More hockey turfs need of the hour in Punjab

Tribune News Service

Mohali, August 10

As soon as the Indian men’s hockey team bagged its second consecutive Olympics bronze medal, the Punjab Government promptly highlighted the contribution of the state in writing a ‘new chapter’ in the Indian sporting history. The government announced cash awards and jobs for the state players. However, as The Tribune correspondents took stock of the basic facilities given to budding players, it was found that there are not enough synthetic turfs in the state.

Only one turf in Amritsar district

Despite feeding a large number of players to the Indian team, Amritsar district has only one turf — at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU); and that too is worn out. Installed in 2009, the turf was to be replaced in 2018, confirmed Kunwar Mandeep Singh, Director Sports, GNDU. “Despite repeated requests for funds, the plan to get a new turf didn’t materialise,” said Mandeep.

Olympian Harcharan Singh said that in modern-day hockey, practising on the turf is critical for success. However, he said it was up to the government to decide on laying the turf which costs around Rs 7 crore. “There should be at least two turfs in Amritsar district alone,” he said.

The hockey ground at Government Senior Secondary School, Attari — renamed after Olympian Shamsher Singh — has been awaiting a turf for six years now. Interestingly, the youngsters are forced to learn the nuances of the sport at uneven and muddy playgrounds.

Access restricted in Jalandhar

A bustling hockey nursery, Jalandhar surely deserves more turfs, especially with the nearby villages brimming with talent. The facilities are still restricted to private academies, as school and college students don’t have a place to train. Apart from the turf at Surjit Hockey Academy, all the other turfs — at PAP campus, BSF campus and Jalandhar cantonment — are under authority and special permissions are needed for training.

Mithapur village’s Shaheed Darshan Singh Kaypee Stadium also recently got a turf, where only the village academy players train. The turfs at Government Arts and Sports College and Lyallpur Khalsa College also cater to only limited players. The six-a-side turf at Khalsa College and Sansarpur villages are for beginners. “We had 18 students in the last session. Some of them made it to national inter-university level. We were taking them to train at the Surjit Hockey Stadium,” said Dr Ranbir Singh, Principal, Government Arts and Sports College.

PAU turf overused in Ludhiana

The turf at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, named after Olympian Prithipal Singh, has hosted some major hockey tournaments. Almost 100 hockey players of different age groups from Malwa Hockey Academy, PAU, Government Girls College and Khalsa College for Women train at this single facility. The players suggested a six-a-side turf on the university campus to help the beginners.

Mohali’s white elephant

The Mohali international hockey stadium, which is now known as Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium, is built in a facility spread across 11.8 acres and slowly turning out to be a ‘white elephant’. The stadium was constructed as a part of the government’s plan to uplift the sports infrastructure in the state. However, the facility mainly caters to the hockey trainees of Punjab State Institute of Sports. “The stadium is restricted to train the PIS trainees. Instead, the government should highlight this facility by conducting national and international events and should use the infrastructure here to promote the sport,” said a parent.

Increasing demand in Chandigarh

The situation at Chandigarh is slightly better, as the city has one turf for professional players and another six-a-side for budding players. The turf at Panjab University and a mini turf at Sector 18 hockey stadium remain open for budding players and trainees of Chandigarh Hockey Academy (CHA). However, considering the increasing popularity of the sport, the players are demanding more facilities. “One must learn how to run before sprinting. We just put the newcomers directly on the turf. The importance of having grass grounds is now unknown to anyone. However, considering the increase in players’ interest, even a city like Chandigarh needs another turf and coaches as well,” said a coach seeking anonymity.

— Deepankar Sharda, Aparna Banerji, Neeraj Bagga and Anil Dutt