The last time Shivaji Stadium hosted any match was way back in 2006, when the Nehru hockey tournament was held at the venue. Since then, it has been a sad story for a stadium that has been considered the nursery of the national sport in the national capital. But now, after six long years, the stadium will again host a competition – and it will be the one that has been synonymous with not only the stadium but also the best in domestic hockey in the country, the Nehru hockey competition in various categories.
The stadium was shut down for renovation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games but was not ready in time. It took two more years to get the stadium ready to play and this year, with new air-conditioned changing rooms, floodlights, new turf and a new sprinkler system, the Nehru hockey tournament will return to what had been its permanent home since inception.
Situated near Connaught Place, the heart of Delhi, Shivaji Stadium has been witness to all the big players of Indian hockey plying their skills in the Nehru hockey tournament for more than half a century. Formed in 1964 to further the development and promotion of hockey in India — specially after the shock of 1960 Olympics, when India failed to win gold for the first time — the Nehru hockey tournament has been one of the major contributors of new talent to Indian hockey, more so with its various age-group tournaments – the junior boys and girls and the sub-junior boys tournaments. The Nehru Champions Colleges tournament is perhaps the only all-India level tournament for colleges that sees quality participation from all over.
While several high-profile names have been associated with the tournament over the years, there have also been people like late Shiv Kumar Verma and KG Kakkar, people who sacrificed their entire lives for the game and made sure that Nehru hockey tournaments would remain the premier domestic competition in the country for so long. Their presence at every single match every year was a reassuring that nothing would go wrong in the organizing of the tournament.
Action this year will begin from October 8, when the 19th junior girls tournament (under-17) kicks off. Twenty-two teams will be participating in the competition with seven seeded directly into phase 2 and the rest in phase 1. The competition will end on October 18, and the same day will see the 30th sub-junior boys tournament (under-15) get underway for 10 days. The 41st junior boys tournament (under-17) will be held from October 28-November 14, the 49th senior men’s tournament from November 14-25 while the 20th Champion Colleges tournament will be held, after the winter break, from February 28-March 5, 2013.
Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Tournament Society (JNHTS) secretary Kukoo Walia explained that the competition’s return to Shivaji Stadium would boost the popularity of the game again. “The stadium used to be full of crowds earlier because of its location and proximity to easy access of public transport. We are sure people will come again now that the tournament returns to its home,” he said.
Besides the illustrious history of the competition, Nehru hockey has also been a pioneer in giving prize money to the players and teams to further add incentives. This year, except for the senior men’s tournament, all other competitions will have a prize purse of Rs 2,50,000. The senior men’s tournament, on the other hand, has already been allotted a prize purse of Rs 4,95,000 and Walia said he was hopeful of adding to the kitty by the time the actual competition started.
Not just that, the various competitions this year all have managed to rope in sponsors. While NDMC, which owns the stadium, will be sponsoring the junior girls event, ONGC will be main sponsors for the senior men’s event and SAIL for the Champion Colleges tournament.
Walia said talks are in final stage with PNB for sponsoring the junior boys event. What is most heartening is the fact that Hockey India has agreed to come forward and bear the entire cost to sponsor the sub-junior boys event, keeping in mind the future talent and development of the sport and to groom new youngsters for the national team. While the decision is not yet official, Walia said Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra had assured that the HI general body had agreed in principle to the proposal.
There is also a proposal to host the Champions Colleges tournament in Gwalior, with Walia saying that the Madhya Pradesh government was willing not only to host the tournament but also provide all facilities, including the stay and stadium, free of cost. He also said that the MP government was also likely to add to the prize money, making it a beneficial proposal.
The organizers have also planned to hold the semi-finals and finals of the various competitions, depending on the importance and interest levels, under lights in the evening to attract more crowds. Which means, after a long gap, there will again be a hockey buzz around Shivaji Stadium – something old-timers cannot wait for.
Pic captions:
Middle: Nehru Society honouring Dilip Tirkey on him getting elected Member of Parliament
Bottom: Majestic Shivaji Stadium, symbol of Delhi hockey, comes alive with this year’s Nehru Cup series
……………………The 2012-13 calendar:…………………………….
19th Nehru girls hockey tournament (under-17) — October 8-18
30th Nehru sub-junior boys hockey tournament (under-15) — October 18-28
41st Nehru boys hockey tournament (under-17) — October 28-November 14
49th Nehru senior hockey tournament – November 14-25
20th Nehru Champion Colleges hockey tournament — February 28-March 5, 2013
……………………Proposed prize money:…………………………….
Girls tournament, Sub-Junior boys tournament,
Jr. Boys tournament, Champion Colleges tournament: Rs 2,50,000 each
Senior Nehru Cup: Rs 4,95,000
………………………..Defending teams:………………………………….
Girls tournament: Govt. senior secondary school, Shahbad (Haryana);
Sub-Junior boys tournament: Town High School, Sundergarh (Orissa);
Boys tournament: Govt. Model Senior Secondary School, Ladowali (Punjab);
Senior tournament: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation