THE Karachi Hockey Associ­ation (KHA) which had served as one of the biggest nurseries for the game in the yesteryears will be under microscope for the revival of the game following induction of a new set-up —president and the secretary.

The city is known to have unearthed a large number of Olympians and internationals of the game since independence who have done the nation proud by winning a number of laurels.

The followers of the game have hardly heard that the city has produced one player of the cailbre of Islahuddin, Hasan Sardar Hanif Khan among others, during the last quarter-of-a-century.

The deterioration of hockey in the metropolis has not come suddenly. It is a common phenomenon that the institutions automatically collapse if their chiefs are appointed on liking and without following the merit.

This can be gauged from the fact that no player from the city that boasts a population of over 20 million, has donned national colour over the last one decade.

It was way back in 2004 when full-back Imran Ali Wasti, right out/right in Adnan Zakir and spearhead Shabbir Ahmed were part of the Pakistan team that participated in the Asia Cup, information gathered by Dawn reveals.

Outside right Mudassir Abbas, who also happens to be son of former international Safdar Abbas, was selected in the Pakistan junior team in 2002.

Today Karachi hockey has reached at low ebb and hardly few players attends the national camp before packing up and returning home.

The promotion of club hockey, which is the prime responsibility of the KHA, has vanished. It’s shocking that the clubs affiliated with the KHA has nosed-dived to 21. In addition, some 20 to 22 clubs have been given playing rights.

Sources said off the above clubs, hardly few are active while others are just on paper.

People who follow the game remember enormous turn out of outfits in local events in the past including the inter-school under the auspices of the Board of Secondary Education.

Budding players used to throng the YMCA, Police ground, UBL Sports Complex, PSB Coaching Centre among others, every afternoon for their workouts. It’s a pity that many grounds have been encroached upon leaving the players in distress.

The city owes a lot to the unparallel contributions of the former KHA secretaries – Rashid Tabassum, Master Iqbal Hussain, Mohammad Tayyab and Itteqa Hasan Zaidi. They were towering figures who voluntarily worked day in and day out for the promotion of the game in the metropolis.

Last but not the least was Habib Public School’s former director sports Shabih Abbas who too, stand tall for running the game at the YMCA for some three decades until the premises was turned into marriage lawns.

Couple of players who stepped into the Pakistan hockey team had learned finer points of the game at the YMCA. Some of these players include goal-keepers Shahid Ali Khan, Mansoor Ahmed, Ejaz Khokhar and spearhead Mumtaz Haider.

With worn out astro turf of the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium is about to be laid at the Gulshan Iqbal’s KHA Complex by the Sindh government soon, the lovers of the game have keep their fingers crossed with a hope that the game will be revived as it used to be in the past.

Published in Dawn October 16th, 2016