Pak junior hockey team management to be named shortly

KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) will name the national junior team management in a few days, ‘The News’ learnt on Tuesday.

The PHF has decided to hold the national junior championship in December and January so that juniors’ progress could continue. The details related to the national junior team would be announced in a couple of days, sources said. PHF president Khalid Sajjad Khokhar and secretary Asif Bajwa discussed the affairs of national junior hockey in detail at PHF Lahore secretariat on Tuesday (today) , the sources said.

The 36th national junior championship is likely to be held in Lahore next month. Sources in PHF said that Netherlands federation had confirmed that their junior team would visit Pakistan.

The sources said that Germany had also agreed to play a reciprocal test series with Pakistan junior team in January and February next year. Besides, Pakistan junior team will also participate in Men’s Junior AHF Cup in Oman in December. The Green-shirts will also participate in the Junior Asia Cup and Junior World Cup, whose dates are yet to be finalised.

The PHF has already selected a pool of players for the training camp of national junior team. It was also learnt that some former greats of the game were trying to grab the positions of manager and coaches of the junior team. The PHF high-ups also discussed the prospects of Pakistan Hockey League (PHL) which has been delayed for the last couple of years for various reasons, including financial constraints.