Windfall for Indian hockey
Never mind all the false dawns preceding this one, but the indefatigable goodwill for hockey in India means there will be no dearth of attempts to revive a sport that fell into a shocking slumber and remains controversy-ridden. Still, World Series Hockey — a 10-week, city-based league formally launched by Nimbus Sport and Indian Hockey Federation, was unveiled in the city on Tuesday, and in a show of strength for this new development, the inauguration had top-lined India players Sandeep Sigh and Sardara Singh, amongst others who were present on the ocassion.
Promising monetary incentives to the tune of Rs 40-50 lakh per year for the top players, Harish Thawani, chairman, Nimbus, proclaimed that the league planned for between November and February with a franchise-based system would safeguard the players’ interests as far as turning out for India went. He also urged everyone with the best interest of hockey on their mind to not build roadblocks (read: Hockey India) and stated that he would seek legal recourse if the league players were stopped from donning national colours.
Amidst all the bickering of the IHF and Hockey India, players remained hopeful that they would be permitted to play in this league which threw up some staggering figures like a prize winners kitty of over $1 million. Thawani informed that the 10 scheduled franchisees would be granted rights for 15 years, but would be obliged to split their spending three-ways — on building the team, for development of hockey like academies, and squarely for infrastructure which many claim has hampered growth of hockey in the country.
NBA-style player auction
He claimed that four ‘hockey-loving business families’ would earn the franchisee-rights on invitational basis while the rest would be soon announced, and be based out of 10 venues, though 18 were identified as possibilities before its inaugural season in November 2011. “I don’t like cattle auction of players as there is in certain leagues,” Thawani said, adding that a Draft system would be in place — as is followed in the NBA — for the 160 Indian players and 60 internationals. He promised that sponsors had shown interest — as had corporates — for a model that could be sustained over a long-term. “We will offer high-definition covearge of hockey,” he promised, amongst other things, adding that the venture was essentially differnt from hockey’s earlier experiment of PHL which catered more to television. “This will have home and away games, and a franchise system. We’ll broadbase support,” he added.
On Hockey India secretary Narendra Batra’s warnings that players’ selection to India could be affected, Thawani first dismissed HI as a “piece of paper and some personnel” and later went on to state that, “If anyone thinks they have the unilateral right of stopping players by not paying any heed to ‘restraint of trade’ they can meet me in court. How can anyone throttle a players’ career?” he said, adding that he’d welcome if HI personnel came on board and helped Indian hockey.
The obvious parallels with cricket’s now-folded up rebel ICL league are evident as battle lines get drawn, though in parading some of India’s top contemporary names and announcing others like Shivendra Singh, Tushar Khandekar, Rajpal Singh Bharat Chhetri and Arjun Halappa, World Series Hockey has managed to rope in a bulk of the national campers. 37 of the 40 in the camp had confirmed, Thawani added.
There are valid fears of HI using players’ employers to cajole them away from signing up, but a player present here requesting anonymity said, “If they want to see the bigger picture and have players’ interest in mind, they won’t put such hurdles. Whatever’s happening is good for Indian hockey and will help players financially.”
Former India captain Sandeep Singh was more a picture of bravado when saying, “As of now we’ve not got any phone call from anyone telling us to not play here. It’s for the first time that hockey players will earn such high amounts, and it’s good for the future of the game. As far as selection for India goes, jab tak dum rahega toh India ke liye khelenge.”
Starting problems?
Still, there’s apprehensions that the sport with its multitude of court cases and factions might not permit a smooth conduct of the league. “It is for the players’ benefit and if public sees our good performance they will know that if we’re not picked for India it’s because of politics. I hope the fighting stops and we welcome this league, and I’m sure it will all turn out well” Sardara Singh said, a touch naively, even as Adrian D’Souza urged for a planned calendar so that there’s no clash of dates with the India team schedules.
Interestingly, the Champions Trophy will be played in India in November 2011 while the nation’s all-important Olympic qualification campaigns will get underway in February 2012, meaning that the inaugural edition will walk a tightrope.