Junior hockey championship preparation in full swing

KARACHI: The preparation for the 35th national junior hockey championship is in full swing and it will begin in Lahore from March 2.

Officials said PHF is trying its best to allocate a handsome amount of prize money for the championship.

They added that it would be the first time that a good amount of prize money would be given in the junior championship.

The official said that the prize money would be enhanced to make the national game popular and assure players that the game offers financial benefits and a bright future.

The qualifying rounds are being played in Peshawar these days which will end on February 28.

The PHF has organised a Level II coaching course for the coaches who work at the grassroots level. A total of 18 coaches from KP, FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad participated in the three-day course conducted by Colonel Nadeem Bhatti and Zahid Ali, who are FIH coach educators. The PHF had organised the first course in Karachi when national senior hockey championship was held.

The officials said that the next course of this series would be held in Lahore for Punjab-based coaches at the sidelines of the main round of junior championship.

PHF officials mentioned that along with the junior championship, the preparation for the girls national junior championship was also going on. It would be held in Islamabad from February 29 to March 5. Women hockey teams have started reaching Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the training camp of the senior team in Islamabad for the preparation of Sultan Azlan Shah tournament is also gaining momentum.

In first phase, 130 players are participating in the training camp. On Sunday (tomorrow), the national selection committee would shortlist 40 players for the second phase, said an official.

Officials said that after the junior championship, Pakistan will have a pool of more than 275 talented players at senior and junior levels. They said that PHF had a comprehensive plan to groom and use this talent in future.