HOCKEY | We wanted senior players to rest: Tirkey on the absence of India stars at the Nationals

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey addressing media persons in Chennai on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
| Photo Credit: M. VEDHAN

For Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, it must have been an emotional moment to witness Odisha win its maiden gold medal in the senior National men’s hockey championship here on Saturday.

Born and raised in Sundargarh, that is known for its love for hockey, Tirkey explained the reasons for the popularity of the sport in his district. “Sundargarh has more than a dozen artificial pitches in Odisha. There are as many sports hostels. There is a lot of support from the State Government as well.

“In fact, Odisha has the best infrastructure for hockey. Earlier, Odisha players used to play for different private teams in the Nationals. It is only now we have formed a good team.”

The 46-year-old former India captain said the Nationals have always been a priority for Hockey India and that there is a need to have a relook at the format of the tournament, which has seen many lop-sided matches.

“We are debating about it (the need to change the format). Some teams have conceded a lot of goals. I think this is not good for the future of Indian hockey,” he said.

According to Tirkey the reason many current India players didn’t take part in the Nationals was that there were quite a few international tournaments and moreover with the Hockey India League coming up, HI wanted the players to rest.

“We want all our national players to take part in the National championship. If our National players don’t play, people won’t come to see us play. Last year, when the Nationals happened before the Olympics, a lot of current India players came.

“This time, after the Paris Olympics (in July-August) we had the Asian Champions Trophy (in September) and we have the Hockey India League followed by the Pro League where all the top Indian and International players will play. We wanted the top Indian players to rest,” he said.

When it was pointed out to Tirkey that the job of High Performance Director of Hockey India is to promote grassroot talent and whether enough work is being done on that front, Tirkey said the work has just started.

“We are organising grassroots programs for u-15, u-19 and u-20 boys and girls. We are organising matches and camps for different age groups. Our High Performance Director and his team is going to all the places and making reports. We will do our best to support the development of hockey,” he said.