Khokhar to make ‘drastic’ changes to domestic hockey structure

KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president Brig Khalid Khokhar has said that drastic changes would be brought to revive the game in the country. Talking to ‘The News’ on Friday, he said that after starting the preparations of national junior team, PHF would gradually address the other issues.
The training camp of the junior boys has been started in Islamabad and all best available facilities would be provided to them, said the newly-appointed PHF president.
Khokhar said that he would join PHF head office on Tuesday or Wednesday next week and visit Karachi later.
“Right now our focus is on the preparation of the junior team,” he said.
He said that closure of various departmental teams was a serious matter and PHF would have to do a lot of work to revive the closed domestic teams.
The PHF president said his policy was to take on board all stakeholders of the national game so that everyone could contribute to the development of the game.
“PHF cannot do everything alone. It is the time of collective efforts,” he said.
He further said that PHF would start work on the revival of the domestic events which have been delayed or scrapped.
The PHF president said that he did not mind criticism and observed that it would give him chance to review his and his team’s performance.
Khokhar said that after meeting with all stakeholders, including Olympians and organisers a comprehensive plan would be adopted but it would take some time.
Meanwhile, more than 50 junior players reported to camp commandant and chief coach Olympian Tahir Zaman at Naseer Bunda stadium on Friday.
Tahir said that the remaining boys would join the camp on Saturday (today).
PHF has invited more than 60 players for the camp.
He said that physical and medical tests would be conducted to check the boys’ fitness.
The physical training session would be held in the morning and practice would be held in the evening.
The chief coach said that on the directives of PHF president and secretary he was giving importance to physical fitness and that medical tests would also be conducted.
He said that five days would be spent on physical and medical tests of the boys. “In the first phase of this camp, we will shortlist around 35 players,” he said. He added that assistant coaches Zeeshan Ashraf and Muhammad Irfan have joined the camp.