In Mumbai Mumbai players have had their share of conflicts with the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA), however, in a recent move to give the sport a shot in the arm, the MHA set up P6, a six-member body comprising Viren Rasquinha (convenor), Anil Aldrin, Darryl D’Souza, Davinder Kumar, Cornelis D’Costa and Edgar Mascarenhas. The move is aimed at preparing a roadmap to restore the sport to its past glory in the city.

In an interview with Mumbai Mirror, Rasquinha, a former international, who was part of the national team at the Athens Olympics, spoke about the level of hockey in the city, the P6 and its role in helping the sport sound the board once again.

Excerpts

Whatare your thoughts on the performance of Mumbai’s subjunior side in the recently-concluded nationals?

The Mumbai team played well, although the goalline may not suggest so. The fact that our boys were inexperienced and had never played any all-India tournament, the performance was commendable.

Secondly, there is no doubt about the existence of overage players. But I am glad that Mumbai is making sure that boys with the right age are playing. There is a lot of talent and potential and we need to just build on longterm development plans for sub-juniors and juniors.

Does Mumbai need more schoollevel tournaments?

There are enough inter-school tournaments. But, the overall quality of school hockey has stagnated over the years. The coaching at school level is very poor as a result talented youngsters are not being taught the right things. The sub-junior team was selected with boys from various schools, but they were really found wanting when you matched them up against other teams.

Where does Mumbai hockey stand today?

The standard of Mumbai hockey has fallen in the last 10 years. And the primary reason is lack of tournaments. The standard of school hockey is weak; college and university hockey is nonexistant. Our leagues are ground to a standstill. Companies and corporates are not offering jobs any more. So there is lack of incentives. In the last 10-15 years we’ve had few faces in the Indian team to identify Mumbai hockey. We had Dhanraj Pillay, then me, then Adrian D’Souza and now Yuvraj Walmiki. For a traditional powerhouse like Mumbai this is a poor output.

Were you happy with the turn out for the recent sub-junior tournament?

Throughout the year we don’t get players who’d even turn up for trials. It’s because of people like Merzban Patel (Bawa) that the interest at grassroots level is kept alive. Partly, the fault lies with the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA). When I was playing, there were regular summer camps, besides inter-school tournaments. When there is regularity, you will see better results and you’ll see more boys participating.

Has in-fighting damaged Mumbai hockey’s image?

There is no doubt about it. There general perception is that hockey is in news only for the wrong reasons. It’s either for in-fighting or fighting on the pitch and that’s bad for the game. Having said that, I am extremely positive that the association right now is in good hands, people with vision and maturity are there. With the players panel in existence I am sure things will change for the better.

With the formation of the P6, is Mumbai on the road to recovery?

P6 is just one of the things to improve the standard of Mumbai hockey. We don’t have a magic wand that will help the team win the junior and senior nationals and have five players in the Indian team. No, this is not going to happen. But it’s a step in the right direction. Each and every member of the panel has represented India with great distinction. We must fall back on our collective expertise. Till now we never had a platform to contribute to Mumbai hockey.

How much say do MHA office bearers have in P6?

There is a lot of transparency and authority MHA have given us to look after the technical aspects on the field of play. For instance looking after selection matters, training camps and coaching all age groups – sub-juniors, juniors and seniors (both men and women). They have given us assurance that our recommendations will be implemented.

Do you feel the majority of Mumbai players have stayed away from MHA because of its politics?

Absolutely, I too stayed away from MHA due to its politics. I only want to make a contribution to hockey on the field and improve its standard. But if politics takes the precedent, then none of the players want to be apart of it.

Every former player in Mumbai wants to make a difference, they don’t care whether Hockey India is incharge or Indian Hockey Federation is in-charge. All they want is good hockey, regular tournaments and Mumbai to be in the news for hockey and not politics.

Will the players who attended IHF-organised nationals camp recently be accepted in the camp that begins today for HI’s nationals?

Every player will be welcomed with open arms when the trials begin, whether junior or senior. Every single player, it doesn’t matter whether he played for IHF or WSH or HIL. We want the players to turn up and help Mumbai regain its lost glory.

What are the long-term plans of the P6?

We are introducing physical trainers, we’ve got physios. We plan to identify the right coaches for various age groups. We are going to put programmes in place, have regular interactions and seminars with all our school and grassroots level coaches.