K. ARUMUGAM

“Youngsters, 15-18 years of age do not have any platform to display and develop their potential. All that they have is once-in-a-year Nationals. The grassroot program that I released last week addresses this long neglected issue that plagues our domestic hockey structure. We provide a sequence of annual, graded competitions that should fill up the vacuum”.  Thus spoke Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey on reasons behind Hockey India’s new area of operation.

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey firmly fixes his eyes on where it needed the most, grassroots.

Dilip spoke with https://.stick2hockey.com exclusive on his new mission and ambition to make domestic hockey as much vibrant and purposeful as possible.

His four-point Grassroot program, it seems, is just a beginning of a serious of events that would come up in the days to come for the identified age groups.

“I wish to synergize new events with the existing eco-system so that a player of age 15 onwards get to play a major championship each year of his formative years”, he outlined.

It is gathered that as a first step four Zonal Championships will Zonal XI team will be formed. They will be joined by two best Academy teams and equal number of teams from Sports Authority of India hostels. It is envisaged to have a league out of these 8 teams.

The roadmap also includes skill specific training for the selected zonal boys. Each Zone will have a Training Centre each.

“The East Zone centre will be at Rourkela. We are in the process of locating other Zonal centres,” said the legend of our times. 

Interestingly, these centres will have goalkeeping & drag-flick specialists to prepare a battery of game changing penalty corner experts, ready to move upwards in the national teams.

“We should have adequate number of penalty corner experts and goalkeepers with us for the nation’s duty.  The process for which should start at young age which we would identify during the Zone events and then in the league which is also in our mind (plan). We all know the winning teams have best penalty corners in their ranks”.

He also lets us know the challenge is gigantic and all out efforts are being made to fill up the historical vacuum meaningfully and purposefully.

In the end of the long process, encompassing all target age groups, we will have a bubbling and energetic national Under-16 and Under- 18 teams. We will leave no stone unturned to give them first national experience followed by international”, asserts Dilip.

The Process:

1. 18-20 best players will be selected from each Zone Championship to form a combined ZONAL team.
2. Similarly, two teams out of the identified talents from the Academy Nationals will be selected.
3. Two teams from the Sports Authority of India’s various Sports Hostels will be identified.
4. These 8 teams will play a League.
5. Best players of the League graduate to Under-16 and Under-18 National teams.
6. These two teams, together with existing Under 21 combo will act as a feeder to senior national team.