Harpal Singh Bedi
New Delhi, 10 August: Hockey India on Thursday named former captains Sardar Singh, and Rani Rampal mentorship and Coach’s respectively of Sub-Junior Men and Women camp will be for 45-50 days and will commence from 21st August, at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela, which has state-of-the-art facilities. The camp will then be followed by international matches in Europe – Belgium and the Netherlands.
A total of 40 players will be selected for each the Sub-Junior Men and Sub-Junior Women camps. The players have been chosen on basis their recent performances in the Hockey India Sub-Junior National Championships.
A qualified coaching staff consisting of coach, two assistant coaches, two physios, two masseuse and a trainer will be accompanying each team.
Talking about the initiative, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey said, “We believe it is crucial to induct players in this age group to a programme that is on the same lines of the junior and senior camps that are ongoing in SAI, Bengaluru. Besides this, we are happy to welcome icons of the game – Sardar and Rani – both of whom are accomplished players themselves and have achieved accolades at the highest levels. They will be fabulous mentors for these young players.”
Reacting to his new assignment Sardar Singh said, “This is a wonderful initiative by Hockey India. It is very important to have a uniform program at the national level for this age group. I have always enjoyed working with youngsters. I look forward to this stint and experience the world-class infrastructure in Rourkela.”
Rani Rampal also emphasized on the importance of a strong national program in this age category. She said, “Following the same methods as that of the junior and senior programs is a big step forward in creating a uniform training for grassroots level players, so in the future they won’t find it difficult to adapt when they progress to junior or senior national camps.
“The playing structure will also be similar to what’s followed by the senior teams so, I believe this camp will be a big step forward in the growth of the sport. All in all, our complete focus will be on the all-round development of sub junior players and our aim will be to prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead.” she addedMeanwhile HI announced the revival of the Hockey India League (HIL) by officially approving the financial model proposed by the commercial agency Big Bang Media Ventures Pvt Ltd for the Hockey India League following which, the agency will formally go into the market for Hockey India League.
“Last month, we convened to review the HIL revival plans proposed by our marketing agency, and today the Executive Board officially approved the financial model proposed by the Big Bang Media Ventures Pvt Ltd for the Hockey India League, and we arrived at the decision to let the agency officially step into the market for the Hockey India League. This tournament is intended to produce very high-quality hockey, which will help elevate the game even further,” he added.
“I believe that the Hockey India League is crucial for the development of the sports not just in India but across the globe because it provides a unique opportunity for our Indian hockey players, as well as foreign players, to elevate their game by competing alongside and against top talents from other national teams,” added Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh