Hockey League to help regain lost glory: Shahbaz Sr
Players also need jobs to meet the basic need: Shhebaz
ISLAMABAD (APP) - World Cup-winning skipper Shahbaz Ahmed Senior has asked Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to work on holding the Pakistan Hockey League (PHL) to achieve self-autarky.
“I believe that sooner or later the federation would have to hold the league. I’ll suggest it that it is the high time to start working on the league,” Shahbaz told APP.
The PHL was announced in 2016 but the project was postponed due to various reasons.
“Besides benefiting PHF financially, the league will prove a landmark in regaining the lost glory of hockey and will help rebuild our supremacy in the game,” Shahbaz said.
Shahbaz said if PHF could generate enough money from the league to manage annual commitments of the game, then they would not have to ask the higher authorities for grants.
“A facility like National Hockey Academy should be established in Islamabad where we can train players the whole year around having basic facilities like pool, gym, education and a hostel for the players,” he said.
Shahbaz, who was the only player to win two consecutive ‘Player of the Tournament’ awards in the 1990 World Cup in Lahore and in the 1994 World Cup in Sydney, was of the view that we need to groom the under14, U16 and U18 players for future.
“A proper grant was needed according to the national hockey’s sports calendar and training commitments,” he said.
The former PHF secretary was of the view that if a proper grant was set for PHF then it could manage the game from the grass-root to top level. “We also need to educate the players to meet the international standards. Our players lag behind as they do not have a proper diet, training facilities and education,” he said.
Shahbaz said players also need jobs to meet the basic needs. “I still get a handsome amount annually from the department I work in, therefore jobs play a vital role,” he said.
