KARACHI: The PHF plans to organise the national hockey championship in Karachi under floodlights at HCP to attract masses, ‘The News’ has learnt on Wednesday. The national championship is to be held in late December at HCP where a new blue turf is being laid. Sources said the PHF had decided to give best coaches awards at the end of the national championship. The PHF has taken this step to reward the coaches for their efforts to promote the game at the grassroots level. Coaches of the team that claim the first three positions would get the awards, said the sources. “The same formula will be adopted for coaches in the national women hockey championship,” a high official in PHF said. PHF president Brig (rtd) Khalid Khokhar said the coaches and the organisers had kept hockey alive in the country. So the PHF had decided to acknowledge the services of coaches. “There is no event bigger than the national championship to judge the performance of coaches,” he said. “Through this, a good competition among the coaches will be started which will boost the game in the country,” he added. He said that PHF is considering appropriate cash awards for the coaches. The same awards would be given at the end of the women championship, he said. The PHF president mentioned that he had already told all the organisers that PHF would provide all possible support to them to organise events at the grassroots level. He said that a network of synthetic turfs, including blue turfs, has been laid in the country. “Why shouldn’t there be more domestic hockey events now!” he said. Meanwhile, China defeated Pakistan 2-1 in their practice match in Malaysia on Wednesday. A source said that Pakistan lost the match but it was a tough contest as Pakistan fought till the end. Pakistan will play their second practice match against Japan on Thursday (today). They play their first match on November 14, against Bangladesh.
