02.07.2020: Iconic Olympians including MM Somaya, Dhanraj Pillay, Eliza Nelson & Selma D’Silva appeal for restoration of Mumbai Hockey, an outfit that was backbone of national governing body of hockey when formed in 1926. Its BHA (Bomaby Hockey Association Ltd), which organizes one of the oldest domestic hockey tournaments in India, and is also one of the few founding member of the Indian hockey’s own national body in 1926.  

Their appeal is made to the Hon’ble Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Narendra Batra, President IOA, Mr. Rajeev Mehta, Secretary General IOA, and Mr. Mushtaque Ahmad, President Hockey India.

BACKGROUND: The ‘one-State-one-Association’ ruling as directed by the Indian Olympic Association has been implemented by Hockey India (HI) with effect from 1st July 2020. As a result of this new regulation there will henceforth be only one Association from Maharashtra that will be directly affiliated to HI.

Hitherto there have been three Associations in the state:

i) Mumbai Hockey Association (based in Mumbai)
ii) Vidarbha Hockey Association (based in Nagpur)
iii) Hockey Maharashtra (based in Pune)

With the new ruling Mumbai and Vidarbha Associations have ceased to have direct affiliation to HI and shall instead come under the umbrella of Hockey Maharashtra (Pune) who henceforth shall be the only Association from the state directly affiliated to HI. In addition to voting powers Hockey Maharashtra (Pune) will also be vested with the authority of selecting and sending state teams for the National Championships.

IMPORTANCE OF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
The National Championships are annually held for Men and Women across Senior, Junior and Sub- Junior categories. The National Championships held under the aegis of HI are important since they form the basis of selection of Teams that will represent India in various International tournaments. This tournament is similar to Ranji Trophy in cricket where states and a few organisations compete for supremacy.

As a result of the new ruling henceforth only one team will be sent from the state under the banner of Maharashtra XI for the Nationals.

MUMBAI HOCKEY ECOSYSTEM
Mumbai has been a nerve centre for hockey over many years. Along with Punjab and U.P, Mumbai has been providing the maximum number of players to the Indian teams. This is due to a strong ecosystem for hockey that has been built over many decades. Being the Industrial and Financial capital of the country many business houses and PSU banks have provided employment to hockey players and have been maintaining their own teams. Western Railway, Central Railway, Navy, Union Bank, Central Bank, Mumbai Customs & Excise, Mumbai Port Trust and many other organisations have established excellent hockey teams.

The opportunity for employment has shaped a robust process of talent identification and grooming. The chain starts from School and College competitions and then progresses to club level participation. There are three Divisions (Leagues each comprising 20-25 teams) of club hockey. Outstanding players at the club level eventually get recruited by the top teams featuring in the Mumbai Super League.

Besides the Division hockey for local teams, All -India tournaments like the Mumbai Gold Cup and Tegh Bahadur Tournament are conducted under the aegis of Mumbai Hockey Association. These open tournaments give an opportunity for Mumbai teams to improve their skills while playing against the best teams in the country.

Being selected to represent Mumbai in the National Championship is a key factor for availing employment in organisations under the sports quota. Playing for Mumbai also means vying for a place in the Indian team. Employers provide encouragement and also incentivise players who are representing the country. In the past Mumbai based organisations like TATAs, Mahindras, Air India, Western Railway and Mumbai Customs have had a host of players representing Indian teams. The employers sit at the top of the hockey ecosystem and it is the prospect of securing employment for their wards that drives schools and colleges to nurture hockey talent at the grassroots.

LEGACY OF MUMBAI HOCKEY
Due to this robust hockey system Bombay/ Mumbai has a rich legacy of hockey having produced a long list of Olympians and Internationals. Leo Pinto, Walter Dsouza, R. S. Gentle, Govind Perumal and Kishen Lal were all Olympic gold medalists of the 40’s and 50’s. In the 60’s and 70’s Balbir Singh Grewal, Gurubax Singh Grewal, Joe Antic, Cedric Pereira and Kulwant Arora were Olympic medalists. In the 80’s and 90’s Dhanraj Pillay, Mervyn Fernandis, Joaquim Carvalho, Marcellus Gomes, M. M. Somaya, Daryl Dsouza and Mark Patterson won accolades for the country in international tournaments. After the turn of the century Viren Rasquinha, Jude Menezes, Gavin Ferreira, Yuvraj Walmiki and Devendra Walmiki have represented India with distinction. There are many more outstanding International players that have earned their spurs while being based in Mumbai.

In women’s hockey Eliza Nelson, Selma Dsilva, Fiona Albuquerque, Margaret Toscano, Angela Dsouza, Donita Dmello and many others have made their mark internationally.

Mumbai have been National Hockey Champions in 1989 and 2010 and have been Federation Cup winners in 1990. The team has featured in the Quarter Finals/ Semi Finals/ Finals in almost every Championship.

NEGATIVE IMPACT OF NEW REGULATION
In the present situation wherein only one team will be permitted from the state there will be a substantial reduction in number of players from Mumbai who will play under the Hockey Maharashtra banner. This would happen since players from other districts would also need to be accommodated. A rough estimate is that the reduction of Mumbai players in the National Championship would be between 30-50%.

Most employers in Mumbai seek participation in Nationals Championships as a base line qualification for recruitment. With reduction in numbers of eligible Mumbai players these organisations would be reluctant to recruit players and may not want to maintain teams. Organisations like TATAs and Mahindra & Mahindra have discontinued hockey teams some years ago already leading to lesser job opportunities. In case the existing organisations withdraw their support to hockey then it would have a cascading impact on the entire chain. Schools, colleges and clubs will further reduce focus on the national sport. As a result fewer youngsters would take to the game seriously.

A weakened hockey system in the Industrial & Financial capital of the country would mean a weakened hockey talent pool for the country.

BCCI’s JUDICIOUS IMPLEMENTATION
It is our view that the Lodha Committee recommendation of ‘one State one Association’ should not be applied as a thumb rule across all sports Federations. If implemented in toto some sporting hubs would face possible extinction and this would be contrary to the primary objective of setting up the Committee.

The BCCI that oversees the game of cricket has been prudent in the application of the Lodha Committee recommendations. A Supreme Court judgement dated 9th August 2018 has empowered them to provide Full Membership status to Associations like Mumbai and Vidarbha in Maharashtra. Similarly Full Membership has also been accorded to Saurashtra and Baroda in Gujarat. As a result of this, States like Maharashtra and Gujarat have been allowed to field more than one team in the Ranji Trophy. Maharashtra, Mumbai and Vidarbha participate in the Ranji Trophy and so do Gujarat, Saurashtra and Baroda. The results have been very encouraging. Vidarbha and Saurashtra have won the Ranji Trophy in recent years. This has ensured that established centres continue to thrive and the wide talent base remains unaffected.

Since the rationale is the same, the Supreme Court judgement delivered for Cricket could be made applicable for Hockey as well. If accorded Full Members established hockey centres like Mumbai would then be able to continue participating in the National Championship and contributing to the growth of hockey at the national level.

REQUEST FOR ACTION – FULL MEMBERSHIP FOR MUMBAI IN HI
In summary we would like to say that there are two significant drawbacks of not permitting a separate Mumbai team to participate in the National Hockey Championship. These are:

a) Indian hockey talent pool would get weakened. With fewer players from the city of Mumbai representing Maharashtra in the Nationals, there would be less opportunities to showcase their talent. Many deserving players would not get spotted by national selectors.

b) With Hockey Maharashtra being based out of Pune and fewer players from Mumbai getting National colours, job opportunities for hockey players in Mumbai would reduce. Employers would consider discontinuing sponsorship of hockey teams. This will destabilise the hockey ecosystem in Mumbai

Bombay/ Mumbai has been one of the founder members of the original governing body Indian Hockey Federation (IHF). To be excluded from membership despite contributing significantly over so many decades would be grossly unfair.

Officials of Mumbai Hockey Association have indicated that they fear alienation by HI and Hockey Maharashtra if they pursue this matter legally. They have therefore chosen the easy way out by accepting the IOA directive and agreeing to be an affiliate of Hockey Maharashtra (Pune).

As former hockey players, who have represented India, we seek your intervention to save Mumbai hockey and ensure that the city continues to be a nerve centre for hockey in the country.

It is our fervent plea that Mumbai be allowed to continue its present independent status with direct affiliation to Hockey India as a Full Member. Other centres in India which are in a similar position as Mumbai could be also considered for Full Membership.

If needed an amendment in constitution should be urgently considered by IOA/HI to save Hockey in Mumbai as well as in other high potential centres.

SIGNATORIES TO THE LETTER
Dhanraj Pillay (4-time Olympian, Captain, 1998 Asian Games Gold medal winning team)
M. M. Somaya (3-time Olympian and captain of 1988 Olympic team)
Joaquim Carvalho (Olympian 1984)
Mervyn Fernandis  (Olympic Gold medalist 1980, and 3- time Olympian)
Marcellus Gomes (Olympian 1984)
Balbir Singh Grewal (1966 Asian Games Gold medalist and 1968 Olympic bronze medalist)
Gurubax Singh Grewal (1968 Olympic Bronze medalist)
Viren Rasquinha (Junior World Cup gold medalist and Olympian 2004)
Iqbaljit Singh (Olympian 1984)
Eliza Nelson (Captain of 1982 Asian Games Gold medal winning team and Olympian 1980)
Selma Dsilva (Olympian 1980 and Asian Games Gold medalist 1982)
Margaret Toscano (Olympian 1980)