It began in 2006. Tauqeer Dar, a scion of Pakistan’s most celebrated hockey family which has contributed to the country’s all three gold and three silver medal wins at the Olympics, established an academy to nurture hockey talent at the grassroots level. In fact, the academy is a brainchild of late Munir Dar.

There were just seven boys in the beginning. Problems were bound to occur as the founder president was resolved to run it without any help from the government or the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). The academy doesn’t charge any boy a single penny. Everyone wishing to learn hockey is not only welcomed but also provided with sticks and shoes. Tauqeer withstood all the challenges and the sponsorship began to arrive.

Boys are scouted from outside Lahore as well, not only from the far flung areas of the Punjab like DG Khan, Pir Mahal, Gojra, Pattoki and Mailsi, but also from other provinces: there are lads from Bannu and Swabi districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh’s Hyderabad.

Outstation colts are given free board and lodging as well as school education. Coaching staff has always been led by some decorated Olympian/World Cupper and training is imparted at the astro turf of national hockey stadium.

The boys play for their school teams. From 2009 to 2012, the cream of the academy played for the Model High School, Lahore. They dominated the Jaffer memorial tournament, the oldest and most prestigious school event of Punjab, winning the title thrice in four participations.

In 2013, the academy boys switched to the Divisional Public School, Tauqeer Dar’s alma mater. The success story was repeated here too. The DPS completed a hat-trick of the Jaffer Memorial titles (2013-2015). The younger boys have been playing for the Govt High School Wafaqi Colony and they also mounted the podium at the tournament mentioned above.

Nobel Hockey Club, Lahore, consisting entirely of academy boys participate in local and outstation club tournaments and have won a number of laurels.

Nobel Club have been victorious at the Lahore district club championships a number of times in recent years.

The increasing strength at the Dar academy has necessitated the formation of another club.

The academy’s boys are picked up by the departmental, city and provincial sides for national senior and age group championships. All the four semi-finalists in the last four national senior and the last four national junior championships had boys from the Dar academy.

In order to provide international exposure, in 2008, the first foreign tour was undertaken. The academy side participated in the All India Maharaja Ranjit Singh under-15 tournament in Amritsar and returned victorious.

In 2009, the academy gained the prime objective of its formation for the first time i.e. gaining selection for the Pakistan teams, the victorious national side at the Under-18 Asia Cup. And there has been no looking back. Not a single national age group team has left the shores of the country without a Dar HA boy since 2009.

Today, Europe and Oceania form the hockey power base. In 2010, Tauqeer arranged a tour of Europe’s three leading hockey nations, Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. Since then the academy has made three more tours of Europe.

In 2012, the academy achieved another aim. Khalid Bhatti made the academy proud by becoming the first academy boy to don the national senior blazer. Four more have gained the honour since then. These include Arslan Qadir, who was Pakistan’s top scorer at the South Asian Games early this year, where Pakistan won the gold medal defeating India in the final. Arslan also won the hearts of the nation when he scored two goals in Pakistan’s memorable 4-3 win over India in the latter’s backyard in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy 2014.

That victory enabled Pakistan to reach the Champions Trophy final for the first time in 16 years. This has been indeed a Herculean task.

The academy’s founder president Tauqeer Dar says, "Pakistanis donate generously for a just cause. Edhi Foundation and the Shaukat Khanum Hospital are prime examples. Realising the sincerity as well as success of our efforts, the sponsors are increasing all the time. We have merit as the sole criterion. Almost all our boys, especially the star players, come from the lowest social strata: currently, we have more than 15 major sponsors, including big business houses such as the Servis Industries, Pepsi, Shezan International and Diamond Paints Group of Industries."

It might surprise many that the academy has gained patronage even from outside Pakistan. These include expats who attended matches during academy’s Europe tours. During all its four European tours, the Netherlands remained one of the destinations. The academy’s hosts in the Netherlands have been greatly impressed by the boys’ talent.

In December 2012, ‘Flying Dutch Veterans’, a team including many past Dutch Olympians visited Pakistan on a special invitation from the Dar Academy. They sent a container to Pakistan carrying around 1,200 hockey shoes, 600 high quality hockey sticks and 24 goalkeeper kits.

The academy distributed the equipment among its own colts and players of other academies and clubs all over the country.

A few months ago, Tauqeer started under-12 hockey on Sundays to attract families who yearn healthy activity for their wards.

Hockey’s decline in recent times has resulted in a lack of interest among the kids of former stalwarts. So it was very heartening to see former captains Dr Atif Bashir, Rehan Butt and Saqlain bringing their sons.

Likewise, hockey at the private schools had almost become extinct. Dar HA’s under-12 hockey has lured boys from schools such as Beacon House and Lahore Grammar School.

It has been a long journey. The Academy, now boasting over 100 trainees, celebrated the completion of 10 years of its existence at a simple function at the National Hockey Stadium.

It was attended by the Dar HA colts and its management led by the founder president Tauqeer, who asked the youngest academy trainee, aged seven, to cut the 10th birthday cake.

Dar Hockey Academy has been a great success story of our times. It stands as a role model for any sporting discipline.

Dar Family at the Olympics: Munir Dar Olympic gold (1960) & silvers (1956 & 64), Tanvir Dar, Munir’s brother, Olympic gold (1968) & silver (1972), Taqueer Dar, Munir’s son, Olympic gold (1984).

The writer can be reached at: ijaz62@hotmail.com