It’s time FIH distribute at least 1000 goalkeeper kit to all member nation schools

Hockey is mostly played by poor section of people, at least in this part of the world, which won almost all laurels for about 40-50 years continuously in the past.

However, field hockey is one of the costliest sports especially for schools, which has to cater variety of sporting disciplines to its wards.

A goalkeeper kit is the deadly weapon in the hockey’s development path. As every rule now is changed and favours fast game, it becomes all the more important and significant to have at least one goalie set for every team.

But not all can afford to.

Most schools in India which dares to play hockey, just keeps two kickers, two pads, and a chest guard, and that’s all. Technically, a goalie kit has 20 plus components.

This writer runs a project called One Thousand Hockey Legs; running hockey teams in 24 schools in Indian capital alone.

But till a few months ago, we had only six goalkeeper kits and rotated so skilfully to meet the demands of 24 schools.

We fielded 18 schools teams in the Delhi Waveriders Inter-School Hockey Cup early this year – and had only 6 goalkeeper kit!

Imagine our plight.

We were thankfully and fortunately saved from this dilemma by the generosity and hardwork of Duth goalie Jaap Stockmann, who ran a project called Chak De India in The Netherlands and got us many many goal keeper kit shipped to our door steps.

The reason why I all of sudden talk about goalkeeper kit is the because of today’s bad experience I had during the just commenced 32nd Nehru Sub-Junior Tournament.

The Tournament Director, a former Indian international, quoted a recent FIH rule change and demanded two goalkeepers, fully equipped, should form the team of 16.

Lo!

Otherwise the under-15 school team will not be allowed to play. She showed mercy so we complete the match, it was same for all other 7 teams too.

Well, we cannot blame her if the FIH Rule says so.

It is actually not possible for anybody to keep track of rule change in FIH.

FIH is antithesis of FIFA; that’s why hockey is where it is and footfall is where it is.

Only mad people or whatever genre, can only keep the pace of rule change in field hockey.

Certainly am not mad, so I don’t keep track of rule changes. Am fortunately not keen to have expertise on hockey rules and regulations.

Simply because I have many better and useful jobs to do.

If there are 16 players in the team, why it should have two goalkeepers with full kit?

It has any logic?

FIH on one hand allows play without even one goalkeeper and on the other stipulates two goalkeepers in the 16-member team.

Is it to motivate goalkeepers and promote them or to encourage sales!

Have anyone noticed how a school team goalkeeper carries his kit, commutes in public transports, and checks in in Metro trains?

Its almost punishment to be a goalkeeper in school team.

It is almost punishment to schools to take up hockey.

However, I find a positive in the two-goalie theory, and if this is implemented the global hockey will improve, and every country will have at least one Jaap Stockmann, Nicolas Jocobi, PR Sreejesh and the like in their ranks.

For that, the FIH should show some generosity and commitment.

That is, the FIH has to procure or produce goalkeeper kit in mass, and donate at least one thousand, if not more, to every hockey playing developing and underdeveloped country.

This can ease things for schools in most countries.

Because such kind of distribution will entail production of huge quantities of goalkeeper kit, leading to low costs. In this case, why only two goalie in 16 member school team, we can even have three!

Note: This is the recent rule change according to Tournament Director