for our team, and to play as a team instead of as a group of individuals. Playing with people from different countries, with different backgrounds, and different skills made me think of businesses who embrace diversity and who are therefore better equipped to navigate complex markets and to deliver creative solutions. Strategic partnerships is another one: our hockey team has two proud, corporate sponsors, one of them being our own VNHL Consulting. These are companies who encourage sports and team efforts, and who appreciate being connected with it. In the same way that entrepreneurs and businesses are often seeking for sponsors, affiliates, angel investors, and strategic partners. Competition is another parallel that I see: performing in an intense and competitive environment such as an international hockey tournament mirrors the challenges that businesses face in highly competitive markets, especially in Vietnam’s rapidly evolving economy. This illustrates the importance of perseverance in business. Whether breaking into a new market or outpacing a rival, sustained effort and smart decision-making can lead to great achievements. Another parallel is adaptability: especially in uncertain circumstances, such as in an unexpectedly competitive tournament, or as a business operating in the midst of unstable markets: you have to remain adaptable. This is a lesson that businesses operating in Vietnam know all too well. Mind you, even the most prepared teams or businesses can face situations where external factors limit their success. However, remaining adaptive, even during high-pressure scenarios, can lead to success. And finally: the importance of celebrating milestones in sports and in business, even when your ultimate goals are yet to be achieved. Recognizing that you are at least getting better at what you do fosters a positive culture, and it motivates teams to continue striving for excellence. For the Da Nang Redshanks this all means that we are already planning for our return to Chiang Mai for the Lanna Cup in 2025. Here we go, Redshanks on three → one two three … , Redshanks !!!

VNHL is here to support you

Whether it is on or off the hockey field: VNHL is here to support you. If you are interested in playing hockey in Vietnam: feel free to send us a message, because our hockey teams are always happy to welcome new players. At the same time, if you are looking to do business, to invest, or to move to Vietnam: feel free to reach out to us as well. Our three main services are: (i) consulting, (ii) networking, and (iii) supporting. You can reach out to us via the chat button on the right of this page, or via our contact us page. In any case, we look forward to hearing from you and to supporting you.