Is professionalism the answer

By Ramu Sharma – Syndicate Features

Should Indian hockey go professional? This very important issue seems to be engaging the minds of former stars, some turned coaches, as the falling standard in the game continue to draw attention. Ever since India failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, experts and those interested in the game and its welfare have been quite absorbed in finding a solution.

A recent report quoted former India captain and Coach Vasudevan Bhaskaran suggesting that the federation should pay its selectors and coaches in order to ensure their commitment. In fact Bhaskaran wanted the IHF to change its rule and remove the amateur tag it follows. After all professionalism has not affected the participation of tennis and football players in the Olympics.

There is considerable logic in the demands of the hockey stars. Earlier Olympics Games boasted of being purely a competition for amateurs. But that is no longer the case. Professionals are allowed to compete and they do so. Money is the main theme even in the Olympic. India as usual has stuck to the old rules in hockey, the only game where it had some say and where at one stage, it ruled the world.

The Indian stars want the IHF to emulate Pakistan and start paying money to its selectors and players. Why not go a step further and start a professional hockey league and at the same time convert the national championship into a money spinner. As it is quite a number of Indian players are active in professional leagues in Europe and elsewhere. There is no reason why India can’t have its own professional clubs, tournament and so on. Money is a big incentive and perhaps it will help in improving the standard of the game as well.

Professional hockey at the highest lever could also improve the standard of umpiring. At present supervision in Indian is generally not of a very high standard. And India does not have much weightage on the international platform. In fact India and Pakistan just do not have much say in the rules and regulations of the game these days.

All this will change if Indian hockey goes professional, at least at the national level, encouraging the formation of professional clubs and approaching big business houses to contribute. It will take some time but a start should be made and soon.