HAM to set up players’ bank

MUMBAI, September 28: The newly-formed Hockey Association of Mumbai (HAM) have come up with elaborate plans to conduct their activity in th...

MUMBAI, September 28: The newly-formed Hockey Association of Mumbai (HAM) have come up with elaborate plans to conduct their activity in the city.

Among plans, informed by HAM in a press release, is that of instituting a players’ bank that would provide needy players kit and equipment. The Association’s managing committee would study the merits of each case before granting assistance, the release added.

HAM have also lined up a host of events in the forthcoming seasons with dates to be notified shortly. The Rizvi hockey leagues will come into being, named after the Association’s patron, Dr AR Rizvi. Leagues that will be run would be the Senior, First, Second, Third and Fourth Divisions.

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HAM will also conduct a knockout competition for the Senior Division and another for Divisions First to Fourth. The second mentioned knockout tournament will invite combined Mumbai schools and University teams besides permitting three players from the Senior division or any upper division to assist any club.

HAM also have an invitational schools tournament on the anvil which would involve four top city schools and an equal number from outstation.

Also planned is an All-India Invitational Rizvi Gold Cup designed to follow a league-cum-knockout format involving eight leading teams from the country.

HAM is keen on seeing the City and Suburbs tournament, hitherto run by the Mumbai Veterans Hockey Association (MVHA), the release added. The event, run for the last two years, have enabled players keep in touch with the game in the absence of competitive hockey in the city.