Accepting defeat: Hockey losing ground in the capital

CDA fails to maintain facilities for players and fans of the national sport

ISLAMABAD: Hockey, the country’s national game, is suffering from a terrible fate with dedicated facilities across the capital not being used efficiently for the purpose they are meant for.

Over a period of time, field hockey has seen an unprecedented decline at the national level. Unavailability of dedicated hockey grounds for youngsters for promotion of the sport at the grassroots is cited to be one of the primary reasons behind this decline.



However, with six dedicated field hockey grounds in different sectors of the city, a majority of which were constructed during the tenure of former civic agency chairman Kamran Lashari, it is official neglect and not unavailability of grounds that is the problem.

Though these grounds still facilitate the general public as open spaces, the purpose they serve is different than what they were initially built for. Weddings, funerals and slaughtering of sacrificial animals during Eidul Azha is what engages these grounds nowadays. A few others are used by residents to play football, cricket or volleyball.



Moreover, one of the six grounds located near Jhangi Sayedan is yet to be developed and is nonfunctional. Other grounds are located in Aabpara, Ibn-e-Sina Road Sector G-9/3, Sector G-7, Sector G-9/1, and Sector F-10/1.

Some of the rooms constructed in the pavilion areas of these grounds are under occupation of low-grade employees of the Capital Development Authority (CDA). Broken grills and missing lights are the only common things in all the grounds.

The CDA’s seriousness towards the promotion of this game can also be judged from the fact that authority has a hockey team, albeit with only two members. The incomplete team has one manager and one player. Additionally, three players who were earlier associated with the CDA hockey team have managed to get themselves attached in other directorates of the authority.



Islamabad Hockey Association Chairman Shaharyar Khan was of the opinion that after educational institutes, grounds within residential areas serve the purpose of nurseries for many sports. Acknowledging the mismanaged state of affairs in Islamabad, he said even the sport’s enthusiasts are unaware where hockey is played in their area.

He added that unlike other popular sports like cricket, one required a dedicated ground to play hockey. Khan revealed that youngsters who are registered with his private club usually complain about the absence of hockey grounds in their neighbourhoods.



“Given the situation, they have to travel long before reaching private grounds where hockey is played on a regular basis,” Khan said, adding that this meant extra fuel costs and additional financial burden. Khan said in the recent past, his club, in collaboration with the Pakistan Sports Board and CDA, tried to lay an astro turf on one of the six grounds but for several reasons the plan was dropped.

He suggested that in order to promote the game on national level, grounds should be made functional.

Asif Shahjahan, CDA’s head of sports and culture, defending the authority said they were only responsible for the provision of a sporting facility, while making them operational was the responsibility of local sports association in collaboration with the Pakistan Sports Board.

He said these grounds could be made functional if local hockey associations and the sports board held sessions on a regular basis. “Islamabad Hockey Association can utilise these grounds for holding training sessions,” Shahjahan said.

In response to a question regarding poor maintenance of these grounds, he accepted that it was deplorable but vowed that it was gradually improving.

He said the youngsters of the community would be attracted towards hockey when they see other youngsters playing hockey in their neighbourhood grounds.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2014.