On November 7, Hockey India made a remarkable move to give financial bonuses to players on both the men’s and women’s teams after a victory.
The decision was made just a few days after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) declared that equal match fees would be paid to the men’s and women’s teams after each cricket match.
According to the policy, HI will provide monetary prizes totaling Rs 25,000 to each member of the support staff and Rs 50,000 annually to the playing players of the men’s and women’s teams.
“As the Indian Teams get ready for the coveted World Cup in January and the Asian Games, I am convinced that this announcement would raise their spirits.
Despite the fact that every member of the core group is employed, a promotion like this will encourage more children to play hockey “According to a press statement from the president of HI.
Following the Indian junior men’s team’s victory at the 10th Sultan of Johor Cup, the governing board made announcements awarding each player Rs 2 lakh and each member of the support staff Rs 1 lakh.
According to HI Secretary General Bholanath Singh, it is a “landmark move” that would not only inspire the Indian teams to strive harder for triumphs but also inspire young, aspiring hockey players to feel that hockey can be a financially successful sport.
Bholanath Singh concluded by saying, “I wish the Indian teams all the best in their endeavors.
Hockey India offered cash awards for the players and the support personnel on Wednesday in an effort to further stimulate the Indian men’s hockey team as they prepare for a historic run at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela in January.
The National Governing Body for Hockey will award the players of the Indian team, captained by Harmanpreet Singh, with INR 25 lakh (£25,000) apiece for their achievement in winning a gold medal at the famous quadrennial event, while the members of the support staff will be recognised with INR 5 lakh (£5,000) each.
India last appeared on the World Cup podium in 1975 when they triumphed over Pakistan in the championship match played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Indian team’s potential cash reward
The players would receive INR 15 lakhs (£15,000) for a silver medal, and the support staff would receive INR 3 lakhs (£3,000) for their contributions to the campaign. In addition, if Harmanpreet and his team win a bronze medal, they would receive INR 10 lakhs (£10,000) each, while the support personnel will receive INR 2 lakhs (£2,000).
The decision to do the aforementioned was reached by the Hockey India Executive Board in a virtual meeting on Saturday, December 24, 2022, in an effort to raise the mood of the Indian Team ahead of the prestigious competition, in which 16 of the best teams in the globe will compete for medals.
“Being on the podium at a Senior Men’s World Cup is no easy feat, therefore we’re hoping that this announcement will further fuel the already competitive Indian Men’s Hockey Team’s desire for glory.
“One of the players’ fondest recollections from their illustrious careers would undoubtedly be winning a medal at a World Cup held at home. In preparation for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2023, Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, we send our warmest wishes to them,” according to a formal statement issued by HI, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey.
“Being the pride of the country, we want the Indian Men’s Hockey Team to reach all the sport’s highest elevations. We’ve announced this prize for the squad to assist them in doing that and to further spur them on to reach their goal.
“Our team is confident that Harmanpreet and co. will exert all of their effort to finish with a medal because they are very skilled and capable athletes,”according to Bholanath Singh, the secretary general of Hockey India.
In their third pool encounter, they will travel to Bhubaneswar to face Wales. Crossover matches on January 22 and 23 are the first round of the knockout round. The quarterfinals are on January 25, and the semifinals are on January 27. On January 29, the Final as well as the Bronze Medal game will take place.
Amit Rohidas, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Rajkumar Pal, and Jugraj Singh make up the Indian team. Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Sreejesh.
Dilip Tirkey, the newly elected president of Hockey India, is eager to bring back the Hockey India League, this time with a women’s division as well. HI is attempting to find a potential window in the global calendar for the same.
“Hockey India League is very important for Indian hockey. It is also very important for our young players because it will give them a good platform for gaining more exposure. We have asked FIH for a window in the international calendar,” Tirkey said in an exclusive interview with ESPN in Bhubaneswar, on the sidelines of FIH Pro League games.
Dilip Tirkey’s remarks
“We want to conduct it according to a league structure even if we believe we may have to do it over the course of five or six weeks. Whether or not we receive specific dates from FIH will rely on that. Accordingly, we’ll make plans “Added Tirkey
In contrast to the last HIL, women’s teams will participate in this year’s competition, and Turkey hopes that matches for the women’s teams will occur concurrently with those for the men’s teams.
“Women’s hockey is what we’re concentrating on. Concurrently, we aim to conduct women’s HIL. We’ll make every effort to resolve the issue “said Tirkey. “In the past few years, women’s hockey has advanced significantly. First time in Olympic history, they advanced to the semifinals. Furthermore, we intend to provide them with specialized training programs.”
Thierry Weil, CEO of the FIH, earlier acknowledged that Hockey India had contacted the organization and that both parties were attempting to find dates in a jam-packed international schedule.
During a news conference with journalists, Weil stated, “They asked to look at the world calendar to ensure that when they arrange their league, it is not conflicting with other key events.” I have no doubt that Hockey India and I will speak soon to determine when the HIL should take place.
Indian national teams were having a difficult time because they had fallen far behind on the international level when HIL entered the picture in 2013. The men’s team, which had eight gold medals at the Olympics between 1928 and 1980, missed qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Games and came in last at the 2012 London Games.
One of the main factors for the revival of Indian hockey was HIL, which continued till 2017. The players gained a lot from the experience, raising their levels of fitness and tactical understanding.
The league’s success was also significantly influenced by the participation of foreign players and coaches. The outcome was evident at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where the men’s team took home a bronze medal while the women advanced to the semifinals after defeating Australia.
However, Hockey India and Tirkey will still have to deal with problems including budgetary restrictions and a full international schedule, which were the causes of the HIL’s discontinuation following the 2017 edition.
When the Indian women’s hockey team had an outstanding performance and placed fourth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, it was viewed as a significant advancement. It was then viewed as evidence of their capacity to compete against the best when they finished third in the preceding FIH Pro League season.
This meant that they had a lot of hope going into the World Cup in July. Though it was anticipated that they would fight hard for a place in the semifinals, their disappointing ninth-place result marked the end of their trip.
The hockey squad led by Janneke Schopman then competed in the Commonwealth Games and succeeded in exceeding expectations by capturing the bronze medal.
There were some concerns about India’s overall progress as a result of the highs and lows it has experienced over the past year or so. Do they actually have what it takes to compete for a medal in big events? How soon will we be able to declare them the favorites?
The team’s performance in the just-finished FIH Women’s Nations Cup demonstrated that they are in the center of the pack. In order to go up a level or two, they will need to improve. However, they do have the players to compete and surprise higher-ranked teams occasionally.
Hockey: FIH Nations Cup champions that won
Because of COVID-19 constraints, Australia and New Zealand did not participate in the Pro League the previous time India participated in it. This time around, it was different. In a tense final, Savita Punia and company earned a spot in the Pro League for the following season by defeating Spain 1-0.
Spain attacked India aggressively, particularly in the second half, but India withstood the pressure, thwarted opportunities, blocked shots, and produced pivotal moments.
A similar style of performance was shown in the hockey semifinal matchup with Ireland. In the semifinals, where India trailed for the whole of the game, the offensive unit worked really hard to score an equalizer before the defense came up huge in the final. In the third quarter, the goal eventually came, and Savita finished the job in the penalty shootout.
India had similar severe pressure in the last period of their group stage encounter against Japan, who took third place in the competition, but still managed to win 2-1.
In the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup on Monday in Valencia, Spain, India held off a late comeback by Japan to clinch a 2-1 victory.
India beats Japan in women’s hockey
When Salima Tete changed direction and tackled two Japanese defenders inside the penalty area in the fifth minute, she gave India the lead. She then calmly finished the play by putting the ball beyond Eika Nakamura.
Then, in the 40th minute, a young Jharkhand player named Beauty Dungdung scored her first senior-level international hockey goal with a magnificent effort as she made her way through a determined Japanese hustle.
Rui Takashima’s goal in the 49th minute gave Japan a chance to tie the score, but India held on to earn their second victory in as many games despite Japan’s valiant effort in the final period.
In the tournament’s first game of Pool B, Pool B’s opening match saw India defeat Chile 3-1. Now in control of Pool B and on the verge of securing a position in the final four is the Savita Punia-led team, which has six points after two games.
In the event that Chile and South Africa, hockey players who are scheduled to play later on Monday, tie their game. Thus, India will advance to the semifinals. To guarantee their spot in the last four, they must draw with South Africa in their final league game on December 14 if they don’t.
India launched a barrage of attacks to start the game, and it was player of the match Tete who finally handed them the advantage with a brilliant finish. They could have easily scored a couple more, but the team led by Janneke Schopman’s coaching staff continued to struggle with their penalty corner conversions.
India received nine attempts from PC, but none of them could be converted because it remained their top priority.
In New Delhi, at the Major Dhyan Chand National Hockey Stadium, is the second iteration of the Senior Men’s Inter-Departmental National Championship for Hockey India (HI).
Harbinder Singh, an Olympian, and national selection committee member believes that this competition will provide young players with an excellent venue to display their abilities. The former India international discussed the significance of the event in a Sportskeeda interview.
Harbinder Singh responds to the hockey competition for the Inter-Department National Championship
Although the departmental tournament, which is being hosted after a two-year hiatus because of COVID-19, will be a great venue for talent spotting, there are no takers for domestic competition, at least not in Delhi. Very few people saw the event, unfortunately.
On Friday, there was a clear winner in every match from the preliminary round. In the league games, the Railway Sports Promotion Board defeated Central Industrial Security Force 10-0 while Punjab National Bank defeated Sashastra Seema Bal 11-0.
The league games on Saturday were also unfair. Except for the one where the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was defeated by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in a dramatic 3-2 victory during one of their league games.
With a 29-0 victory on Sunday, CAG exposed the BSES squad from Delhi. Sunday’s league games between the Railway Sports Promotion Board and the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board were both easily won.
The All India Police Sports Control Board was one of the 16 teams competing in the competition.
As soon as the competition reaches the quarterfinals, Harbinder believes it will be entertaining to watch.
There will not be any additions to the core group of the national men’s squad, according to the HI selector, as the team is in the last stages of World Cup preparation. The Indian team will compete in the March FIH Pro League games following the 2023 World Cup.
On Sunday, the Australian tour of the Indian men’s team came to an end. The spotlight would be on the national team because the World Cup is less than a month away. But in order to find undiscovered talent, the selectors will be paying attention to the current competitions.
