PUNE, Oct 5: Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) president Kanwar Pal Singh Gill gave hope for a revival of the sport sparked off by a massive junior development programme, today at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi.The IHF chief spoke of broadening the base of players receiving training on artificial surface from 75 at present to 1,000 in the next couple of years and eventually to 5,000 in all age groups in time to come.Gill, along with IHF secretary K Jothikumaran, were in the city to witness the progress at the junior training camp and watch a quadrangular league involving under-18 and under-21 players training at Pune and Bangalore respectively.Gill described the current junior training effort as a ``nucleus of a hockey revival''. He discerned a two-fold advantage in training camps on artificial surface: ``Players who have been attending camps are physically fitter and more skillful than those who don't. It's for this reason we want to extend this benefit to a larger number of players. Fortoo long, we had restricted advanced training to 20-30 players.''Gill revealed the aim was to include players between the age groups 10-14 in the programme and a decision is expected within a week. With hockey becoming increasingly expensive to play, Gill hoped to attract players in Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools who generally come from economically favourable backgrounds.The IHF chief expects training of the under-14s to start in November at Pune. ``Our methods are aimed at creating a base which will supply players to the 2001 Junior World Cup, the 2002 World Cup and the 2004 Olympic squad. We have 75 players being trained now. We will sustain them with proper training and diet,'' he added.Gill remarked on speedy play abroad - not just by Europeans and Australia but even by Egypt who have humbled India twice in the last two years. ``It's for this reason I'm happy with attention given to fitness and diet.''Gill spelt out plans for build-ups to the Sydney Olympics next yearand the 2001 Junior World Cup in Hobart, Australia.``A junior side will tour Australia towards the end of the year. We also plan to host a senior international tournament early next year,'' he informed.The IHF plans to send 20 boys to Cologne, Germany and the Netherlands for advanced training. But Gill felt importance must be given to penalty corner conversion. The drag-flick is becoming vital and a plan to send three groups of six players each to the Netherlands and Spain to improve our performance at the set-piece as well as goalkeeping is on the anvil, Gill informed.He revealed a shift in policy to compel state federations find sponsors on their own to send teams for various national championships. Failure to do so would mean non-participation, he affirmed.
