PHF, Beaconhouse join hands to promote hockey

KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and Beaconhouse School System (BHSS) have joined hands to promote the national game at the school level.

They have agreed to work together to strengthen the game in the country. School hockey played a major role in providing young talent to Pakistan in the past, ‘The News’ learnt on Friday.

PHF’s director development and domestic Naveed Alam told this scribe that PHF had already announced the plans to hold Schoolboys Under-16 National Championships for which trials have almost been completed across the length and breadth of the country.

BHSS is one of the largest private school networks in Pakistan.

The aim is to introduce hockey as a regular discipline in the BHSS, with the PHF providing the coaches, Alam said.

A launching ceremony of this project was held at the Beaconhouse’s Sheikhupura campus. It was attended by Alam, BHSS Assistant Director Sports Ian Darlington, Manager Sports Tariq Sidhu, Coordinator Ms Saira, Coordinator Sports Ziauddin Burki, and School Head Basit Sajjad.

It will start from Sheikhupura and extend to Sargodha, Faisalabad and Hafizabad in the first phase. 

Not only boys but a couple of girls have also joined the coaching programme.

Speaking on the occasion, Darlington said hockey would soon become a popular game among the students of the BHSS. 

Alam said: “I feel proud that the Beaconhouse School System has chosen my home town to start the programme. Sheikhupura has given a number of players to the national team, including Olympic gold medalists and World Cup winners.”

He assured BHSS that PHF would provide all possible support and help to promote the national game including grounds for organising inter-school events.