Where has all the love for our national game gone?

I still remember the days when we used to play. The stadiums used to be jam-packed, like we see in cricket today. We felt proud to play the national game, we still feel proud. But things have changed so fast… Today empty stands stare at you from the same stadiums, even in a tournament final! It’s not that we used to play better hockey than today’s players; it’s just a combination of many factors that has led to the fans’ disenchantment.

True, a big chunk of the blame goes to the people who have been at the helm of affairs. But I think the bigger reason behind the empty stands has been our failure to market the game properly. The game has changed worldwide, but we have not changed. One positive step ahead is always followed by 10 steps backwards.

No, I don’t think it’s because of a dip in performance. If that’s the case, why do crowds still throng local football matches? What’s our performance in football? Even now, we are among the top 10 hockey nations in the world, and still have the potential to become world-beaters . If we have to bring the fans back, we need to make the game more spectator-friendly , make it more glamorous, rebuild its image, give it more visibility, like they have done with cricket.

The IPL is a great example. We can’t sleep on past laurels. The Premier Hockey League (PHL) was such a great concept. The game got visibility, the players got money, the fans got quality hockey to watch, and it also helped unearth talent. But the sponsor should also get something in return for spending so much which ESPN didn’t get, thanks to the apathetic attitude of the then IHF.

SOLUTION:

First and foremost, we need to imbibe a sporting culture in the country. For that to happen, we have to take the game to the schools and colleges, and also develop infrastructure. During our days, most of the schools and colleges in Mumbai had a hockey team. Today, it’s difficult to find even 10 teams. It’s our national game, for God’s sake.

There are more astro-turfs in a town in Holland, or Spain, than we have in the entire country. It’s something for the government to look into. A credible ruling body is what we need. The fans will be back, the sponsors will come too, but we need to change the situation at the ground level for that to happen. This is no time to play the blame game.

Everyone should chip in to save the game from disappearing completely from the national psyche.