Nostalgia and hockey in the real world

As hockey takes a step forward to cover lost ground in India, ESPNSTAR.com explores the road that was and the future.

Watching a couple cross the sub-lanes of Purana Qila Road, heading towards India Gate clutching the hand of a child at around 9 p.m. is not an unusual sight. It’s that time of the night when you normally find people around Lutyens Delhi, out for a refreshing stroll. The India Gate circle, facing the President’s House on Raisina Hills provides a background, perfect for painters and ice cream connoisseurs.

You are bound to get a little nostalgic. “There’s nothing like childhood,” said my friend as we crossed the road separating the Gallery of Modern Art and the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium said.

As we headed towards Gate No. 2, the designated media entry gate, we had to stop.

“Excuse me, can you tell me where the gate number four is?” asked the same couple we thought was heading towards India Gate.

The hockey stick in the youngster’s hands evoked interest. Finally, here was someone to look beyond cricket. But that optimism was short-lived.

Empty seats and larger-than-life sponsors’ hoardings greeted us inside Stadium. Over 200 hockey stars have signed up for the World Series Hockey and with prize money of US$ 2 million, you would expect good numbers in the stands as there’s no dearth of hockey lovers in the capital.

To think of it, the stands were jam-packed show when India took on France in the finals of the Olympic qualifiers.

What’s the reason for this dwindling crowd?

“See, this is Delhi and you know the reality here. Those who stay the upmarket areas normally don’t turn up to watch hockey. People who do come here are from as far as suburbs like Noida and Gurgaon. Its 11 p.m. by the time match gets over and you don’t find any transport to reach home,” says a guard at the stadium.

His reaction reflected how the organisers of the mega event failed to address such a basic problem. After all, hockey must connect with people.

“It is indeed sad that the biggest challenge that the Indian hockey faces today is from within,” said Aslam Sher Khan, a former Olympian and member of India’s victorious World Cup team of 1975.

“There are two factions at the moment, which is an obvious impediment to the growth of the game. Hockey India and the Indian Hockey Federation will have to bury their differences so that we can see top stars participate. That will alone bring back the fans to the stadiums,” he said.

“The organisers of the World Series Hockey do understand that hockey has huge possibilities as far as revenue is concerned. However, by ignoring the local guys and local conditions, the cash-rich league has failed to connect itself to people,” Aslam Sher Khan further added.

On the ground, the tournament has so far created all the right noises with 91 goals after 16 matches, which averaged about six goals per match.

“The WSH is definitely a good start. The tournament is drawing good crowds in some centres like Chandigarh and Bhopal. However, in Delhi and Jalandhar, we can see the difficulty. Commute is of course an issue,” says New Delhi-based hockey expert, K Arumugam.

“It is surprising to see people not turning up in places like Jalandhar – known to be India’s hockey hub. Even the local franchises have to see that by just giving ads through large hoardings won’t help. Centres like Bhopal and Chandigarh reached out to various academies and schools to attract crowds. The efforts have definitely paid off,” Arumugam added.

But there is optimism in his voice. “Stakes are high in WSH. On some days, there are even three matches being played. To bring it live to your drawing room from three different centres has its own logistics and it needs encouragement,” Arumugam said.

“It is a first-of-a-kind experiment in India. We can expect good numbers as the tournament reaches the knock-out stage,” he adds with optimism.

(To be continued…)