Hockey in Vizag awaits a much needed 'forward pass'

There is a growing buzz around hockey in India, thanks to success of the national team in the 2021 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics, and other continental events.

And fans packing stadiums for the ongoing Hockey India League is a definite sign of the administration working with tandem with corporate India to bolster the sport.

Moreover, states like Odisha and Tamil Nadu are pulling the hockey train forward with developmental initiatives.

That said, the grass is not green everywhere. And some regions, are struggling for momentum despite earnest intent.

Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh (also called Vizag), for instance, lacks basic infrastructure and aspiring players suffer from inadequate opportunities.

Once known for its hockey culture, grassroot initiatives have be plagued by issue aplenty in the port city.

Negligence and infrastructure woes

Noel Treasure, Secretary of the Friends Hockey Association in Vizag, a private entity that conducts hockey tournaments and is involved in grassroots hockey development in the region told The Bridge that not much attention is being paid by the authorities towards the sport in the region.

"There is hardly any support for hockey in Vizag." he said.

"Yes, there is a district association, but they don't run any tournaments. They have no programs to help children, improve the game, or encourage the game."

According to Noel, the lack of an organised league in the region is curbing development.

"There is no league held at Vizag. There's no encouragement for clubs also to grow."

Noel is also quick to mention the absence of a hockey turf ground in Vizag, an industrial center of prominence in Andhra Pradesh.

In a game as physically intense as hockey, the unavailability of a turf pitch can result in injuries to players or worse, put the breaks on progress and development.

The Port Gymkhana ground, once known for bustling hockey activity in the mid-70s, the Vizag Steel Hockey Field and the Hockey Field Sports Department ground are perhaps the few that are publicly available for players.

All of them incidentally have natural grass and soil, a surface from which the sport has moved on over the past two decades.

Entities, like the one that Noel runs, use cricket grounds to conduct hockey tournaments.

"For this tournament (run by Friends Hockey Association), we had to go to the Port Trust and request them to give their cricket ground. They were kind enough to allow us and sponsored the ground for us," he remarked.

'Nothing has happened'

Noel, keen on solving the problem, has taken the matter to the very top of the pyramid. He has even met with Hockey India representatives and Dilip Tirkey, its President.

"We have spoken to Hockey India. Our people had a meeting in Delhi, with Dilip Tirkey as well, telling them that they have to correct these things," he said.

While there have been verbal assurances of action being taken, none have materialized at the ground level thus far.

"Nothing has happened," said a disappointed Noel, while urging the administrators to act.

"Come forward. Send your (Hockey India) observers. Have a look," he said in anguish.

Noel feels it is imperative that at least one hockey turf ground be present in every district if the grassroots are to flourish.

"If they (sports administrators) do not have a ground, they should push the government. Hockey is our national game but it doesn't get the level of importance," he said.

For Noel and his team of passionate promoters, facilities or lack thereof, have become a speed breaker in their developmental work.

That said, their unyielding spirit continues to fuel hockey in the grassroots of Vizag.