K. ARUMUGAM

Hockey India has recently announced the schedule for most of its annual domestic events. National Championships are the most important activities of the national body. It conducts inter alia six National Championships each year where only a team each from its State Associations takes part. With three age categories — Sub-Junior (Under-16), Junior (Under 19 or 20) and Seniors– for both men and women, the six tournaments help it scout talent for the core group.

One of the Nationals, Senior Women’s National Championship is already underway in Andhra Pradesh. The Senior men’ will be held in traditional hockey hub of Tamil Nadu, Madurai. The point of interest however is venue of other four Nationals.

Sub-Junior and Junior Nationals for both men and women will be held in one place, Birsa Munda International Hockey stadium in Rourkela, Odisha. This is a good news for many reasons.

Firstly, the idea and the plan that go behind utilizing the created facility is commendable.

Various states in India have created wonderful and amazing infrastructure for sports in the past. However, their utilization record has been dismal by and large.

For instance, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium was renovated and its scope vastly increased in 2010. True to vision, it hosted two major events in the same year — the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup — and one major international event each year thereafter for 4 years before being abandoned.  The facility with huge stands and three turfs could have been easily utilized for many domestic tournaments. But not. What we saw instead was a week-long event here and there every subsequent year. After a long spell of underutilization that stretched for seven years, it saw some activities only last year in the form of hosting Khelo India Women’s League  (Under-21 & 16) and Institutional Nationals for women’s. Yet, the number days the stadium was utilized do not go beyond a month or two. It gives a dismal utilization ratio for a huge stadium complex which it is.

That is why Dilip Tirkey led Hockey India’s announcement to host four nationals in Rourkela assumes significance.

Secondly, the stadium facilities will be utilized to full what with almost 120 teams (30 teams for each category) are projected to land between April and June. Youngsters of age group 12-20 years will form bulk of the expected attendees. How nice experience it will be for the younger lot to play in the world’s largest seated capacity stadium! Not many of them would have otherwise gone to Rourkela as mostly  SubJr and Jr Nationals are organized in poorly maintained facilities.

The heart of their experience will be staying in the village. Exceptions apart, the teams participating in the age group nationals are always housed in not so comfortable accommodations. Having seem such arrangements on many occasions in the recent past, it feels nice now the youngsters will be staying in places where the world’s leading teams were during the recent World Cup!

Dilip Tirkey has already announced the teams will not be bothered with any fee for boarding and lodging. The gesture is being supported by the Odisha Sports Department.

Considering these free of cost offer, the age group that will be the beneficiaries and the past run of the mill experiences, there is no second opinion tan appreciating the authorities for the solid step they took in right direction.

When the fourth National would come to and end, nearly 2400 youngsters would have utilized the grand turf, availed the facility, stayed in the Games village and had lifetime of an experience.

This is the best legacy the Rourkela can leave behind.