The sports fraternity has tried hard to revive the national sport of India, hockey. This time, it’s the India Hockey League that’s trying to make the sport popular among the masses. Based on the franchisee format, the league has got some of the most acclaimed hockey players from the national as well as international arena. But it seems, there still aren’t many takers for the game.
Recently, when the Delhi team, Delhi Wave Riders clashed with the Mumbai Magicians at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium in the capital, we spoke to the spectators for a better understanding about the level of interest in the game.
It was surprising to know that the entry has been made free. An official from the Delhi Wave Riders told us that it has been done to make the sport popular. But ironically, most of the spectators were clueless even about the names of the players on the field.
Nischay Uppal, a B.Tech student of Bhartiya Vidyapeeth, who had come with a few of his friends, said that if he had not got free passes for the match, he would not have thought of coming. “We had nothing to do and one of my friends got free tickets. We thought it would be fun to be at the stadium and so we came,” said Nischay, who admitted he couldn’t name most of the hockey players. “I’m just aware that Sardar Singh is the captain of the Indian Hockey team. I don’t know anything more than that,” he said.
Their’s wasn’t the only group to have turned up because of free passes. There were many others in the audience who too came for the same reason. “We thought it would be a good time-pass and we will also get to watch some live action,” said Swati Bharadwaj, a graphic designer admitting her ignorance about the players in both the teams.
However, some ardent fans of hockey who came to watch the match regretted effective steps not being taken sooner to restore the lost glory of Indian hockey.
Dr Jitendra Nath Misra, a public administrator, said that some people like him still follow hockey religiously, but often cannot make it to the stadium because the matches are held on weekdays. “But it is sad that not many youngsters know about the sport much. I hope the league works in favour of the sport,” he said.
Despite all the odds, it’s the younger players who are optimistic that they will bring back the magic of the past.
Yuvraj Valmiki, who is playing in the Delhi team, thinks that in the last two years, with the efforts being made, the game has got many takers.
“Many youngsters are coming forward to take up the sport. It’s just a matter of time and good marketing and we can take hockey to a different level,” says Yuvraj, who thinks that few people take up the sport because it is not an easy sport. “It has a lot of technicalities involved.”
Michael Nobbs, the coach of the Indian Hockey team, thinks the probable reason for the feeble interest in the game is the disappointment resulting from the Indian team’s poor performance over the years.
“India has lost many matches year after year. The major disappointment came when the team could not make it to the Beijing Olympics. It will now take some time to build up the fan base. If you start performing well, enthusiasts will automatically start coming in. And that happened after we made it to the London Olympics. We have seen kids and young people come in and watch the match with enthusiasm. I see a bright future,” he said.