Training camps for hockey teams likely in second week of December

KARACHI: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is planning to organise training camps for the Pakistan senior and junior teams in the second week of December, 'The News' has learnt.

The camps will be held ahead of the planned twelve-match series between Pakistan Whites and Pakistan Junior sides.

According to a source, the training camps will be held at the National Hockey stadium in Lahore, where good training facilities and hostel rooms are available for players.

He said that federation is also interested in organising the four matches allotted to Punjab in small towns and cities in order to promote hockey at the grass root level. It will also utilise the newly-laid astro turfs in cities like Gojra, Jhang, Okara, Pak Patan, D.G. Khan, Qusoor, Shahkot where stadiums also have the facilities of floodlights.

Travelling from Lahore to these small towns and cities will also not be a big issue as most of them are connected to the motorway, he hoped.

He said that four matches after the training camps are likely to be held at the end of December or in the first week of January, adding that the PHF is also keeping an eye on the Covid-19 situation.

The second and third phase of the training camps will be held in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the conclusion of the first phase in Punjab.

The teams are playing the series as part of the preparations for the Junior Asia Cup to be held in Bangladesh, as well as the Asian Hockey Championship 2021 in March.

The schedule of Junior Asia Cup 2021 is yet to be announced by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF).