The money-spinning Hockey India League has made a promisingstart in its first season, drawing the world's top stars, a dash of Bollywoodglamour, live television coverage and reasonable crowds. The tournament,sanctioned by the sport's world governing body and inspired by cricket's popularTwenty20 leagues, has helped raise the profile of hockey in India and given thesport a new and innovative platform.
Organisers say crowds for the flood-lit night-time matcheshave averaged around 3,000 a match since the start on January 14 with knock-outgames leading up to the final on February 10 still to come. The hostbroadcasters, ESPN-Star network, estimated a combined TV viewership of 15million for the first six matches, adding that the figure surpassed othersports events like India's domestic football league.
The money has been pumped in by top Indian business groupssuch as conglomerate Sahara, a long-time sponsor of sports in India, andconstruction group Jaypee, which built the country's Formula One Grand Prixcircuit. "The HIL is the best thing to happen for the sport," India'sAustralian coach Michael Nobbs told AFP in an interview. "Its profile hasgone up and players are getting their due."
The teams splurged heavily at an auction in New Delhi inDecember, paying out sums that are much smaller than cricketers' salaries butwere unheard of in hockey. Indian captain Sardar Singh, who is not paid matchfees when he turns out for his country, was picked up by the Delhi Wave Ridersfranchise for $78,000 per tournament over the next three years.
Moritz Fuerste, the International Hockey Federation (FIH)player of the year for 2012 after helping Germany win two successive Olympicgolds in Beijing and London, went to the Ranchi Rhinos for $75,000. But somecommentators question whether the initial enthusiasm of sponsors and fans canbe sustained.
Tickets have been given away free to spectators, some ofwhom were drawn by entertainment acts such as Bollywood heart-throb AkshayKumar who performed at a game on Tuesday night. And the format can also berepetitive, with the five teams playing each other in a league beforesemi-finals involving four of them.
"Hockey in India has been so inconsistent, both inadministration and performance, that one can't be sure of what the futureholds," Shailendra Singh, who heads the Percept communications group,says. "But if everyone gets their act together, HIL will be great for thesport," he added during a TV discussion on TV-18 television network.
The players, unused to being in the spotlight outside majorevents like the Olympics or the World Cup, are delighted at the opportunity tocontest for prize money of $1 million. "Its good money for a month's workand the league is a great idea," Australian star Jamie Dwyer, who was soldfor $60,000, told AFP. "Its been a good experience mixing with playersfrom other countries and learning a few tricks from them."
Pakistan is the only major hockey-playing nation notrepresented in the HIL after their nine players were withdrawn due to securityconcerns in the wake of protests following recent border tension with India.
"Over the years if the tournament grows, the hockeyworld will look up to the HIL as a platform for the best players to take partin," senior sports writer Ayaz Memon told AFP. "But for now, it isessentially an event to promote the sport in India. And revival of hockey inour country is badly needed."
India, who won the last of their eight Olympic field hockeygold medals at the Moscow Games in 1980, failed to qualify for the BeijingGames in 2008 and finished last in London.
