Junior hockey team’s training camp likely to start next month

KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) would decide next week the new schedule of Pakistan junior and senior teams’ training camps, ‘The News’ learnt on Saturday.

Due to the Covid-19, the Junior Asia Cup 2021 has been postponed and the new dates of the training camp have not been announced.

The Junior Asia Cup 2021 was scheduled to be held in July in Bangladesh, but was postponed due to the ongoing pandemic. The Green-shirts, training in Karachi, were sent home for observing Eid-ul Fitr. The PHF is still waiting for the announcement from Asian Hockey Federation (ASF) related to the new dates of Junior Asia Cup 2021.

Sources said that it is expected that PHF would decide later this month the new schedule of the training camp of the Pakistan juniors. The training camp is likely to be held in Karachi because the weather conditions are similar to those in Dhaka.

The Men’s Asian Championship will be held in Bangladesh in October.

PHF wants a series of 7-9 matches between the senior and junior teams so they play competitive matches. It will help the juniors for difficult matches in Junior Asia Cup.

The Junior hockey players have not played against foreign teams for a long time.

The Junior Asia Cup is important for the development of Pakistan hockey as it is the qualifying round for the Junior Hockey World Cup 2022.