In a first, MHA announces Rs 30 lakh profit
Hockey in Mumbai saw some resurgence with the arrival of World Series Hockey (WSH). If the return of crowds wasn’t enough, the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA) announced a profit of Rs 30 lakh during the Annual General Meeting held at the Mahindra Stadium yesterday. A committee member termed this as historic. He said, “I haven’t heard this since the time I have been playing hockey, which is a long time.”
On the other hand, the balance sheet threw up a fact that may not be as encouraging for the game in the city. In the financial year 2010-11, the MHA has spent more money fighting legal cases (Rs 7,66,498) — four in all — than the amount spent as tournament expenses (Rs 3,43,176).
“We can’t help it. These cases are not against individuals in the MHA, but against the association itself. If someone goes to court the MHA will need to defend itself,” an official told Mumbai Mirror. MHA secretary Gurbax Singh, however, clarified MHA’s stand. “It’s not that tournaments were not held at all. We could not conduct the Super League or the Gold Cup as the turf was not in the best of condition. We held all other leagues. Also, the stadium was undergoing a facelift,” he said.