Report: Feyzan Lakhani. Recent efforts by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) have given new hope to the revival of women’s hockey in Pakistan, where not only hundreds of players from across the country got a chance to play at the national level, but a select team also participated in international events within weeks.
The competition started with the Under 21 Girls Hockey national championship which was held from July 2 to 10 in Islamabad, initially, only 5-6 teams were expected to participate, but due to the extraordinary interest from all over the country, 16 teams and more than 300 players participated in this event.
Players from different regions including Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, Balochistan and local hockey academies also got an opportunity to showcase their skills in the tournament.
During the championship, Pakistan received an invitation to participate in the AHF U-18 and U-21 Women’s Five-a-side Hockey Championship in Oman, but a major problem arose after the formation of the national team.
According to the PHF, 70 percent of the selected players do not have passports, B-forms or other necessary identification documents, making timely departure a major challenge.
The Federation has contacted NADRA, Directorate General of Immigration and Passports and other relevant agencies on an emergency basis. Biometric verification of an actor’s mother was also done on an urgent basis to complete the documents.
According to PHF, passports, visas, air tickets, travel arrangements and allowances were completed within 24 to 36 hours after the national team arrived in Oman on time.
Team Pakistan fared well in their first match in Amman, where national team captain Sharqa was named the man of the match against Hong Kong China.
PHF President Mohiuddin Wani says that the development of women’s hockey is among the priorities of the federation. According to the federation, the plan to increase the number of female players from 300 to 500 players next year, start the U-15 girls’ hockey championship, organize regional competitions and start the high performance program under the supervision of foreign professional coaches is also under consideration.
Women’s hockey, which has suffered for years due to limited activities, is being hailed as a new beginning that is paving the way for talented players from across the country to reach the national and international levels.
