Dilip Tirkey: National championship format needs to evolve because there will be no spectators without competition

Tirkey acknowledged that broadening the national talent pool will take time, but it’s a necessary step towards ensuring the long-term success of Indian hockey.

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey addressing media persons in Chennai on Saturday. | Photo Credit: VEDHAN M / THE HINDU

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, who watched the final of the 14th Senior Men National Championship 2024 at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here on Saturday, spoke about his federation’s vision to restructure the tournament and make it more competitive to safeguard hockey’s future in the country. 

“The national championship needs to evolve in terms of the format. It has been going on for over 80 years in the same tradition. The one-sided pool matches are not good for the future of Indian hockey. Even the spectators will not attend if there is no competition. We are thinking of revamping the format and introducing a new division for the weaker teams,” the former India captain told Sportstar. 

While all current senior national team players participated in the 2023 senior nationals, ahead of the Olympics, only a handful were involved this year. The Hockey India chief explained this decision as a strategy to rest the players after a demanding international schedule, preparing them for the upcoming revamped Hockey India League.

“Yes, all the national team players, both junior and senior, should participate in national tournaments, especially in senior nationals. We wanted all the players to participate. However, after the Olympics, they straight away went for the Asian Champions Trophy and then played the Test series against Germany. We allowed them to skip this year’s tournament so that they could get rest and give their best in the new Hockey India League,” explained Tirkey. 

Even though India’s hockey team has made significant strides with back-to-back Olympic medals after a long drought, the sport’s talent base remains concentrated in a few regions like Haryana, Punjab, and Odisha.

When asked about this issue, the chief of Indian hockey stated, “While we’ve achieved remarkable results in the last four years, our goal is to expand hockey’s reach across the country. To achieve this, we need the support of every state government to improve training programs in hockey academies outside traditional strongholds. These academies require better coaching, physiotherapy, training facilities, and equipment to nurture talent and foster a more competitive domestic hockey scene.”

Tirkey acknowledged that broadening the national talent pool will take time, but it’s a necessary step towards ensuring the long-term success of Indian hockey.

According to Tirkey, Hockey India is committed to strengthening the sport at the grassroots level. The federation plans to introduce more programs in states with weaker teams and provide advanced training for coaches.

“Training is crucial, especially for coaches,” he emphasised. “We’re adopting advanced methods and working with the high-performance director to support these states.”

The former Indian defender also shared the federation’s vision to expand the reach of international hockey in the country.

“Bihar’s recent hosting of the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy is a testament to this goal. We aim to bring international hockey to more states in the future,” he added.

Tirkey concluded by commending the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu for smoothly conducting senior nationals two years in a row.