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The biggest stars, the best coaches, extensive television coverage and massive funding. Sounds like a dream recipe for any successful league in the world.
The World Series Hockey (WSH) has all these and more. But instead of inspiring unmitigated jubilation and excitement among the hockey fraternity, it has turned into a source of friction and controversy.
In a way, the brouhaha around the WSH seems eerily familiar. It is just one of the many instances when what initially promised to emerge as a new, confident dawn heralding a return to the top of the hockey world has turned into yet another sunset of despair. That is the tragedy of Indian hockey.
With Hockey India (HI) and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) vying for control over the national game, the WSH, which has the potential to give a huge boost to the sport, has been reduced a pawn in the tussle for power.
The HI has alleged that since the WSH is scheduled to be held from December 15 to January 22, it will hamper the Indian team's preparations for the 2012 London Olympics. This view has been backed by former India captain and Olympic champion Ajit Pal Singh, although he asserted that the cash rich tournament will prove to be beneficial for the national game in the long run.
"WSH will be beneficial for Indian hockey. Starving hockey needs money. It will bring in much needed money and publicity into the game. It would be beneficial for the players. Their future will be secure financially," Ajit Pal Singh told The Pioneer.
"They Indian player will also be playing with some of the best players and coaches. This will help them to improve their game. The youngsters, in particular, stand to gain a lot," he added.
Carl D'Costa, Managing Director of Nimbus, who are the organizers of the WSH, however denied that the star studded tournament will prove to be hindrance for the national team's preparation for the 'biggest show on earth'.
"The WSH is in December. There is no national camp scheduled for that month. The national camp will be held in January, after the end of the WSH. The Indian players who are contracted with the WSH will be easily able to participate in the national camp," he told The Pioneer.
D'Costa also asserted that the Indian players will benefit more by playing alongside the biggest stars rather than being locked up in the national camp. "What will be more beneficial for the players? Playing with the best players in the world or just playing some practice matches in the national camp? The WSH will help to raise the standard of our national team," he stated.
"We are nowhere near the top teams in the world. Once we have a strong grassroot, only then will we have a strong national team. We need international exposure. That will only happen if have a good system. The current crop of top players is only due to the PHL. Out of the 150 odd Indian players we have signed, around forty have not played international matches. They will be rubbing shoulders with the top players. It will be something like an IPL in hockey," he added.
He also lashed out at the HI and FIH for declaring the WSH as an unsanctioned event and accused the world body of needlessly meddling in the internal matters of Indian hockey.
"What the HI will try to do now is they will probably try to prevent the players from participating in the WSH. The HI is only serving the interests if the FIH. It is almost like we have gone back to the colonial raj where the dictators are telling them what to do. What business has the FIH got to interfere in Indian hockey?" D'Costa remarked.
Informing that the WSH will see several new rules and innovations, D'Costa said that it will make the game faster, ensure more goals and present hockey in a new, exciting avatar which will revive its popularity. "We are thinking of implementing some changes in the rule to make the matches more exciting for the fans. The new rules have not been firmed up as yet because our technical committee is looking into it. We are still deliberating on them. The idea is to increase the pace of the game and also to increase the number of goals," he said.
"It is going to be 11 players for each side. What we have not been able to yet decide upon is whether it is going to be 70 minutes or whether the matches will consist of four quarters of 15 minutes each. Or maybe we will have time-outs," he stated.
So, money, innovations, development of new players, the WSH promises to bring it all. But the question remains. Will it survive the dirty politics and manage to bring a positive change to an ailing Indian hockey? Or will it share the same fate as the now defunct PHL? Hockey fans are waiting anxiously for the answer.
The World Series Hockey (WSH) has all these and more. But instead of inspiring unmitigated jubilation and excitement among the hockey fraternity, it has turned into a source of friction and controversy.
In a way, the brouhaha around the WSH seems eerily familiar. It is just one of the many instances when what initially promised to emerge as a new, confident dawn heralding a return to the top of the hockey world has turned into yet another sunset of despair. That is the tragedy of Indian hockey.
With Hockey India (HI) and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) vying for control over the national game, the WSH, which has the potential to give a huge boost to the sport, has been reduced a pawn in the tussle for power.
The HI has alleged that since the WSH is scheduled to be held from December 15 to January 22, it will hamper the Indian team's preparations for the 2012 London Olympics. This view has been backed by former India captain and Olympic champion Ajit Pal Singh, although he asserted that the cash rich tournament will prove to be beneficial for the national game in the long run.
"WSH will be beneficial for Indian hockey. Starving hockey needs money. It will bring in much needed money and publicity into the game. It would be beneficial for the players. Their future will be secure financially," Ajit Pal Singh told The Pioneer.
"They Indian player will also be playing with some of the best players and coaches. This will help them to improve their game. The youngsters, in particular, stand to gain a lot," he added.
Carl D'Costa, Managing Director of Nimbus, who are the organizers of the WSH, however denied that the star studded tournament will prove to be hindrance for the national team's preparation for the 'biggest show on earth'.
"The WSH is in December. There is no national camp scheduled for that month. The national camp will be held in January, after the end of the WSH. The Indian players who are contracted with the WSH will be easily able to participate in the national camp," he told The Pioneer.
D'Costa also asserted that the Indian players will benefit more by playing alongside the biggest stars rather than being locked up in the national camp. "What will be more beneficial for the players? Playing with the best players in the world or just playing some practice matches in the national camp? The WSH will help to raise the standard of our national team," he stated.
"We are nowhere near the top teams in the world. Once we have a strong grassroot, only then will we have a strong national team. We need international exposure. That will only happen if have a good system. The current crop of top players is only due to the PHL. Out of the 150 odd Indian players we have signed, around forty have not played international matches. They will be rubbing shoulders with the top players. It will be something like an IPL in hockey," he added.
He also lashed out at the HI and FIH for declaring the WSH as an unsanctioned event and accused the world body of needlessly meddling in the internal matters of Indian hockey.
"What the HI will try to do now is they will probably try to prevent the players from participating in the WSH. The HI is only serving the interests if the FIH. It is almost like we have gone back to the colonial raj where the dictators are telling them what to do. What business has the FIH got to interfere in Indian hockey?" D'Costa remarked.
Informing that the WSH will see several new rules and innovations, D'Costa said that it will make the game faster, ensure more goals and present hockey in a new, exciting avatar which will revive its popularity. "We are thinking of implementing some changes in the rule to make the matches more exciting for the fans. The new rules have not been firmed up as yet because our technical committee is looking into it. We are still deliberating on them. The idea is to increase the pace of the game and also to increase the number of goals," he said.
"It is going to be 11 players for each side. What we have not been able to yet decide upon is whether it is going to be 70 minutes or whether the matches will consist of four quarters of 15 minutes each. Or maybe we will have time-outs," he stated.
So, money, innovations, development of new players, the WSH promises to bring it all. But the question remains. Will it survive the dirty politics and manage to bring a positive change to an ailing Indian hockey? Or will it share the same fate as the now defunct PHL? Hockey fans are waiting anxiously for the answer.
