Goalkeepers camp from August 18 in Lahore

KARACHI: PHF has established a goalkeepers academy and its first training camp will be held in Lahore from August 18 to 25, ‘The News’ has learnt. PHF aims to prepare a group of the country’s best goalkeepers for the training camp of national senior team, scheduled to be held in the same city in the last week of this month.

PHF secretary Olympian Asif Bajwa said that 10 goalkeepers have been shortlisted for the training camp of goalkeepers academy in Lahore on the basis of their performance in the recently concluded national championship.

Olympian Shahid Ali Khan will conduct the camp, Bajwa said. He said that after the training, four or five goalkeepers would be selected in consultation with Shahid, chairman national selection committee Olympian Manzoor Junior and manager-cum-head coach Khwaja Junaid for Pakistan’s training camp for Olympic qualifying rounds.

Olympian Shahid, when contacted, said that the goalkeepers would be trained keeping in mind future requirements of national hockey team. He said that Pakistan desperately needed a couple of world-class goalkeepers for international events. “Our goalkeepers’ performance has been poor in the past few years which affected our overall performance severely. If any team concedes a goal or two early in any game it is very difficult to stage a comeback,” he added.

He said that a comprehensive programme has been developed to prepare around 10 goalkeepers for Pakistan senior team, and under 16 and under-18 teams. “The juniors will gradually be promoted according to the requirements of international competitions,” Shahid said.

He said that after the senior team’s assignment a group of goalkeepers would be trained for the team that is to participate in the Junior Asia Cup 2019 and then Junior World Cup. Shahid said that the goalkeeper’s position in the senior team was open after the retirement of Imran Butt.

He said that all goalkeepers called to the camp have good height which is a plus point for the country. He said that he identified the goalkeepers during the national championship in Karachi. They include Waqar, Amjad, and Akmal Hussain.