There is a dire need to promote the sport in schools: Hockey Karnataka

Vasudha Zora | NT

Bengaluru:

Anjaparvanda B Subbaiah and Raghunath Vokkaliga, the secretary and vice president of Karnataka State Hockey Association, famously known as Hockey Karnataka, share their views on recent interventions, statistics and strategies taken to keep the sporting spirit of hockey alive in the state.

Arjuna awardee AB Subbaiah believes that Hockey Karnataka has grown over time, and that the association committee takes great pride in development of its men’s and women’s teams, as most of the governing body includes old-time stalwarts of the sport. When News Trial asked him about the objective of the association, V-P Raghunath said, “We want to promote our Under 17 and 19 teams.

We also want hockey to expand in all districts of Karnataka, for which we are ready to provide necessary facilities and appropriate training to prepare youngsters for the big leagues.” The association has players coming from all corners of Karnataka, a majority of them having benefitted from state and district schemes, like accommodation and sporting facilities.

Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports and Sports Authority of India broadly caters to young players and is currently hosting 150 such based on their division in Bengaluru. Raghunath said that about 60 players each who form the men’s and women’s teams here of different age groups are mostly from Dharwad, Hassan, Mysuru, Kodagu, Hubballi and Ballari districts.

On being asked about the current status of the sport in the country, Subbhaiah said, "Hockey India League gave players the recognition they deserved. Winners of the nationals made it to auctions in different grades, where they were handsomely rewarded for their contribution to the sport." "This year, Hockey India is going to introduce SubJunior Camps, which will see the participation of Under-18 players.

We also encourage our players to play international championships. Some of them have been to Malaysia, Bangladesh and Muscat. In aspects of nutrition and recovery of sports injuries, diets are designed by nutritionists. During tournament times, specialised diets are followed and medical check-ups held.

Coaches who train these players are legendary players, who keep the players motivated and disciplined," he added. Raghunath also revealed that the hard work of a number of international players and coaches has gone into shaping the Indian players. “They have been kind enough to highlight our mistakes and urged us to work on them and due to this practice our players are getting better at the game, which keeps them interested.”

He shared that Hockey Karnataka is sponsored by Indian Oil, Canara Bank, Micro Labs as well as CSR funds. The centre has introduced training programmes for 75 selected athletes to commemorate the country’s 75th Independence Day and accommodated seven hockey players. Being a hockey player gives job security, as the Railways, Police, Customs, Airlines and a number of public sectors employ them.

That’s why most sportloving people opt for hockey, said Subbaiah, going on to add, “Hockey provides good exposure to players. They get to play with and share locker rooms alongside legendary players. Hockey matches are telecast live, with more and more leagues being entertained by sports channels.” When asked what Hockey Karnataka needs today, the V-P said, “We want young aspiring players to enjoy the game.

We at the association pay attention to their fitness, and wish to project the same to the rest of the country – to remain healthy and happy. We will be working towards producing more and more talented players. We are in conversation with many schools in Bengaluru to promote hockey as there is a decrease in school hockey.

When we were children, we engaged in a lot of inter-school and then inter-colle ge leagues, which brought a sense of competition at a comfortable level. This is one of the challenges we need to overcome, so we can bring in more young talent and mould them into good players.