FIH introduces Hockey Pro League Pakistan to play home matches in Scotland

KARACHI: Pakistan have been confirmed among the nine national teams for the FIH’s ‘Hockey Pro League’ scheduled to start from January 2019, PHF said on Monday.

However, Pakistan’s ‘home matches’ will be played in Scotland.

The Hockey Pro League, a unique global international team-sport league, will be launched in January 2019.

Nine teams from around the world will play each other, home and away, every year. There will be a total of 144 games.

The fixtures will take place from January to June. 

Pakistan, one of the world’s best men’s teams, will face Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England/Great Britain, Germany, India, Netherlands and New Zealand.

They have agreed a co-host partnership with Scottish Hockey which means that Pakistan will play all of their ‘home’ matches in Glasgow in order to avoid any complications as teams might be unwilling to travel to Pakistan. With a large Pakistani community in Scotland, the stadium is expected to be packed with passionate supporters whenever the Green-sticks are in Hockey Pro League action.

FIH CEO Jason McCracken said: “We strongly believe that this new competition will fuel the growth of our sport for many years to come, significantly increasing revenues for hockey. As a result it will make hockey a career choice for athletes who will regularly be given the opportunity to perform in big, bold, packed and loud venues both in their homeland and overseas. It will also allow fans to engage with more world-class hockey more often, whether on TV or live at their national venue. We now look forward to working on delivering a truly exceptional League whilst also ensuring we raise the standard and profile of our other international competitions across all levels of the sport.”

FIH President, Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra added: “The Hockey Pro League represents the first major milestone for the Hockey Revolution. It embodies everything our 10-year strategy aims to achieve — making hockey a global game that inspires the next generation.”