News for 13 September 2016
All the news for Tuesday 13 September 2016
Wales, Scotland, Ghana and Austria celebrate HWL R1 success
Round 1 events provide platform for teams to join top tier of competition
Wales won the HWL R1 tournament in Glasgow
Four men’s teams and one women’s team have taken one more step towards top tier international hockey after achieving automatic qualification for the next round of the Hockey World League.
In Glasgow, it was Wales men who made all the running as they emerged unbeaten in four games. The final placings came down to the last game as host nation Scotland had also won all their games to that point.
Wales took an early lead through two penalty corners from Gareth Furlong and that meant it was a long way back for the Scots. Dale Hutchinson added a third for Wales before half time while Kenny Bain and Alan Forsyth scored for Scotland to make it 3-2 with seven minutes to play. It was an exciting finale as Scotland tried to find the equaliser but Wales held on to take maximum points from the competition.
The result means Wales and Scotland progress to Round 2.
Final placings saw Switzerland finish third, Portugal fourth and Slovakia fifth. Scotland’s Alan Forsyth topped the goal scoring list with eight goals, two ahead of teammate Kenny Bain.
In Accra, Ghana men and women booked their places through to HWL Round Two after both sides remained unbeaten in their respective competitions. Kenya and Nigeria finished second and third in both events with Namibia men finishing in fourth place.
In the men’s competition, Ghana got off to the dream start as they beat Namibia by a crushing 7-1 scoreline, which put them in confident mood as they faced Kenya. This was a much closer affair with Ghana’s Salya Nsalbini’s ninth minute penalty corner producing the only goal of the game.
Nigeria looked to have the beating of Ghana on the final day of action. Michael John’s goal in the 14th minute kept Nigeria ahead until the final 15 minutes of play. Ghana hit back, first through Emmanuel Ankomah and then Shadrack Baah, to complete a successful tournament.
Constant Wakhura of Kenya was the competition’s top scorer with four goals.
The Ghana women’s team has been on a steady upwards trajectory over the past two years and this was borne out in their matches against Nigeria and Kenya.
Goals from Susanna Danquah and Janet Adampa saw them cruise past Nigeria 2-0 in the opening game of the event, then a single goal from Racheal Bamfo was enough to see off the challenge of Kenya.
Kenya had been involved in a thrilling seven goal match the previous day when they beat Nigeria 4-3, with Audrey Omaido scoring in the final minute of play to give Kenya the three points and secure second place in the competition.
Austria stormed to an emphatic victory in the HWL Round One event in Antalya, Turkey. The team that were favourites going into the competition justified their world ranking of 22 as they beat the host nation in an exciting 3-2 game; put nine past Oman to win 9-4 and then thrashed Qatar 14-2.
Oman finished in second place, three points clear of Turkey.
Top scorer was Austria’s Michael Korper.
FIH site
One, two, three and four…..Wales push back to be group winners.
Wales secured qualification for the Men’s Hockey World League (HWL) Round 2 after winning four out of four matches in Glasgow this week 6th – 11th September 2016.
Wales opened their campaign with a 4 – 1 win over Portugal and backed this up with a tense 2 – 1 win over Switzerland, a strong start to what proved to be a great week for the men in red.
The Portuguese game started at a ferocious pace and Wales quickly had Portugal on the back foot as they sought an early goal. Despite a number of chances, the Portuguese were able to keep Wales at bay for the opening period. After some relentless pressure from Wales a goal for Wales seemed inevitable, and the deadlock was finally broken on 17 minutes when defender Gareth Furlong clinically dispatched a penalty corner. This was followed up with goals from Robert Mugridge, Luke Hawker and Rhys Gowman.
Second game of the tournament Wales faced Switzerland and once again ended with an excellent 2-1 win. Having fallen behind 1-0 to Switzerland at half time, the Wales did not hold back and scored a penalty corner early in the second half, taken by defender Gareth Furlong, his second of the week. Double trouble Luke Hawker added a second, to bring up his second goal of the campaign.
After a well-deserved rest day, Wales took on Slovakia in their third match of the tournament. Wales dominated the game very confidently by taking a 5-0 lead in the first half. Slovakia tried their hardest to overpower the mighty dragons, but failed to do so when an exceptional result of a 10-1 win to Wales showed the determination, ability and team work of the players and back room staff.
Benjamin Francis took his chances scoring 4 goals during the game along with James Carson, Owain Dolan-Gray and Rupert Shipperely.
Sailing through comfortably to the HWL Round 2, Wales played hosts Scotland in their fourth and final game to determine who would be group winners. The game was a tense affair, however Wales started strong racing into a 2 – 0 lead, both from Gareth Furlong, to shock the hosts in front of a partisan crowd. Scotland pulled a goal back before young player of the tournament Dale Hutchinson added a third, to leave Wales in control at the half, 3 – 1. Ending the tournament on a high with not only going through to the second round, but securing a well deserved group winners spot. A tight second half saw Scotland add a second to leave the game poised at 3 – 2 however Wales were resolute and eventually ran out winners.
Head Coach Zak Jones said “"I am obviously delighted for the guys. Winning WL1 is just reward for all the time, commitment and sacrifices they have made during this years programme. Yesterday's game was another physical, tight, tense encounter. However, once again, this relatively inexperienced group found a way to come through. I am hugely proud of their performances in winning 4 from 4 and also in the manner in which the group carries and conducts itself. We have made some huge progress technically, tactically and physically in the last 8/9 months and this is really beginning to show in our performances. What is even more pleasing is that I feel there is still much more to come from this young, talented, hard working group."
The Hockey World League Round 2 will take place early 2017.
Hockey Wales media release
Cormack positive about hockey future
by Helge Schutz
The Namibian men's hockey team, back row from left: DJ Strauss, Dakota Hansen, Dian la Cock, Nico Jacobs, Lenard Fick, Stefan du Preez, Baggio Karigub, Ernst Jacobs and Trevor Cormack (coach). Front row: Dewald Coetzee, Wayne Jeffrey, Dylan Finch, Pieter Louis le Roux, Kuve Tjikuniva and Brynn Cleak.
NAMIBIA failed to win a match at the World Hockey League Round 1 tournament in Accra, Ghana over the weekend but coach Trevor Cormack believes that the tournament was invaluable for Namibia.
Namibia lost all three their matches, going down 7-1 against Ghana on Friday, 3-0 to Nigeria on Saturday and 7-2 against Kenya on Sunday.
The tournament was won by Ghana who beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final, with the result that Ghana have now qualified for Round 2 of the World Hockey League next year.
Despite losing all their matches, Namibia's goalkeeper and captain DJ Strauss won the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award and Cormack said that they had gained a lot of experience.
“The experience gained at this tournament was invaluable for the team. It was also the first time in a while that we have been exposed to the North African teams and their style of hockey. We come away from the tournament knowing that going forward we realistically have to close a five-goal gap difference between us and the more experienced and higher ranked African teams such as Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa,” he said.
“This tournament gave us the opportunity to analyse our future competition, bleed in some youngsters and expose players to a high level of international hockey other than that of our home-based leagues,” he added.
Namibia was on the back foot from the start as they only took a 14-man team in stead of 18 players as is the norm at international competitions, due to financial restraints.
This came to a head in their final match against Kenya, when they lost three players due to injury and had to complete the match with no substitutes, but Cormack said Namibia responded well to the circumstances.
Namibia had already lost Lennard Fick to injury before the match while Nico Jacobs and Stefan du Preez were injured early in the match with the teams tied at 1-1.
This meant that Namibia could not substitute any players and with the remaining 11 players struggling in the humid conditions, Kenya took full advantage and raced into a 5-1 lead at halftime.
According to Cormack the players, however, showed great commitment to hold a rampant Kenya in check in the second half.
“We changed the game plan and tactics to try to preserve energy in the second half, while the players showed what they are capable of with a great display of heart and commitment. They showed a huge turnaround in the second half of only 2-1 down which put an end to Kenya's minimal chances of winning the competition,” he said.
Cormack said they showed their true potential in the 3-0 defeat against against Nigeria.
“Our true potential was shown in the Nigeria game where we only lost 3-0, so taking into consideration our minimal preparation time, our diluted squad, the unfamiliar surroundings, logistical challenges and the fact that Nigeria only lost 2-1 to Ghana, I am positive Namibia men's hockey has a bright future. Our path and plans to our vision of competing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games In Durban, South Africa is in place and on track,” he said.
The Namibian
Harbour Men take out table topping clash
Photo: www.photosport.nz
The North Harbour Men have gone clear at the top of the standings after a high energy battle against the Canterbury Cavaliers in Round 5 of the Ford National Hockey League.
In a match between the one and two ranked sides, Canterbury opened the scoring two minutes from halftime with Sam Lane slipping a shot past Harbour goalkeeper Richard Joyce.
A 49th minute penalty corner saw Harbour draw level when Cory Bennett put a powerful drag flick into the backboard.
With the game heading for a shoot-out, Harbour’s leading goal scorer Robbie Capizzi delivered the winning blow from a goal mouth scramble just one minute from fulltime.
The result puts North Harbour clear at the top on 16 points, while Canterbury remain second on 12 points although they have a game in hand over Harbour and Central who are yet to have their bye.
The Central Mavericks kept their finals hopes alive with a 10-0 demolition of hosts Northland, fuelled by a hat-trick from Martin Atkinson and doubles to Matt Young, Brennan Alexander-Parker and Dylan Thomas.
Central were in dominant form right from the opening whistle, scoring four goals in the first half before pouring on another six after halftime. The result keeps the Mavericks in the race for a top two finish just behind Canterbury on 11 points with one pool game still to play.
Midlands downed defending champions Capital Cobras 2-1 thanks to a strong opening quarter which saw Leo Mitai-Wells and Zac Woods find the back of the net.
Capital responded through a Stephen Jenness field goal in the 15th minute but couldn’t find an equaliser as Midlands defended strongly for the remainder of the match.
In Women’s results, the Canterbury Cats jumped to the top of the table on 13 points after a tight 1-0 win over North Harbour.
It was a match which saw both sides perform well defensively with Hannah Hill’s 14th minute field goal proving the crucial blow.
The Cats are sitting pretty in number one spot with two round robin games still to play, while North Harbour are nipping at their heels but face a bye in Round 7 on Friday.
Midlands consolidated fourth place on 10 points following a straightforward 4-0 victory against Capital thanks to a commanding second half.
Capital struggled to build any momentum and couldn’t contain the attacking game of Midlands, with Kate Kernaghan and Amy Robinson both scoring doubles.
Northland came away with their first win at the tournament after defeating the Central Mysticks 3-2.
Samantha Polovnikoff stole the show with two quality goals while Neve McLean added a third for the hosts. Captain Michaela Curtis and Pippa Norman netted for Central.
With the tournament nearing the business end, Round 6 gets underway from 1:30pm tomorrow at the Whangarei ITM Hockey Centre.
The 2016 Ford National Hockey League is proudly supported by the Whangarei District Council and Trillian Trust.
FORD NHL ROUND 5 RESULTS – MEN
Central Mavericks 10: (Martin Atkinson 3, Dylan Thomas 2, Matt Young 2, Brennan Alexander-Parker 2, Hayden Phillips)
Northland 0
North Harbour 2: (Cory Bennett, Robbie Capizzi)
Canterbury Cavaliers 1: (Sam Lane)
Midlands 2: (Leo Mitai-Wells, Zac Woods)
Capital Cobras 1: (Stephen Jenness)
BYE: Auckland
FORD NHL ROUND 5 RESULTS – WOMEN
Canterbury Cats 1: (Hannah Hill)
North Harbour 0
Midlands 4: (Kate Kernaghan 2, Amy Robinson 2)
Capital 0
Northland 3: (Samantha Polovnikoff 2, Neve McLean)
Central Mysticks 2: (Michaela Curtis, Pippa Norman)
BYE: Auckland
Hockey New Zealand Media release
Black Sticks return to National Hockey League
Hugo Inglis celebrates with team mate James Coughlan in Rio. Photo / Getty Images
A necessary evil for Black Sticks midfielder James Coughlan, who's joined a small number of the Olympic team in turning out in the National Hockey League.
Coughlan, Stephen Jenness and Hayden Phillips, as well as Liz Thompson and Sally Rutherford are back playing for their provinces just a few weeks after suffering agonising defeats in Rio.
Coughlan says it's been good to get back on the turf for North Harbour, but concedes he's only just relived their quarter-final defeat to Germany.
He says it took him two weeks to watch it, and it wasn't great viewing.
Coughlan's Harbour take on Canterbury today in a top of the table match in Whangarei.
The New Zealand Herald
Oranje-Rood make competitive debut
Oranje-Rood play their first ever Dutch Hoofdklasse game on Sunday following the merger of reigning champions Oranje Zwart and EMHC, welcoming promoted Qui Vive to Eindhoven.
OZ won three titles in a row before the merger and will be hoping to start their new life in the same vein and have Olympic gold medalist Agustin Mazzilli to their line-up.
They meet a Qui Vive side who have just four players who have played in the Hoofdklasse before, showing the task ahead of them.
AH&BC Amsterdam meet Tilburg, another promoted side, as they bid to win the top prize for the first time since 2012. The capital side’s big signing is Australian Fergus Kavanagh.
EHL champions SV Kampong meet top level debutants Almere, a club who become the only side to play in the four Dutch leagues, rising from the fourth tier. Kampong won 1-0 in the preseason ABN AMRO Cup but this will be their first official meeting between the sides.
Elsewhere, Rotterdam meet HGC while the Govers’ brothers Blake and Kieran are on opposite sides when Bloemendaal face Den Bosch.
Hurley take on on Pinoké in what is usually a well-matched derby game with the former having produced their best ranking in 14 years last time out, ending seventh. They drew 1-1 in the ABN AMRO Cup.
Euro Hockey League media release
Oranje Rood fire it up but Kampong held
Bob de Voogd’s hat trick powered HC Oranje Rood to their first win since taking on new colours, beating Qui Vive 4-1 on the opening day of the Hoofdklasse.
A strong backhand opened the scoring before Wouter Haremaker briefly had the recently promoted side on terms. But de Voogd scored twice more around the half-time break and Gijs van Merrienboer completed the victory.
There was a surprise of sorts for the reigning EHL champions SV Kampong who could find no way through Almere’s defence, ending 0-0 with a side contesting their first ever Hoofdklasse game.
AH&BC Amsterdam made a strong start with three second half goals running up a 3-0 win over Tilburg with Roderic Schwirtz’s tip in, a sliding finish from Robert Tigges and a Justin Reid-Ross drag-flick doing the damage.
At Bloemendaal, Australians Dylan Wotherspoon and Daniel Beale exchanged goals for the hosts and Den Bosch, respectively, before Jasper Brinkman put the swallows in front. Noud Schoenaker tied it at 2-2 but Florian Fuchs has the final say, crashing home a debut winner on his backhand for a 3-2 win.
For HGC and Rotterdam, it was a 3-3 draw. Tristan Algera scored a hat trick to earn a point for HGC after goals from Simon Egerton, Oliver Polkamp and Diede van Puffelen had built a 3-1 lead. Hurley and Pinoke drew 1-1.
Euro Hockey League media release
St Germain add four big names for French league
Saint Germain look set to give Racing Club de France a huge run for their money in the French elite league which starts today with four big additions to their squad.
The three Genestet brothers – Hugo and Tom from Leuven and Martin from Hurley – are back with their home club while Guillaume Deront (from Leuven) is also back to add their quality to the likes of French internationals Francois Goyet, Blaise Rogeau, Frederic Verrier and Guillaume Samson.
Striker Jean-Baptiste Pauchet, their star forwards for the last eight years, however, has returned to his home club Amiens.
They also changed their coach as Pascal Poulenc – at Saint Germain for the last four seasons – has been replaced by Charles Verrier, a former Saint Germain and French international player for his first experience as a head coach. They start their campaign with a trip to Wattignies.
Racing, meanwhile, go to promoted Stade Francais with a settled squad. Amaury Bellenger, a talented 18-year-old from Amiens, adds to their options in midfield and in defence having captained the French Under-18 side to gold at the B division European Youth title this summer.
They also hope to have Jean-David Koch – their dragflicker between 2012 to 2016 – back for the second half of the season after 16 months in Germany for his legal studies.
They have a new coach in Nicolas Jaquet, a former player at the club who won three French titles in the 1990s. He has since been at Stade Français where he won a French title. He also played for Montrouge for two years and won 51 caps with the national team.
The other games in week one see Le Touquet play Lille and FC Lyon host CA Montrouge.
Euro Hockey League media release
Denayer says Honour Division closing in on Hoofdklasse
KHC Dragons’ Felix Denayer believes the Belgian Honour Division is getting closer and closer to matching the Dutch Hoofdklasse in terms of quality as the two leagues get underway on Sunday.
Twenty-five new foreign players have moved to Belgium this summer, bringing the total to 50, with 19 Olympians involved while there are 17 of the country’s 19 Rio panel involved following their silver medals.
Denayer’s Dragons are looking to make it three wins in succession and he told the Hockey Belgium website: "The general level is actually really high. I believe this season be the toughest ever player in our country.
“Most of the top teams are very close to each other. Some clubs have managed to attract excellent foreign players. This is a positive trend but only if such transfers have real added value for young people and for the whole team.
“But it is true that we are approaching more and more the level of competition in the Netherlands."
His club is aiming for a fifth title in eight seasons and have star men like Florent van Aubel and Arthur van Doren to underpin their charge though they have a young line-up with an average age of 22.5 years old.
But Shane O’Donoghue – back to his home club Glenanne in Ireland – Manu Stockbroekx (Bloemendaal), Louis Rombouts and Matthew Cobbaert (both Club de Campo) mean they are down four top stars.
They start their season against last season’s semi-finalists Braxgata; Racing Club de Bruxelles meet Herakles while Royal Leopold host Royal Daring.
Both Oree and Royal Antwerp have added plenty of talent during the summer and get an early test of how strong they will be on day one. Wellington meet the Wat Ducks who will be aiming to get back into the EHL frame with Beerschot facing KHC Leuven.
Euro Hockey League media release
Tenaga lay early claim on Alagendra Cup
By Jugjet Singh
TNB's Hafizuddin (num 15) in action against THT in the semi-finals of the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup. TNB won 3-2 and will play Sapura in the final Tuesday.
TENAGA Nasional will play their game of the season Tuesday, as coach Amin Rahim is all fired up to claim the inaugural Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup.
Tenaga will square off against Sapura at the Tun Razak Stadium, and even though statistics do not favour Amin and his men, they do not want to let go of the only trophy they can claim this season.
Sapura beat Tenaga 2-1 twice in the Malaysia Hockey League Premier Division home-and-away matches, and are tops on the standings.
Tenaga are at the bottom of the Premier Division Standings, with only three draws and no wins to show.
"We lost narrowly to Sapura in the MHL not because we were not good, but because Sapura were lucky both times. But in the Alagendra Cup final, luck will no longer matter as we aim to give our very best to claim the only trophy that we can this season," said Amin.
Tenaga have the right to brag, because they they beat University Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) 3-2 in the quarter-finals, and did the unthinkable by beating last season's double champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) 3-2 to earn the final ticket.
"We went through a tough route, ans after my players beat THT in the semis, nothing is impossible anymore," said Amin.
Tenaga top-scorer Syed Syafiq Cholan, with five goals to his name, delivered two goals in that crucial win.
"The team is really raring to set the record straight against Sapura, as we played much better but lost both the earlier matches. This is a golden chance which no player in our team wants to let slip from their fingers," said Syed Syafiq.
Sapura coach Yahya Atan downplayed their chances.
"Yes, both the League matches were close and I expect the Alagendra Cup final to be the same. We must not allow the youth in Tenaga to over-run us. It will be a cracker for sure, and I believe we will prevail for the third time this season."
TUESDAY: Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup: Final -- Sapura v Tenaga Nasional (8pm, Tun Razak Stadium).
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Syed Syafiq ready for another heroic act against Sapura
by Aftar Singh
KUALA LUMPUR: Syed Syafiq Mohd Syed Cholan is 21 years old and wears the No. 1 jersey.
And he has been pivotal to Tenaga Nasional’s run to the final of the inaugural Tan Sri P. Alagendra Knockout Trophy against Sapura at the Tun Razak Stadium here on Tuesday (8pm).
And no, he’s not a goalkeeper.
He is, in fact, a forward. And he has turned saviour for the all-local Tenaga team on numerous occasions, including converting the last-gasp penalty corner winner against Terengganu in the semi-finals.
Syed Syafiq scored a goal as Tenaga trounced Division One outfit UiTM-KPT 11-0 in the first round.
In the 3-2 quarter-final triumph against Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), he put Tenaga 1-0 up before notching the winner in the 57th minute.
He repeated the feat in the semi-final against double champions Terengganu. Tenaga again won 3-2, with Syed Syafiq scoring the first goal and the last-gasp winner.
Now, he’s ready to do the same against Sapura, who hold the psychological advantage after beating Tenaga 2-1 in both the home and away matches in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).
Sapura will be no pushovers in the final. After all, they are top of the six-team Premier Division standings with 18 points.
Tenaga, meanwhile, are rooted at the bottom with just three points from eight matches. There are just two matches to go.
So, can the basement club upset the high-flyers in the final?
Syed Syafiq certainly thinks so.
“We’ve done well to reach the final by defeating two Premier Division teams – UniKL and Terengganu. I believe my team-mates will rise to occasion in the final tomorrow,” said Syed Syafiq.
“I’m having a good run in the knockout tournament ... having scored five goals in three matches. But, I’ll only be happy if I can score in the final and help Tenaga lift the inaugural Trophy.
“We are struggling in the Premier Division without a win in eight matches, so our only chance for a silverware is the Trophy.”
Sapura forward Mohd Firhan Ashaari is also taking Tenaga’s threat seriously.
“They’ve beaten stronger teams with foreign players, like UniKL and Terengganu. They also have the in-form Syed Syafiq in their side.
“So, we have to play a cautious game and also put a man on Syed Syafiq,” said Firhan, who featured for Tenaga in the MHL in 2012.
This will be the first time that Sapura will be facing a Premier Division team in the tournament, having reached the final by defeating three Division One teams – Nur Insafi (4-0), ATM Airod (7-0) and Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (SSTMI) (4-1).
The champions will pocket RM70,000 and the runners-up RM30,000.
The Star of Malaysia
Fijian Tourney to honour hockey duo
Pravin Narain
THE 2016 Geotech Drilling-sponsored Marist Eastgate Memorial tournament will be played in the memory of late Harry Apted and Sidney Eastgate who had passed away earlier this year.
Tournament official Paul Fraser said there was a lot of interest for the competition.
"Every year since 1995, the Marist men's and women's hockey clubs of Suva have organised the Eastgate Memorial and this upcoming tournament will pay tribute to the two most influential people who had immense contribution to the sport of hockey," he said.
"Their teachings are instilled to all current players of the Marist club. Their legacy continues to live through their descendants such as Chad Eastgate and also Aiden and Alexander the grandsons of Harry Apted who will be taking part in the coming tournament to honour their late father and grandfather.
"We have allocated about five and a half thousand dollars in prizemonies and fifteen hundred dollars allocated to assist in someway with the western teams."
Fraser said they would be having a combination of players from NZ and Australia who are also coming to pay tribute and should give our top teams a good competition.
"We expect an action packed weekend of hockey bringing together new players and old to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of our tournament and the centennial year of hockey in Fiji," he said.
"An overseas team from New Zealand has confirmed their participation at the tournament this year. Approximately 14 to 16 teams participate annually and with spectator support means participation at multiple levels. The tournament may be covered by a surprise media guest from New Zealand."
The tournament will be held from September 23-25 at National Hockey Centre in Suva.
The Fiji Times
Yuvraj Walmiki hopes to get back into the National team
Yuvraj Walmiki is attempting to work his way back to the National hockey team via the German League.
The India forward, having competed in the Bundesliga for the fifth season, the first time for a new club, Grossflottbeker Tennis Hockey & Golf Club in Hamburg.
Head coach is Fabian Rozwadowski, who was earlier in charge at TGF Frankenthal, the German League team for whom Yuvraj played four seasons. He was among the India probables for the 2016 Olympics preparatory camp and did not find a place in the final squad under Roelant Oltmans.
The forward reached Hamburg six days ago, to get a feel of local conditions and become familiar with new teammates. “Germans always concentrate on defensive area, slowly learning that too,” Yuvraj said.
He added: “This is my first season at a new club, so hoping to score goals.”
Germany, ranked fourth in FIH men’s outdoors list against India’s sixth rank, had topped Group B at Rio Olympics men’s field hockey event, then went on to grab a bronze. Star names from the German League were in demand at the Hockey India League 2016.
Moritz Fuerste (Kalinga Lancers), Nicolas Jacobi (Punjab Warriors), Florian Fuchs (Dabang Mumbai) and Tobias Hauke (Uttar Pradesh Wizards) were among the highest paid Germans.
Yuvraj’s form for Delhi Waveriders in HIL had earned him a place in the Olympic probables.
A member of the 2014 World Cup squad, the Mumbai-based forward has 52 international appearances so far and completed his 50th appearance last year at World Hockey League semifinals. He represented Railways at the senior National men’s hockey (A Division).
The Hindu
Shot in the arm for One Thousand Hockey Legs as it gets president decoration
President of India presenting Sports Promotion Award to Hockey Citizen Group, being received by its CEO.
One Thousand Hockey Legs project, which has been in search of breaking new grounds after completing eight successful years of service to Indian hockey, got a shot in the arm recently when Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Hon’ble president of India, chose to present the Not-for-profit organization with Annual Sports Promotion Award.
This award is earmarked for the organization that works in identifying and nurturing budding talents over a period of time.
On the eve of National Sports Day -- which is birth anniversary of legendary Dhyan Chand -- sporting excellence awards are being presented by the President on the recommendation of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Though the award is mostly for sports persons since inception in late 50s, a separate section for NGOs and contributing Corporates have been added in the running decade.
This year awards, held on 29th August, evoked keen interest coming closely after Rio Olympics. Four of the Rio heroes and heroines got the Khel Ratna breaking the trend of giving away singe Khel Rata each year. It was so befitting that Hockey Citizen Group, which runs globally acclaimed One Thousand Hockey Legs program, was chosen for this year’s decoration in such a festive and traditional occasion.
K. Arumugam, Founder and CEO, received the award amidst the presence of Rio stars and other recipients in the glittering ceremony, organized impeccably by the staff of President of India. A rehearsal was also held a day before the ceremony.
The awards were presented in the Durbar Hall, where independent India’s first Prime Minister took oath of office in 1947.
A day before the awards, Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi invited all the awardees and had a brief interaction at his official residence.
Prime Minister of India meeting National Sports Day award winners
During the interaction, the Prime Minister invited all the awardees to forward their positive suggestions on sports development to him so that it can reach the Task Force on sports he will announce shortly.
“This the biggest recognition after Hockey India presented its President’s Outstanding Achievement award two winters ago” said the awarded NGO.
“We did not expect such an award from none other than the President of India. It was a pleasant surprise. When my media friends broke the news I did not believe it first. This award will motivate us further. I also hope more and more volunteers join the NGO and help hockey to prosper”, said the founder.
“Still there are lot many people who do not take volunteer work seriously. They will all now consider the significant project with the seriousness it deserved”
“My passion of starting and running hockey teams in schools -- especially where low profile and poor kids study -- in a structured way has further been recognized”.
The NGO Hockey Citizen Group was started in December 2008, months after two incidents. First, India’s failure to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, which many in India considers a Black Day for Indian sports. Secondly, the author of 13 books suffering a heart-attack and undergone angiography.
Surviving a heart-attack Arumugam dedicated his second life to hockey, and added the NGO feather in his cap, the other self-declared responsibility being Author, Publisher, Photographer, hockey-traveler and editor of www.stick2hockey.com.
This is how both personal incident and a national tragedy combined together to pave way for the birth of One Thousand Hockey Legs, the first project of his NGO, Hockey Citizen Group.
Besides K. Arumugam, his pals V. Ravichandran & PK Mohan and volunteer Shashank Gupta are the others in the trust registered in Delhi.
Arjuna award winning Hockey Players Rani Ramphal and V Raghunath with Hockey Citizen Group CEO.
With the backdrop of gaining onfield experience of last eight years, the NGO has come to the conclusion of how to proceed further, how to upkeep the teams, and expansion.
Corporate sponsorship, more and more involvement of volunteers, expanding horizons to girls section are some of the items that is under consideration and consolidation. The award, as it comes at this juncture, will help the NGO to recast its objectives and executions.
Major milestones for the OTHL since started Eight years ago.
1. Hockey India’s affiliation that enabled the NGO to field its combined team in the Sub-Junior National Championships. Year 2013.
2. Three boys getting selected for Delhi State team for the Junior National Championship. Year 2015.
3. Delhi based Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Tournament Society’s invitation to field its combined team in Sub-Junior and Junior competitions. Year 2012.
4. Free education and admission to two OTHL students in a top end private school. Year 2013.
5. Getting 80G and 12 A certificates from Income Tax Deptt besides registration thus becoming a rare hockey organization in India that stands strict scrutiny from legal and procedure angles.
6. Two OTHL boys getting selected for National Hockey Academy based in Delhi.
7. Formation of two combined teams, Citizen Hockey XI and OTHL XI, and continuous training for them for sterner competitive tasks.
8. About a dozen boys joined various Sports Training Centres of Sports Authority of India where they will get free boarding, lodging and training facilities for full three years.
Stick2Hockey.com
CIC directs Hockey India to disclose sponsorship details
NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed Hockey India to disclose the details of the sponsorship amount it received during last two years and the commission it paid to get them.
The CIC'S directive came on the plea of BJP MP Kirti Azad who had sought the response of Hockey India, apex body to conduct activities for both men's and women's hockey in the country, on seven points, including sponsorship details.
He had also sought to know the details of expenditure incurred on consultancy and legal expenses in the last two years with name of each consultant and lawyer engaged by Hockey India and Hockey India League.
During the hearing before the CIC, Hockey India's counsel argued that these details are already in public domain through their website and hence they need not provide them under the Right to Information Act.
Sameer Bahadur, who argued the case on behalf of Azad, told the Commission that they have not received information on the points related to sponsorship amount, commission paid to get sponsorship and expenditure incurred on consultancy and legal expenses.
He added that the website of Hockey India is incomplete and it is depriving Azad of information by its approach of telling people to take the information from its website. The charge was countered by the counsel of the regulatory body who said the website was complete and they can provide print outs.
"The Commission is of the considered view that the appellant has been deprived by the respondents deliberately from having the benefits of the RTI Act, 2005, even after lapse of more than 11 months period. As such, the Commission feels that appellant's second appeal deserves to be allowed partly ... Therefore, it is allowed accordingly," Information Commissioner M A Khan Yusufi said.
He said Hockey India will provide print outs of their website with regards to three issues -- sponsorship amount, commission paid to get it, and legal and consultancy fee paid by it -- and if the information is not available on the website, they will furnish it to Azad.
The Times of India