World watches as India experiments

As the Premier Hockey League PHL party warms up, the game in the country faces a serious dilemma. While many see the League as a much-need...

As the Premier Hockey League PHL party warms up, the game in the country faces a serious dilemma. While many see the League as a much-needed makeover, there also the Doubting Thomases ready with a poser: the glamour and glitz might make the game popular but will this spectacle help India become a hockey superpower again?

The answer to this question isn8217;t just important for India but for the game globally. With hockey8217;s popularity on wane, the international body is keenly watching the Indian experiment. Former India goalkeeper Ashish Ballal talks about this: 8216;8216;The international federation and the Asian federation are keeping a close watch on the PHL. The FIH Rules Board has been considering this format of four quarters for long. One can actually see this happening internationally if things go well in PHL.8217;8217;

Since these are early days for international hockey going the NBA way , the focus at the Gachibowli Stadium was more local. The suspicion has stemmed from the fact that Leagues don8217;t always ensure rise in standard of the game.

Take the Malaysian Leagues, for instance. The Malaysian League has failed to propel the national team into the big league despite being in existence for quite some time now.

The best man to talk on the issue happens to be India coach Jagbir Singh, who has played for clubs in Malaysia and Germany. 8216;8216;PHL is different and hence it is unfair to compare it with any other league,8217;8217; he says. He adds that the other leagues around the world are the domestic versions of the regular game while PHL is unique.

Ballal puts across a different viewpoint saying that PHL has much more to offer than improving the standard of the game in the country. 8216;8216;To be honest, I don8217;t want the PHL to be seen as a development programme for hockey at the local level. It is meant to be more than that. A showcase for the best available talent to pump up the stature of the game in the country and give it more visibility and make it popular,8217;8217; argues Ballal.

But Ballal wants two changes in the PHL format to make it more competitive. Every team should have a distinct local flavour and the League a home-and-away format. 8216;8216;One needs to build a local consumer base if one intends to market a product. Here there is only one venue. The federation needs to address the infrastructure problem if the game has to really go places,8217;8217; he says.

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The 8216;lack of competition8217;, which Ballal talks about, is the main reason for the standard of game not improving despite the existence of a League with international players. The Malaysian import to PHL

Nor Azlan Baker agrees: 8216;8216;Few professionals compete in the League back home. But in the PHL the players are more professional, most of whom have played for India. So this can be much better than our national league.8217;8217;

Maybe, it is this strength that happens to be PHL8217;s biggest hope and something that excites Jagbir. 8216;8216;PHL will help us select the best from these teams for the future national camps,8217;8217; he says.