Local Hockey sounds int'l boards heralding its revival

There was a time when Lankans would talk about the Hockey exploits of the Aluvihares and the Fernandos, and make meek attempts to compare with present standards. Yes, at one point, our strikers were missing the boards by long yardsticks. But, of late, tho

(NationalMen’sCoach) (JuniorSLPlayer1995,MercantileHockeyCaptain2002)

he Sri Lanka (SL) Team participated in 3 International tournaments this year. The first one was at the South Asian Games (SAG) in India in JanuaryFebruary. The second was the World Hockey League 1st-Round held in Singapore in April, and the third was the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Cup in Hong Kong in November. But I must say it was Pakistan Consultant Coach Mohamed Aklag who was in charge of the team during the SAG Tournament, who made the difference. Overall, I think we have performed well in the last two tournaments. We emerged Runners-up in both these tournaments, which is probably a landmark in the history of Sri Lanka Hockey. Sri Lanka had earlier won the 4-Nations Tournament in Singapore in 1990. They also won the Asian Challenge Trophy in Thailand in 2014. In addition, Sri Lanka also won the 4-Nations Tournament held in Singapore in 2014. However, Sri Lanka have not been able to make their mark at Asian level.

In fact, this year, at the SAG, we were able to secure 4th position. But, I think, we performed creditably well at the Hockey World League 1st-Round in Singapore. We lost to China 6-5, in the final on a penalty shoot-out, after the game ended in a 3-3 draw at the end of extra time. The penalty shoot-out was something new to the boys, as they were more familiar with penalty strokes. This was probably one reason for the team’s setback. In the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Cup, we were forced to play two games back-to-back inside 8 hours. Our semi-final clash against Hong Kong was postponed due to heavy rain. As a result, we had to play the semi-final in the morning and the final against Bangladesh in the evening, on the same day. Our players were very tired going into the important final and could not play to their potential. Overall, I think, we have made steady progress because, in 2014, we lost 1-4 to Singapore at the Asian Games but, last month we were able to beat them 2-1. We have been able to make an impact as the Minister of Sports, Dayasiri Jayasekera has provided us with all the support needed, following our success at the Hockey World League. We continued with residential training at the Sports Ministry for 7 months and the players had really improved in their all-round performances. The selectors also did not make a great amount of changes to the squad, and we retained the same team which participated at the Hockey World League with one exception. I think we should have a coaching panel for the SL Team, if we are to move forward. The Head Coach should have 4 Assistant Coaches for different categories, namely Goalkeeping, Defending, Attacking and All-round. Then it will be easy for the Head Coach to initiate a master-plan. In addition, we should also have a video analyst, team doctor, physio, physical trainer, motivator and long term manager. If you take all top teams in the world such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Singapore, they all follow this pattern. I think SL Hockey has developed mainly due to InterSchool 11-a- side tournaments. Many players have emerged through this tournament. I think, we should also have National Pools for Under (U)-16, U-18 and U-21. These players should be included in an U-24 Development Squad. The two squads can then have practice matches to identify talented players who could represent the country. In the past, the game declined much mainly because of crises in Hockey administration, and not because of the players. We are certain of winning an international tournament next year, if the Sri Lanka Hockey Federation (SLHF) could work together with the Sports Ministry and continue the good work. We do not need foreign coaches, as we have sufficient top coaches at National level.

It is sad to note that the Hockey administration was in a crisis during the last two years. The main reason was due to a power struggle between two rival factions. In this background, the Sri Lanka Men’s Team has performed extremely well to emerge Runners-up at the Hockey World League 1st-Round in Singapore and at the AHF Cup in Hong Kong. The credit should go to the coaching staff, players and to the Sports Ministry. I can remember during the previous Hockey administration, the players were forced to find their own sponsorship to participate in overseas tournaments. Outstation players went through a lot of difficulties during this period, as they also had to find their own accommodation and even without a proper meal. But, after the Sports Ministry took over the SLHF, everything has fallen into place and the players are in a good frame of mind to focus on the game. Today, the SL Team is provided with 4- star hotel accommodation during overseas assignments. I think the Sports Ministry has done a wonderful job and they should continue to perform this task at least for another 2 years and then we will be in a good situation to win a major tournament. The main intention of the current Hockey administration is to make use of foreign tours and to hold on to positions at Asian level. We know Hockey is based mainly in Colombo, Matale, Kandy and in the Mercantile sector. However, we have come across a number of Hockey clubs and district associations which are only functioning for their namesake. They have never organised a tournament and neither have they participated in a major tournament. Although we have won some events at Asian level, still, we do not have a backup team to support the National team. We cannot be satisfied with the current standard at school level. We do not see clubs coming up. In addition, a few clubs in Matale are now defunct. We do not see many club tournaments. But the Mercantile sector is currently functioning well, as there are a lot of top players competing for their companies. These players have been provided with good employment by the private banks and other private institutions. We know Matale has provided some top class Hockey players in the recent past. But unfortunately, these players are not being well looked after by their respective clubs. As a result, some of the Hockey players are unable to find suitable employment for their survival. I think, these players would have benefited, had they also concentrated on their studies as well. We do not have a proper Hockey National level plan. We can’t see anyone keen on establishing one either. The National team is performing well, thanks to the untiring efforts of the players and the coaches.