­Hockey championship for regions to have 60 teams

KARACHI: The national hockey championship for regions will be held in the last week of March with 60 teams from across the country participating, ‘The News’ has learnt.

Informed sources said that PHF director development and domestic Naveed Alam is busy in the preparation of the championship.

Recently the PHF organised National Championship only for departments, claiming that it wanted to raise the standard of the championship.

PHF had announced that for regional teams a separate championship would be held so that local players who could not find a place in the departmental teams might demonstrate their skills.

Qualifying rounds will be played in Islamabad, Sukkur and Bahawalpur.

The sources said three teams each would represent Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Bannu and Abbottabad because there was abundance of hockey talent.

Alam told ‘The News’ that PHF was trying to organise the main rounds of the championship as per the wish of sponsors “because we want to give a handsome amount in prize money to attract local players and popularise the national game once again in the country.

“This championship will be a big breakthrough in domestic hockey and those who say hockey has finished will be silenced.

“PHF worked hard during the last one year at the grassroots and activated hockey at district, division and club levels. The result is that hockey is spreading fast once again and those divisions which had been dormant for many years are now ready to form two teams.”

Alam said that PHF had allowed the regions to include three departmental players each to strengthen their squads.

He added that the event was being organised with the help of regional associations, provincial governments and districts’ administration.