CHENNAI: Hockey India’s new regime have enquired about the possibility of having a separate window for a Hockey India League-like competition. The franchise competition has been shelved for the last five years because of a variety of reasons but Dilip Tirkey, HI’s new boss, wrote to Thierry Weil, FIH CEO, about the prospect of finding a standalone window for it.
“They asked to look at the international calendar so that when they plan their league, it is not interfering with other important events,” Weil revealed in a press conference on Friday ahead of the upcoming season of the FIH Pro League.
“That (events clashing) would not be nice for the international calendar but it would definitely not be good for the Indian league. I am sure soon we will have a dialogue together with Hockey India to see what would be the best period for the HIL.”
When Tirkey corresponded with FIH, the Indian body also asked about suitable dates for the conduct of a ‘shorter women’s league’.
That HI have looked into reviving the league is welcome news as the competition has been cited as one of the primary reasons behind the Indian team’s rise on the global stage after a couple of decades of under-performance. But it doesn’t come as a surprise as Tirkey had stated that getting the league back up and running as one of the main things on his agenda.
“I also believe there is scope to revive the erstwhile Hockey India League and we also discussed the potential in starting a league on similar lines for women. In all, it has been a good start and we look forward to working together towards the development of hockey,” he was quoted as saying on the HI website.
Flights for World Cup teams
On the subject of the upcoming World Cup to be co-hosted by Rourkela and Bhubaneswar, Weil revealed that chartered flights would be provided so that teams can commute between the two cities.
“Hockey India together with Odisha will organise charter flights for the teams to go from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela and vice versa. They will be on specific flights that will land next to the venue in Rourkela, which is a 10-minutes drive from the airport,” he said.
The new stadium in Rourkela is not yet finished Weil opined that work was behind schedule because of the ‘monsoon’ but the Frenchman is confident that everything would be finished by the beginning of December.
“I don’t know what the situation today is but I have full trust in Odisha that they will make it happen. Our goal was that the main facilities should be done by end of November; beautification can be done after that.”