We don’t want charity, say hockey players

BANGALORE/PUNE: Players at the Pune hockey camp on Monday got their monetary incentives for their achievements in 2009, with the Indian Olympic
Association president Suresh Kalmadi giving away the cheques in the morning.

But the surprise came later. The players were happy to note that money was pouring in after they had resorted to the strike but said they wouldn’t want anything more than what Sahara had earmarked for them, particularly if it came in the form of donations.

“We are happy with the money we have got today. However, we have heard that state governments, corporate houses and individuals have offered us crores of rupees. Even the cricket team is eager to help us. We will not accept the money if it is given to us as dole. We don’t need charity, we are not beggars,” said one player on condition of anonymity.

“Instead, they can come in as individual sponsors, help the game grow. We did hear one cement firm saying that it would be happy if we carried its logo. We will be glad to have its name on our sticks. So why not sponsor us? We think it is a lot more honourable striking a deal with a sponsor than accepting donations.”

Another player welcomed the flow of funds and said he wasn’t averse to the idea of team felicitations either. “There are times when we cannot dictate terms to people willing to pump in money. Team felicitation would be a good idea, if the donor is game for it. In the past, we have had people or organisations honouring us.” But what if monetary contributions continued from its well-wishers?

“We would want them to be in a corpus fund to be used for the needy in the hockey community. There are many players, past and present, who are struggling to make ends meet.

“They can be given the money. It can help in meeting their medical expenses or other emergencies. We went on strike so that the future generations do not suffer. We think the player fund will help a great deal in achieving the goals.”

These thoughts, permeating through the team, showed that the players were indeed keen on working on a module for posterity.

Meanwhile, a sizeable chunk of the Rs 1 crore, set aside by sponsors Sahara for the players, was given away to the coaches and support staff as well. The probables training for the South Asian Federation Games at Lucknow will receive the money soon along with the women’s hockey team, which had a memorable season last year with victory in the Champions Challenge II in Kazan and the silver medal in the Asia Cup in Thailand.

A maximum of Rs 4.5 lakh was earmarked for each of those who had figured in all the matches that mattered – the gold in the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament, silver in the Punjab Gold Cup, bronze in the Champions Challenge in Argentina, test series wins in New Zealand and Canada as well as the gold in the Junior Asia Cup. Gurbaj Singh got the maximum amount, it is learnt.

The other players received money pro-rata and according to the number of matches played. Kalmadi said the government would announce incentives for the team if they came up with a medal-winning performance at the New Delhi World Cup.

“More incentives are coming from various quarters. After the Hockey India elections, a long-term project will be put in place for the welfare of the players,” he said.

Prize money break-up: Sultan Azlan Shah Cup gold: Rs 1,00,000. Junior Asia Cup: Rs 75,000. Punjab Gold Cup silver: Rs 75,000. Champions Challenge bronze: Rs 50,000. Argentina series: Rs 50,000. Canada series: Rs 50,000. New Zealand series: Rs 50,000.