Local Hockey sounds int’l boards heralding its revival
View(s):There was a time when Lankans would talk about the Hockey exploits of the Aluvihares and the Fernandos, and make meek attempts to compare with present standards. Yes, at one point, our strikers were missing the boards by long yardsticks.
But, of late, though rather silently, it’s all coming back, as Lankan Hockey players gradually win international matches and are going places at international tournaments. Let’s hear where our strikers are heading as of now.
Anuruddha Herath Bandara
(National Men’s Coach)
In fact, this year, at the SAG, we were able to secure 4th position. But, I think, we performed creditably well at the Hockey World League 1st-Round in Singapore. We lost to China 6-5, in the final on a penalty shoot-out, after the game ended in a 3-3 draw at the end of extra time. The penalty shoot-out was something new to the boys, as they were more familiar with penalty strokes. This was probably one reason for the team’s setback. In the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Cup, we were forced to play two games back-to-back inside 8 hours. Our semi-final clash against Hong Kong was postponed due to heavy rain. As a result, we had to play the semi-final in the morning and the final against Bangladesh in the evening, on the same day. Our players were very tired going into the important final and could not play to their potential. Overall, I think, we have made steady progress because, in 2014, we lost 1-4 to Singapore at the Asian Games but, last month we were able to beat them 2-1. We have been able to make an impact as the Minister of Sports, Dayasiri Jayasekera has provided us with all the support needed, following our success at the Hockey World League. We continued with residential training at the Sports Ministry for 7 months and the players had really improved in their all-round performances. The selectors also did not make a great amount of changes to the squad, and we retained the same team which participated at the Hockey World League with one exception. I think we should have a coaching panel for the SL Team, if we are to move forward. The Head Coach should have 4 Assistant Coaches for different categories, namely Goalkeeping, Defending, Attacking and All-round. Then it will be easy for the Head Coach to initiate a master-plan. In addition, we should also have a video analyst, team doctor, physio, physical trainer, motivator and long term manager. If you take all top teams in the world such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Singapore, they all follow this pattern. I think SL Hockey has developed mainly due to Inter-School 11-a-side tournaments. Many players have emerged through this tournament. I think, we should also have National Pools for Under (U)-16, U-18 and U-21. These players should be included in an U-24 Development Squad. The two squads can then have practice matches to identify talented players who could represent the country. In the past, the game declined much mainly because of crises in Hockey administration, and not because of the players. We are certain of winning an international tournament next year, if the Sri Lanka Hockey Federation (SLHF) could work together with the Sports Ministry and continue the good work. We do not need foreign coaches, as we have sufficient top coaches at National level.
Prema Pinnawela
(Former Vice-President SLHF 1982-1998)
I can now see the game has taken a new turn and is heading in the correct path. The entire honour should be shared by the coaching staff and the players. The players were able to maintain their standards, despite the Hockey administration going through several crises in the past. We have a number of talented coaches in the country. But, we should improve their knowledge to international standards. Then we will be able to win more international tournaments in the future. When I was the Vice-President, under the Presidency of Roy de Silva, we worked together for the improvement of the game. We were able to educate the local coaches and the players through the Olympic Solidarity Coaching Programme. We also recruited top coaches from Germany and Spain to educate the local coaches. In addition, several overseas teams visited the country and we were able to send teams to compete in international tournaments. We maintained a good relationship with Malaysia. The game was restricted among the schools in Colombo, Matale and Kandy in the 1980’s and 1990’s. However, the players who came out during that era were able to make an impact and went on to represent the country with distinction. The standard in the Defence Services and Mercantile Sector was also very high during that period. All top Hockey players were able to find employment in the Mercantile sector and in the Defence Services. I am pleased with the Men’s Hockey team at the moment, but am disappointed with the efforts of the Women’s Hockey team. I would like to see the Women’s game spread more across the country, especially among the Girls’ schools in the outstations. Another minus factor is the lack of playgrounds for Hockey in the country. The two astro turf’s put up in Matale and Colombo are not good enough to promote the game islandwide. I think, the astro turf facility should be given not only during tournaments but, also for practices. The SL team is capable of reaching a high standard at Asian level, if we could set up an effective administration and provide the players with all the requisite facilities. The current standard of the game is very good, but we should be able to upgrade and maintain it with modern techniques.
Damitha Silva
(Junior SL Player 1995, Mercantile Hockey Captain 2002)
It is sad to note that the Hockey administration was in a crisis during the last two years. The main reason was due to a power struggle between two rival factions. In this background, the Sri Lanka Men’s Team has performed extremely well to emerge Runners-up at the Hockey World League 1st-Round in Singapore and at the AHF Cup in Hong Kong. The credit should go to the coaching staff, players and to the Sports Ministry. I can remember during the previous Hockey administration, the players were forced to find their own sponsorship to participate in overseas tournaments. Outstation players went through a lot of difficulties during this period, as they also had to find their own accommodation and even without a proper meal. But, after the Sports Ministry took over the SLHF, everything has fallen into place and the players are in a good frame of mind to focus on the game. Today, the SL Team is provided with 4-star hotel accommodation during overseas assignments. I think the Sports Ministry has done a wonderful job and they should continue to perform this task at least for 
another 2 years and then we will be in a good situation to win a major tournament. The main intention of the current Hockey administration is to make use of foreign tours and to hold on to positions at Asian level. We know Hockey is based mainly in Colombo, Matale, Kandy and in the Mercantile sector. However, we have come across a number of Hockey clubs and district associations which are only functioning for their namesake. They have never organised a tournament and neither have they participated in a major tournament. Although we have won some events at Asian level, still, we do not have a backup team to support the National team. We cannot be satisfied with the current standard at school level. We do not see clubs coming up. In addition, a few clubs in Matale are now defunct. We do not see many club tournaments. But the Mercantile sector is currently functioning well, as there are a lot of top players competing for their companies. These players have been provided with good employment by the private banks and other private institutions. We know Matale has provided some top class Hockey players in the recent past. But unfortunately, these players are not being well looked after by their respective clubs. As a result, some of the Hockey players are unable to find suitable employment for their survival. I think, these players would have benefited, had they also concentrated on their studies as well. We do not have a proper Hockey National level plan. We can’t see anyone keen on establishing one either. The National team is performing well, thanks to the untiring efforts of the players and the coaches.
H.L. Mithrapala
(Former Sri Lanka player 1970-1978)
I represented the country from the late 1960’s until the end of the 1970’s. I had the honour of playing in 3 successive Asian Games in Bangkok (1970), Tehran (1974), Bangkok (1977). In addition, I also participated in the Pre Olympic Hockey Tournament held in Lahore, Pakistan in 1968. We beat Germany 2-0 in that tournament. However, we lost 0-2 to Pakistan. The standard of the game was very high during this period. There were several talented players with strong physique and build in the SL Team. But today, we do not have players in that calibre. Earlier, we did not have international tournaments unlike these days. Asian Games and Pre Olympic Games were the only two tournaments which SL participated. But today, we have a number of tournaments conducted at Asian level. The current players have that added advantage of playing in many top tournaments. Earlier, we had the opportunity of playing against the Punjab Team, Indian Railway Team, Indian Defence Team and Pakistan Defence Team. We were unable to win a major tournament or to finish runner-up in any of these 
events. However, the present set of players have been able to emerge Runners-up at Asian and World League tournaments in a short period. This is a huge improvement and, as a former national player, I am very proud of this. They had the credit of providing China a good fight in the Hockey World League Tournament 1st-Round. They also had a good outing at the AHF Cup Tournament, while losing to the formidable Bangladesh Team 0-3 in the final encounter. However, the current SL coaches are not sufficiently qualified to get the maximum from the current set of players. We have some very talented coaches with us but, they are all not good enough to coach at international level. Our coaches need to be educated by professionals, if SL is to make an impact at future international assignments. Sometimes, we do get coaching advice from Indian and Pakistan coaches, prior to important tournaments. But, if we could get down the services of a European Coach, we are certain to improve in all departments of the game quite rapidly. In addition, the local coaches also will have the opportunity to improve their knowledge. The other point is that, our players need a lot of international match experience. They have proved this point this year, as the team has improved after every tournament they participated. We have a long history in the game but sadly, the game has not spread across the country. The game is still based in the main cities like Badulla, Matale, Kandy and Colombo. We have clubs and schools in Wennappuwa, Kegalle, Jaffna, Kalutara and Panadura, but the players have not been able to make an impact. We have an astro turf only in Matale and Colombo. However, the facility in Matale is now declining. I think, if we could install an astro turf in Badulla, Kandy and Matale, we should be able to produce more talented players for the national team. We did not have any crisis in the Hockey administration. In our days, the administration side was handled by top class Hockey players. But today, the main focus in the administration is all about the financial benefits. Today, we do not have a Hockey administration at all, and the SLHF is controlled by the Sports Ministry. The situation is so bad that, we are not even able to find a qualified person to manage the National team. It was disappointing to see an unqualified female accompanying the National Men’s team for the tour of Hong Kong. However, SL are certain of winning an Asian level Championship, if the SLHF could initiate a long term plan for the sport.