Motivating Sonepat girls to play hockey

BS Malik

International women hockey players, including Pritam Siwach, former captain of the India women hockey team; Neha Goyal, member of the Indian team that won the silver medal in the Asian Championship; as well as Jyoti Dahiya and Monika Dahiya from Sonepat have taken an initiative to encourage minor girls towards the sport. They started by organising the first Under-14 Sonepat Girls Hockey League in Sonepat. More than 50 girls between the age of 10 and 14 years from Sonepat participated in the competition. 

In the final match, the Rubi 11 team clinched the title by defeating the Angel 11 team by a solitary goal scored by 13-year-old Kanika. Women and Child Development Minister Kavita Jain gave away awards to the winning team as well as the participating teams in the presence of international hockey umpire Deepa, international women hockey players such as Arjuna award winner Pritam Siwach, Mahavir Singh Dahiya, retired ACP of the Delhi Police, and national coach Devender Gulia.

Sub-junior players Kanika, Shashi, Sakshi Rana and Savi express happiness over the initiative to train minor girls like them in hockey. They thank senior hockey stars for helping them in different ways, including coaching, supply of sports kits and meeting other requirements. “Isse hamen hockey mein apna career banane mein madad milegi” (It will help us in shaping our career in hockey), they say and hope that the initiative will help them in improving their performance.

Under the initiative, whenever senior hockey players receive cash rewards in national and international events, a part of the prize money is donated for helping needy sub-junior girl players, as most of them come from ordinary families. However, the senior hockey stars, including Pritam Siwach and Neha Goyal, say that there is need to lay an astro turf in the industrial area hockey ground in Sonepat where around 250 senior and junior hockey players practise. 

Siwach says that keeping in view that the girls are still studying the league championship was started in January this year and one match was played every Sunday. The girls were grouped into four teams and every team played two matches to reach the finals. The final match was played on March 17. 

She says that on the request of hockey players, the Sports Department has completed the measurement of the industrial area hockey ground for laying an astro turf. As the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation is ready to transfer the ownership of the hockey ground to the Sonepat Municipal Corporation, the civic body can lay an astro turf. She stresses the need for a hockey academy in Sonepat to help young players in various ways, including by providing monthly scholarships.

Astro turf needed

• Senior hockey stars Pritam Siwach and Neha Goyal say that there is need to lay an astro turf in the industrial area hockey ground in Sonepat where around 250 senior and junior hockey players practise.