Mirnawan: New tournament will help unearth more hockey talent
PETALING JAYA: Former international Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi (pic) was touched by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation’s (MHC) gesture to name an international tournament involving National Hockey Development Programme (NHDP) players after him.
The inaugural Mirnawan Cup will involve five NHDP teams – Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS), Tengku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI), Sports School Malaysia Sabah (SSM Sabah), Perak Schools Sports Council (MSSP) and NHDP Tigers – and they will be joined by India’s Sports Odisha, Japan and Singapore in the boys’ Under-17 event.
The girls’ Under-14 event will also have five local teams – SSTMI Girls, NHDP Central, NHDP North, NHDP South and NHDP East – together with Sports Odisha and Singapore,
Mirnawan, a renowned striker with 327 caps, is hopeful the tournament will be able to unearth potential players who can graduate to the national junior and senior teams.
“I feel touched and would like to express my gratitude to MHC, NHDP and National Sports Council (NSC) for giving me this honour although there are so many hockey greats in the country,” said Mirnawan in a recorded message from South Africa.
Mirnawan is currently in Potchefstroom as the team manager of Malaysia who will be playing in the Nations Cup from Nov 28-Dec 4.
The NHDP is an effort of the MHC in partnership with the NSC and Ministry of Education and was initiated last year where 4,000 players have benefitted from the programme.
NSC director general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail is hopeful that the Mirnawan Cup, the 12th tournament organised by NHDP this year, will grow and become an annual feature in the coming years.
“The Mirnawan Cup is a forward initiative to see the NHDP players getting international exposure with the teams from India, Japan and Singapore,” said Shapawi.
“India have a strong development programme compared to ours and this will help our players gain experience. It’s a good start, and it would not have been possible if not for the funding from the government.”
The group matches will be held beginning tomorrow while the semi-finals will be on Dec 1, followed by the final on Dec 3 at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.