Pakistan rebuilds hockey grassroots

The initiative aims to revive national pride

Pakistan is stepping up efforts to revive its hockey fortunes through an ambitious grassroots development programme aimed at introducing the sport to thousands of young boys and girls across the country.
Under the initiative, 450 schools have so far received hockey equipment, providing students with an opportunity to take up the sport and develop their skills.
Each participating school has been supplied with 20 hockey sticks, along with specialised goalkeeping kits to support training and encourage wider participation.
The programme is now set to enter its next phase, with another 350 schools scheduled to receive equipment over the coming month. Distributions will take place on a weekly basis across various districts of Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, extending the initiative's reach to communities where access to organised hockey opportunities may be limited.
The broader objective is to cover 1,250 schools nationwide, creating a foundation for thousands of young players to discover their potential and develop an interest in a sport that once brought Pakistan considerable international recognition.
Beyond the distribution of equipment, the initiative is designed to strengthen hockey at its most fundamental level by taking the game directly into schools. 
By providing basic playing resources, the programme seeks to encourage participation among both boys and girls, identify emerging talent and create pathways for young players to progress through structured development opportunities.
The emphasis on school-level participation is particularly significant for Pakistan, where rebuilding the country's hockey structure requires a sustained focus on talent identification, grassroots engagement and access to training facilities.
With equipment reaching hundreds of schools and further distributions planned, the programme aims to establish a wider base of young players from which future generations of national-level hockey talent can emerge.
Organisers say the initiative will continue and expand in the coming years, reflecting a longer-term commitment to making hockey accessible to children across the country.
The ambition is straightforward: take hockey to schools, identify young talent and rebuild Pakistan's hockey future from the grassroots.
For a country with a proud hockey history, the success of this initiative could represent an important step towards reconnecting a new generation with the national sport and laying the groundwork for its revival.