Time we revived Premier Hockey League

Viren Rasquinha

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Mumbai: Over the past few years, we’ve been cribbing over the faulty administration of Indian hockey. I feel that is the least of the worries for us. We are continuing to make small mistakes at every stage – from training methods to facilities to the players and of course, the admin. The current scenario of Indian hockey is because we’ve been ignoring these mistakes and have been repeating them again and again.
You may also want to see

The biggest setback to hockey in recent years has been the discontinuation of the Premier Hockey League. The PHL easily was the best thing to have happened to Indian hockey over the last decade or so and it’s a pity that it is stopped mid way. By far the best domestic competition, PHL not only brought recognition to our players but also generated a lot of public interest, which is what hockey needs right now.

We want people to take notice of the sport. Hockey needs heroes and role models. Star hockey players of the national team should be encouraged to visit schools and also hold short summer camps. Meeting sporting heroes can have a great impact on kids. The media should help to highlight the achievements of our hockey stars and make them known and recognised faces and household names.

The next important thing is to build solid infrastructure that is accessible to everyone. We must develop astro turf grounds especially in cities and towns like in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Rourkela, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Jallandhar, Sansarpur, Rajnandgaon etc.

Maintenance of the grounds should be given high priority. Mini turf grounds can also be laid, especially in the big cities where there is a space crunch.

Every big city (at least 10 cities in the country) must have a stadium capable of hosting an international tournament. A mini-museum in every stadium where fans can get to see pictures of glorious moments and trophies won in the past. Our players should be paid professionals as well and they should conduct themselves with the dignity and responsibility expected from ambassadors of a nation. We host the World Cup next year and our team needs to do well. Performing well in front of the home crowd will do wonders to the sport.

I feel we need to stop criticising. That’s the easiest thing to do and one we are very good at. No one likes to see hockey getting ruined in our country. Let’s be optimistic, work hard and one day we will be back among the best. And that day won’t be far away.