Dilip Tirkey, president of Hockey India, discusses the return of the Hockey India League, Vandana Katariya’s 300th appearance, and other topics.
Former captain and Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey stated on Friday that the Hockey India League is still seeking approval from the international governing body and will take place in either December 2024 or January 2025.
HIL was a renowned competition that drew foreign talents to the country while also assisting young Indian players in their development. It ran for five editions from 2013 to 2017. Hockey India had already announced a business partner who would be in charge of finalizing franchisees. However, the final steps depend on the FIH providing a month and a half buffer to avoid overlaps in the international calendar.
“When the FIH approves the window, we will let everyone know,” Tirkey said after the 13th Hockey India Congress in Ranchi. “We have an agency on board, 8 men’s teams and 4 women’s teams.” The league is crucial for Indian hockey, especially for young players who want to play with famous international stars. And we’re very happy to have the women’s HIL. So the wait is for a window in which the world’s greatest players can come here. FIH is considering options for December 2024 or January 2025.”
Tirkey, who has the most international appearances in Indian hockey history (412 caps), was full of admiration for Vandana Katariya, the forward who surpassed 300 caps for India this week in Ranchi. Vandana was the first Indian woman to accomplish the feat.
“Big congrats to Vandana, playing 300 matches with all the dedication… it’s a huge achievement,” she remarked. “Only by staying fit and performing well will it be possible to do this for the country.” I hope she continues to play and serves as an example to aspiring players of how far discipline can go you.”
Looking ahead to the Olympics in Paris, the former India captain stated that the teams will have the necessary backing. After winning gold at the Asian Games and qualifying for the Games, the men’s squad will now focus on getting ready for the Games. However, the women must still compete in the qualifiers, which were just relocated to Ranchi, where the Asian Champions Trophy is presently being contested. When China secured the quota for the Olympic qualifications, Hockey India stepped in to bring the tournament to India.
“The discussions took place in China, shortly after they won the Paris quota.” They would not have let this go if China had not won. We wanted to host it because it would benefit us when we played at home. So we approached the appropriate authorities and reached an agreement,” the 45-year-old explained.
Tirkey also stated that the women’s team’s success in Ranchi makes him confident about their chances of qualifying for the Paris Olympics.
“We will request that the coaches provide us with their future plans and requirements.” The aim for the women’s squad is, of course, to qualify for the event in Ranchi in January. I am confident that the squad will make it to Paris based on their current performance and the fact that we will be hosting it. The men’s squad performed admirably at the Asian Games. It’s a great accomplishment to win the championship game 5-1. But for the time being, the most important thing is to properly prepare for Paris. Fitness is going to be crucial. “We’ve been working on improving our mental strength as well,” he remarked.
Tirkey stated that Hockey India resolved to provide financial support to state bodies that send teams to the Nationals during the Congress. Each permanent state unit that competes in at least four of the six National Championships will earn Rs 1.5 lakhs in funding. Units that compete in all six National Championships will earn a Rs 9 lakh grant.
Hockey India recently announced that Peter Haberl will join the women’s squad as a mental conditioning coach, while the men’s team hired Paddy Upton prior to the Asian Games. According to Tirkey, the present set of players recognizes that such support might be beneficial.
“We constantly hearing how we tend to lose matches at the final second, or how we can’t produce back-to-back good performances, or how we occasionally have a mental block… However, having that assistance now has had an effect. I chatted with the players after the Asian Games, and they stated it was very helpful. It is critical to maintain psychological balance. “I believe the players these days are ready to accept this assistance, and we are working to improve,” Tirkey stated.
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