Elaborate plan of trials for schoolboys’ hockey championship

KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has drawn an elaborate plan of open trials to select teams of various regions for the first schoolboys under-16 championship, ‘The News’ has learnt.

It has tasked former greats of the game to find talent during these trials. Informed sources said the PHF had sent a memo to all provincial associations, secretaries and directors of sports boards, mayors, commissioners and deputy commissioners to provide support in organising events in their areas.

The championship is part of PHF’s extensive plan of hockey revival in the country.

The open trials will be held from February 22-28 in seven regions of PHF.

PHF’s director development and domestic Naveed Alam will supervise all the activities for this championship.

In Islamabad, the trials will be held on February 23 and in Rawalpindi on February 24. For both places, the selection committee comprises Pervaiz Kiyani, Rizwan Bhutta and Malik Khurram.

Each team shall comprise 13 players (including one goalkeeper). The players should be below 16 years of age on December 30, 2017.

In Okara Cantonment trials will be held on February 24 and the selection committee will comprise Qamar Zia, Aleem Raza, and Muhammad Sarwar.

In Lahore, the trials will be held on February 26 with selection committee consisting of Kh Awais, Ishtiaq Ahmed, Saqlain and Muhammad Tariq.

In Faisalabad trials will be held on February 27 and the selectors will be Muhammad Irfan Senior, Zeeshan Ashraf and Nadeem Khan.

In Sialkot, trials will be held on February 24 with Maqsood Hussain, Dilawar Bhatti, and Ajmal Lodhi being the selectors.

In Bahawalpur the trials will be held on February 26 at Muteeullah Hockey stadium and selection committee will have Atif Bashir, Aleem Raza and Sarwar.

In Sargodha trials will be held on February 27 at Sargodha hockey stadium. Muhammad Rashid, M Shabbir and Kashif Yaqoob will be the selectors.

The trials for Sindh will be held at three regions of PHF, and selection committee will comprise Olympian Mansoor Ahmed, Sameer Hussain and Muhammad Ali. The trials will be held in Hyderabad on February 23-24, Sukkur on 25-26 and Karachi on 27- 28.

The selection committee for KP consists of Musaddiq Hussain, Naeem Akhtar and Ahsanullah. They will hold trials in Banuu at Banuu Hockey Stadium on February 23-24, in Abbottabad on 27, and Peshawar on 28.

In Skardu, Raja Shahid, Kamal and Muhammad Ali Dilshad will hold the trials on February 24.

The trials in Gilgit will be held on February 24 and the selectors will be Raja Shahid, Kamal and Muhammad Ali Dilshad.

The trials for Azad Kashmir region will be held at Abbottabad region on February 25 and Farooq Awan will hold the trials.

The trials for FATA region will be held at Darra Adam Khel on February 25 and Imtiaz Afridi and Imran Khan will be the selectors.

The selection committee members will submit reports to provincial associations and send a copy to PHF.

The provincial associations will compile the reports of all regions and send them to PHF within one week time.

The trials for Baluchistan will be held on March 7-8 in Quetta as examination of schools are going on in February in the province, the sources said.