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When the Hockey India League (HIL) returns next year, it might no longer be a single-city affair like the recently concluded edition. Based on the feedback from players and franchise owners, Hockey India is considering holding the next season in multiple cities. However, the home-and-away format might have to wait until it becomes financially sustainable to adopt the model.
Sources said that apart from Rourkela — which hosted the men’s league — and Ranchi — where the women’s competition was held — New Delhi, Lucknow, and Chennai could be the other possible venues for the second season. Additionally, the duration of the league could also be shortened to ensure it’s completed within one month to reduce player fatigue in a crucial year that will include the World Cup and the Asian Games.
A meeting between Hockey India, league officials, and franchises is likely to be held on Monday to discuss these issues.
When asked about the duration and multiple venues, Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said the idea to expand the league to more cities is being considered. He, however, did not comment on the length of the league or name the venues under consideration.
“Yes, after the HIL we got a feeling that it might be a good idea to spread the league to the other centres. The quality of hockey was very nice, so this will be a nice way to spread the sport,” Tirkey said. “Also, if the players move around, there will be less chance of boredom settling in by staying at just one place for a prolonged period. So, the next edition may be held in four venues.”
One of the criticisms of the relaunched league was that it was held in just one city for both genders — although the men’s teams did play a round in Ranchi while the women’s teams had an outing in Rourkela as well. League and franchise officials pointed out that restricting it to just a city ‘significantly impacted’ the marketing aspect, with the teams playing thousands of kilometres away from their ‘home’ and sponsors unwilling to come on board due to low visibility.
For the players, it meant staying put in a town where there isn’t a lot to do outside hockey and being confined to the venue’s premises for the whole month — one of the hotels where teams were staying and the Birsa Munda Stadium are in the same complex. The urge for change was so strong that some players, from Hyderabad Toofans, even took a flight to Bengaluru and spent a couple of days there playing golf.
This was one of the reasons why 21 men’s players, primarily from the Netherlands and Germany, pulled out after being picked in the auctions. Additionally, eight women players too withdrew, including Dutch Olympic champion Xan de Waard, Germany’s Nike Lorenz and Britain’s Anna Toman.
Also read: How to make Hockey India League better: Reducing referee errors, making league more compact
A January start
One player, requesting anonymity, had told The Indian Express that ‘it wasn’t worthwhile to leave behind family during the holiday season and then spend more than a month in Rourkela.’
Not just multiple venues, the league could also now start in January instead of the last week of December. This is what was originally promised to the foreign players, which led to them signing up for the auctions, before it was changed later, according to a team official.
The delayed start could also mean the foreign players will be able to report for duty after Christmas rather than spending the holiday season away from their families. ”The idea to reduce the duration of the league from approximately five weeks to inside a month is also on the table. This is to protect the players from fatigue,” a source said.
While the players haven’t complained of being overworked, India’s performances in the ongoing FIH Pro League have looked flat. There have also been injury scares to captain Harmanpreet Singh and vice-captain Hardik Singh while midfielder Sumit was ruled out of the competition due to a hamstring injury. Coach Craig Fulton had said that the ‘Hockey India League had taken a toll’ without elaborating further.
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Indian coaches
Meanwhile, Tirkey said Hockey India will ‘help’ Indian coaches by conducting frequent clinics and also identifying places outside the country where they can enhance their knowledge and send them there to gain experience.
All HIL franchises had a foreigner as the head coach with an Indian assistant or a mentor. The list included recently retired stars such as Sardar Singh, PR Sreejesh and Rani Rampal as well as coaches who have endured the grind at a domestic level, like Siddharth Pandey.
“One thing we noticed (during the HIL) is that all teams had a foreigner as the chief coach. So we have to do something about it by helping our Indian coaches reach a level that they are considered for roles like these,” Tirkey said. “We will support them in all ways possible, including identifying places elsewhere in the world where coaching programmes are good and sending a few of them to learn from them. It’s in the pipeline, but something we want to do.”
