The turmoil that our national game is facing has been talked about so much that we have stopped giving an ear to it now. The adage of ignorance being bliss is followed as a thumb rule by the federal government, which is supposed to provide enough funds to the PHF to develop the sport.
In the recently concluded PHF congress, a summary of Rs500 million was approved to run the proceedings of the federation for 2015, but like all previous propositions to stabilise the federation, this one may also fall on deaf ears.
If we look at the payment chasm between cricket and hockey, a hockey player, while playing for the national team and his department, doesn’t earn enough monthly as the lowest-category cricketer does. While national hockey team players receive less than Rs1000 a day from PHF while training in the camps preparing for a tournament and are paid nothing during off-season, a category D cricketer with a central contract receives Rs100,000 as his monthly retainer.
In the ongoing national championship, where 16 departmental teams are participating, the PHF simply said it is out of funds and that there will be no prize money for the victors. The federation said that the title of national champions should be motivation enough but, as former Olympian Samiullah Khan rightfully said, monetary incentives are imperative for the players and the departments so that they field strong teams and the level of competition is high.
Otherwise, it would just be another tournament with no fruitful findings in terms of players and quality. Results like 8-0 on the first day as Army rolled over Balochistan and 5-0 of PAF against Sindh on the third will be expected more often and the game will further plummet in terms of value and mass appeal. A vicious spiral that would be difficult to address or stop.
Another step that the PHF needs to take is to pool in their available resources and structure the PR department to attract sponsors who can add eminence to the national sport. With two silver medals in two important events — the Asian Games and the Champions Trophy — up for display, it’s the prime opportunity for the federation to cash in on them and gain much-needed attention of sponsors so that their reliance on government funds can be reduced.
The PHF has time and again said that players are soon going to quit hockey if their monetary problems are not solved. With this in mind, it’s very important for the federation to push forward with all their strength in a drastic make-or-break move, or sit back and helplessly watch the national game plunge towards a bleak future and oblivion.
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