Pakistan’s performance in the FIH Pro League has once again exposed the deep-rooted problems confronting the country’s national hockey programme.
In the third and fourth legs of the competition, held in Wavre, Belgium, and London, England, the Green Shirts produced results no different from those recorded in the first two legs. They lost all eight matches, scoring just nine goals and conceding 42.
The problems were glaring: poor coordination, inaccurate passing, unforced errors that led to penalty corners, and an apparent inability to sustain intensity for the full 60 minutes. On several occasions, Pakistan scored first and even held the lead for a considerable period. Yet the team repeatedly conceded goals in the third and fourth quarters. The question inevitably arises: was a lack of physical fitness a major factor?
One particularly disturbing weakness persisted throughout the competition. Ball possession is fundamental to modern team sports such as hockey and football. It allows a team to control the tempo, reduce defensive risks, tire the opposition and build attacks intelligently.
With the Men’s Hockey World Cup set to begin on August 14, given Team Pakistan’s current form, not much can be expected from it. But there are encouraging signs that a longer-term vision is finally taking shape under the Pakistan Hockey Federation. More, however, still needs to be done…
Yet Pakistan repeatedly surrendered possession cheaply. On average, players attempted around 10 long aerial balls from their own 23-metre area towards the opposition’s 23-metre area in each match. In most cases, no more than one of these passes was successfully received by a teammate. The rest simply handed possession to the opposition.
This is not modern hockey.
CHANGES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) appears to have recognised that part-time coaching arrangements and outdated methods cannot produce results. It has taken a major step by replacing the home-based coaching set-up with a five-member panel comprising foreign specialists and a Europe-based former Pakistani international.
The appointments are part of a long-term strategy to modernise coaching, player development, sports science and high-performance systems.
Dutchman Herman Kruis has been appointed Overall National Hockey Coaching Adviser and Head Coach. Kruis has previously coached the Dutch women’s national team. Australian David Dwyer has been named Fitness and High-Performance Coach, with the responsibility of bringing Pakistan’s players closer to international fitness standards. Former Pakistan international Adnan Zakir has been appointed Junior Talent Identification Coach. His task will be to establish a nationwide talent-identification programme. Adnan has been coaching age-group and school teams in Europe for many years.
Another Dutchman, Bob Johan Veldhof, has taken charge as Goalkeeping Coach. He previously had a coaching stint in Pakistan in 2022. Australian sports psychologist Chris Bowen completes the five-member panel.
On paper, the PHF appears to be attempting to cover all the major areas of modern high-performance sport.
The players are now wearing GPS tracking jackets during training in camp. These devices provide coaches and fitness staff with detailed information about each player’s physical performance, fitness levels and training load. Such data can help identify players who meet international standards and those who require further improvement.
Perhaps even more importantly, the newly appointed foreign coaching team has been given sweeping powers over player selection. No player will be considered for the national team without the approval of the coaching staff. That is a welcome development. Coaches must be given authority if they are to be held responsible for results.
A DIFFICULT CUP AWAITS
With less than a week remaining before the World Cup begins on August 14 in Belgium and the Netherlands, Pakistan faces a formidable challenge. England and India are in the same pool, with Wales completing the group. Only two teams will progress to the Super Eight stage.
Given Pakistan’s recent form, qualification appears extremely difficult and would require something close to a miracle. Realistically, the immediate objective should be to produce a respectable performance — something significantly better than the team’s showing in the Pro League. A finish between ninth and 12th would perhaps be a realistic target.
The present coaching changes, however, should not be judged solely by the results of the upcoming World Cup. The PHF has rightly described the appointments as part of a long-term strategy. The new system should be allowed the time and authority to bring about fundamental change.
Two further areas require urgent attention.
A MODERN COACHING SYLLABUS
Many foreign coaches who have worked with Pakistan in recent years, as well as FIH-qualified Pakistani coaches, have pointed out that coaching methods in the country remain outdated.
Siegfried Aikman, the Dutch coach who was associated with the Pakistan team from 2021 to 2023, observed that Pakistan hockey was still living in the past. He specifically criticised the traditional emphasis on fixed positions and rigid systems based on the right-out, left-out, right-in and left-in structure.
Modern hockey has moved on. Players are now expected to perform multiple roles. A player defending one moment may be required to join the attack moments later. The modern player must be versatile, physically capable and tactically intelligent — not merely a specialist restricted to one position or one side of the field.
Pakistan therefore needs a comprehensive coaching syllabus based on the requirements of modern hockey. The syllabus must be introduced systematically and consistently throughout the country. Coaches at school, club, district, provincial and national levels should be taught the same basic principles of modern hockey, with the content becoming progressively more advanced at each stage.
Without such a structure, the country will continue to produce players trained according to different philosophies, many of them based on methods that have long disappeared from international hockey.
FRANCHISE-BASED LEAGUE
The second major requirement is the creation of a franchise-based hockey league, on the model of cricket’s Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Many people believe that the revival of departmental teams is the answer to Pakistan hockey’s problems. That is unlikely to be a sustainable solution. The previous government abolished the sports wings of departments as a matter of policy. More importantly, many departments had already abandoned their sports teams. Only a limited number — including Wapda, SNGPL and the National Bank of Pakistan — continue to maintain hockey teams, with players employed either permanently or on contract.
In an era of right-sizing in the public sector and intense competition in the private sector, it is unrealistic to expect organisations to employ two dozen or more hockey players simply for sporting purposes. The solution lies in a professionally run, franchise-based league.
A hockey league modelled on the PSL is feasible. Indeed, some owners of PSL franchises have already expressed interest in purchasing hockey teams, should such a competition be launched.
The 2026 PSL lasted less than seven weeks, leaving a substantial window in the sporting calendar for a national hockey league. The success of the franchise-based Hockey India League demonstrates the potential of such a model. The presence of foreign stars and quality coaches has contributed significantly to the revival of Indian hockey. A similar competition could transform Pakistan hockey.
Franchise owners would demand results. That would compel team managements and selectors to search for the best available talent, both within Pakistan and abroad. Teams would recruit the best coaches, whether Pakistani or foreign. Competition for places would increase, standards would rise and players would receive regular exposure to high-quality hockey.
The national team would benefit from having battle-hardened players. Successful league coaches could also become candidates for national-team positions. In time, improved domestic competition should translate into better international performances. Perhaps then, Pakistan could once again aspire to win medals at the Olympics and the World Cup.
A professional league could also revive public interest in hockey here. Money, visibility and glamour attract young people to sport. As happened with cricket, academies could emerge across the country, while franchises could establish their own high-performance centres and development programmes. The benefits would extend from the elite level all the way down to the grassroots.
There is no doubt that the road back will be long. But if the PHF can implement its long-term strategy with consistency, resist short-term pressures and create a genuine professional structure around the national game, Pakistan hockey can still recover.
The writer is a freelance sports journalist based in Lahore.
X: @IjazChaudhry1
Published in Dawn, EOS, August 9th, 2026