If Indian hockey is suddenly alive and kicking in recent years, it has only one guardian angel to thank, the lucrative, Hockey India League (HIL). Without any doubt, it is the professionally managed, HIL held in January and February every year, which has been responsible for breathing life into our national sport.
The HIL which began in 2013, has today, riding on the strength of television rights and corporate sponsorhsips been able to offer Rs 5.7 crores in prize money for its 2016 edition (Winners Rs 2.5 crore, Runners-up Rs 1.75 crore, third-place Rs 75 lakh, Player of the Tournament Rs 50 lakh, Best Under-21 Player Rs 20 lakh, Highest Goal-Scorer Rs 20 lakh, Player of the Match Rs 50,000 and Goal of the Match Rs 50,000).
The HIL modelled after similar, professional leagues in the country namely in cricket, football and kabaddi has suddenly brought hockey players into the limelight and most importantly made playing hockey, financially worthwhile.
Today, the least a junior player can hope to make in the HIL is $ 2,600 in two months, while marquee players, both Indian and foreign earn upwards of $60,000. In the 2016 edition, for instance, the German superstar, Moritz Fuerste earned a whopping $ 1,05,000 while the Indian forward, Akashdeep Singh earned $ 84,000, the highest among Indian players. To put the HIL in perspective, sample this. A large majority of the HIL players earn around $30,000 in two months, equivalent to what top, Australian hockey players earn in a whole year.
Besides being financially lucrative, the HIL has also helped younger Indian players, rub shoulders with senior players from the national squad and quality International players from across the world, thereby giving them exposure and experience.
Commerce and sport must go hand in hand. There is just no alternative. If hockey, football, cricket and kabaddi and the other sports have to attract young athletes to pursue it professionally, these sports need to be financially viable and lucrative.
Take the Indian Premier League (IPL) for example. Despite the match fixing scandals which threatened to derail the league, the lucrative league has given opportunities to several, lesser known cricketers to earn India colours in the T20 format.
Ditto with the Indian Super league (ISL) for football. While the international ranking of the Indian football team may not have improved drastically, the lucrative league has allowed several Indian footballers to make a career out of the sport. As for kabaddi, India has been the number one nation playing the sport. The professional league has ensured that more players continue to play the sport.
Besides running the HIL, Hockey India has also taken several, wise decisions. Recently, they signed a three-year, hockey test series contract with the World Champions Australia (2016-18), which allows India to play the world’s best team several times every year.
Hockey India (HI)also regularly sends the Indian team to take part in several important international tournaments like the World League, the Champions trophy and the Azlan Shah Cup. For instance, in June this year, the Indian team travels to England to play the Champions trophy, an excellent precursor to the Rio Olympic Games.
Indian hockey has been on the rise, eversince it won the Asian Games gold medal in 2014 and booked itself a Rio berth. Last year, its junior team became Asian champions and the women’s team too, booked an Olympic berth after 36 long years.
Much of HIL benefits were on display at the recently concluded Azlan Shah tourney, where India emerged second to world champions, Australia.
Also, the presence of Dutch coach, Roelant Oltmans has been good for the team. In his own quiet way, Oltmans has concentrated on building an effective, fighting unit. Emphasisiing on the need for specialists, he has created two-three specialists for each position in the side. This has lent a wonderful balance to the team. The seniors know what is expected of them and the younger players know that opportunities will come their way.
At the Azlan Shah tourney, Oltmans decided to rest a host of senior players and tried out the bench strength. Young goalkeeper, Akash Chikte, defenders Harmanpreet Singh and Surender Kumar, along with India Junior team captain, Harjeet Singh, made the most of the international exposure.
Going forward, Hockey India through its various state units must also make every effort to promote hockey at the school and college level across the country. Like any other sport, hockey needs to be played significantly more at the grass root level for it to produce champions.
Rahul Chandawarkar, a Colva based journalist, is former editor of the Sakal Times, Pune and the Gomantak Times, Goa. He is a recipient of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism award for 2009
