THIS is with reference to the letter ‘A vigorous sporting structure is needed’ (Oct 18). One of the greatest sorrows of my generation is that Pakistan field hockey’s golden age lives entirely in the stories of previous generations, leaving us with a magnificent history instead of a lived joy. For the earlier generations, field hockey was the soul of their national pride. They lived through the golden era watching Pakistan standing tall to receive three Olympic gold medals, four World Cup trophies and multiple Champions Trophy titles. Then came the millennials who inherited heartbreak, watching administrative neglect slowly strip away the honour of the National Game. The young today — Gen-Z, basically — have only heard of the good old days, and the interest in the game of hockey has vanished.

Today, however, the wheel of time seems to be turning again. Gen-Z is getting tired of predictable routines and six-hour-long cricket matches, especially because the team is not doing anything great. The fierce intensity of 60-minute field hockey games is sparking a fire inside many young hearts. We crave dynamic, high-speed passion, and we carry a quiet hunger within ourselves to see the national flag raised in victory before our eyes.

But this fire cannot survive on nostalgia alone. If the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) can somehow capture this shifting tide and the corporate sponsors support the national team, Pakistan can stop whining and mourning, and finally turn three decades of nostalgic longing into real, victorious future.

Dua Fatima
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2026