The 13th edition Hockey India Senior Women National Championship will kick off at Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh on February 15 with players from 26 teams from various States and Union Territories vying for top honours.
With National selectors watching these matches closely, top performing players will stand a chance to break into the Hockey India national program with a call-up for the National coaching camp.
The Championships begin with group stage matches with teams divided into 8 groups. The toppers of each group will advance to the quarterfinals.
Speaking about the various initiatives taken by Hockey India to lift the profile of the marque National Championships, Edgar Mascarhenas, Head Coach of Hockey Association of Odisha said, “This time around we have a good blend of experienced players as well as young blood, so it will be an excellent opportunity for the girls to play alongside the seniors. Also, we have a few exciting things added to the Nationals, things like the captains line up, post-match presentation and player of the match awards, things that will give a morale boost to the players, drive the team to play as a unit and provide them with a taste of what playing international matches feels like. “
The Nationals being held on par with International matches in India and being streamed live on Fancode is a testament to Hockey India’s commitment to improving the standards of hockey feels Dharmendra, Head Coach of Hockey Karnataka who were the runners up in the previous edition. “Hockey India has taken some imperative steps to improve the standard of the Nationals, they do their best to facilitate the players to showcase their abilities to the fullest, it does a lot for the morale of the youngsters looking to make it to the national squad.”
The first day will kick off with Pool F’s Hockey Punjab taking on Hockey Gujarat at 9 AM IST and Uttar Pradesh Hockey taking on Hockey Bengal at 15:45 PM IST.
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