~Somaya additionally foresees a fast rebound for the Indian Ladies’s Hockey Staff with strategic enhancements and training after lacking out on the Paris Olympics’ berth~
New Delhi, twelfth March 2024: M.M. Somaya, celebrated former Captain of the Indian Males’s Hockey Staff, who was additionally a part of the 1980 Olympics’ Gold medal profitable squad, views the latest ladies’s hockey setback – failing to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics – as a brief glitch. He asserts that with strategic enhancements and efficient teaching, the group is poised for a swift rebound.
Within the newest episode of Hockey Te Charcha, a podcast collection launched by Hockey India, Somaya mentioned the present state of Indian hockey, with a concentrate on ladies’s hockey. He make clear how the upcoming 14th Hockey India Senior Ladies Nationwide Championship and the proposed introduction of a Hockey India Ladies’s League mark important steps in aligning with the mentioned methods for expertise improvement and the general development of ladies’s hockey in India.
Speaking in regards to the setbacks confronted by the Indian Ladies’s Hockey Staff throughout the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifiers, Somaya expressed disappointment over the missed alternative however emphasised the necessity to analyse and tackle particular areas, corresponding to penalty nook conversions and accidents to key gamers.
“We boast a proficient lineup of gamers, but a crucial side that warrants consideration is our efficiency in essential moments, notably throughout the Asian Video games and Olympics Qualifiers. Ending, significantly in penalty corners, has been an space the place we fell barely brief. Regardless of going through the setback of lacking key gamers within the Qualifiers in Ranchi because of accidents, we acknowledge that this could not function an excuse. It underscores the necessity for centered enchancment and strategic planning to deal with these challenges successfully,” Somaya mentioned.
“Nevertheless, I imagine, ladies’s hockey has come up in leaps and bounds during the last 4 to 6 years. We’re so delighted to see them. Even after the Tokyo Olympics, the place they completed fourth, they’ve performed some superb hockey,” he added.
In a forward-looking dialogue, Somaya proposed beginning expertise improvement packages for under-12s and under-16s, emphasizing the significance of widening the expertise pool to areas past conventional hubs.
“Our focus should shift in the direction of nurturing expertise from the grassroots degree. Establishing academies and aggressive leagues for aspiring gamers ought to ideally start on the under-12 stage. Many present academies provoke packages solely on the under-16 degree, which is a delayed begin. We should prioritize evaluating the performances of younger abilities recognized on the age of 12 once they attain the under-16 degree, emphasizing steady enchancment methods,” Somaya asserted.
“One other essential side of expertise identification is the geographical focus from restricted areas, primarily Haryana, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab. Nevertheless, quite a few untapped pockets throughout India are wealthy with expertise. Guaranteeing equal alternatives, publicity, and correct teaching turns into crucial. To handle this, we should develop our attain from the grassroots, casting a wider internet and interesting gamers at a youthful age. This complete strategy is significant for long-term improvement and success,” he added.
Expressing optimism in regards to the future, Somaya mentioned the potential advantages of building a Hockey League for ladies. “Introducing a Hockey League for ladies holds immense potential. This initiative wouldn’t solely present invaluable publicity but additionally foster confidence and instil a profound sense of perception within the ladies’s group. It stands as a key aspect for his or her improvement, making ready them for upcoming tournaments and guaranteeing a brighter future for ladies’s hockey.”
Waiting for the upcoming 14th Hockey India Senior Ladies Nationwide Championship 2024 in Pune, Somaya burdened the occasion’s significance for figuring out and nurturing rising expertise. He advocated for the creation of a improvement squad to enrich the primary group, fostering a pipeline of gamers for the long run.
“The Senior Nationwide Championship performs an important function in expertise identification. With a core group of about 30 gamers throughout the Olympic preparations, it’s important to have a broader scope. By decreasing the choice to 30 however sustaining a improvement group akin to cricket’s A group, we guarantee gamers who miss the primary squad nonetheless have alternatives. This strategy nurtures expertise at junior ranges and promotes a strong improvement squad. It’s important to increase past the primary group, fostering expertise, bettering requirements, and establishing a steady provide of expert gamers for the long run,” Somaya said.
In the meantime, Somaya recommended the strides made in amenities for each the boys’s and girls’s groups, acknowledging the help from the Sports activities Authority of India (SAI) and the Ministry of Sports activities. He emphasised that these developments have contributed considerably to the latest progress in Indian hockey.
“The amenities in latest occasions, and what a marked enchancment through the years, not solely when it comes to amenities but additionally when it comes to personnel. They make use of a number of the most meritorious coaches and a number of the greatest practitioners out there internationally,” Somaya remarked throughout the podcast.
Discussing the efficiency of the Indian Males’s Hockey Staff, Somaya highlighted their standout efficiency within the Asian Video games, acknowledging the problem of going through larger competitors from Europe and Australia within the upcoming tournaments, particularly within the Paris Olympics. He expressed confidence within the expertise and steadiness throughout the group, emphasizing the significance of strategic planning and relaxation intervals between tournaments.
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