Indian hockey, often referred to as the poor man’s game has grown up on and off the field after a heart-rending miss at the 2008 Olympics. Yet even though young players are required to land jobs before contemplating lengthy professional careers in sports – many of whom hail from humble backgrounds, such rewards for major victories like an Olympic medal or title success have increased considerably.
For example, Hockey India announced a prize fund of Rs 15 lakh for each player upon wining bronze in Paris Olympics therefore Madhya Pradesh stood out among state governments with a reward of one crore rupees to Vivek Sagar Prasad, a midfielder from Itarsi who is also deputy superintendent police, MP.
Vivek sagar prasad & MP chief minister Mohan Yadav
That’s quite some savings for a 24-year-old in hockey; remember this is the sport coaches like Baldev Singh had to save money for and buy four-wheelers that could be transformed into team buses then he would drive them to matches all over Haryana and beyond.
It still sounds better than relying on crowd-funding which was required by teams during pre- and post-independence era just to travel and compete at the Olympics.
This determination not-to-give-up is evidence that the sport resonates with millions of Indians. From deep recesses of India’s most remote parts where darkness has taken hold to well-lit urban neighborhoods and plush city housing societies – everyone in India celebrates winning big in hockey. This connection is further proven by the fact that no matter how little resources they had including no money and facilities; parents never withdrew their children from dusty village hockey fields.
If so, there would be no Rani Rampal: she was born to a cart-puller. Equally significant is PR Sreejesh whose father scraped together INR 15,000 so his son did not get teased for lacking goalkeeping gear. In addition, Neha Goyal’s mother suffered domestic violence and worked in a bicycle factory but still told her daughter to go and play hockey.
Indian team coming third at Paris Olympics
However, during the era before Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), unlike Pakistan that never won an Olympic or World Cup medal after 1994 coupled with poor governance leading to its darkest moment, India was able to turn around not only its administration into Hockey India but also started knocking on corporate doors for sponsorship.
Moreover, big credit ought to be given to Indian PSUs and government institutions that continue having hockey teams and thus guaranteeing employment so that players can concentrate on enhancing their skills – this is something that has been lost across the border in Pakistan hence hurting young people’s interest in sport.
India tried hard to adapt and evolve as it entered the twenty-first century after years of denial; however Pakistan did not. The world is now seeing what has come out of it.
Narinder Batra, the ex-president of HI, has been criticized for his dictatorial regime and yet deserves appreciation for bringing money into the sport since 2010. The support offered by Odisha Government was a game changer when the State opened its coffers to sponsor Indian national hockey teams at all levels.
Thus, in 2013 corporate interest and investment led to the birth of Hockey India League (HIL) while Junior World Cup was won in 2016 due to supply chain put in place by HIL which still benefited from this fact again through successive Olympic bronze medals that were secured first in Tokyo and then Paris. However, as far as this championship is concerned, it has remained an uncharted territory for India.
Indian players doing lap of honour at Paris Olympics
Another opportunity arises two years later when we have another chance to make amends and should one day give company to Ajit Pal Singh’s champions of 1975. It is a pathetic situation where India hosted two consecutive men’s World Cups on their home soil but failed even once to reach semis despite having crowd behind them in such jaw-dropping stadia like Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela or Kalinga Stadium at Bhubaneswar. Now they will have to do so on foreign soil — with Belgium and Netherlands set to co-host the 2026 edition.
The next couple of years would be significant for more than one reason. For example, both on field players and federation policies must now show stability as well as consistency. At least until LA 2028 is over; coach Craig Fulton’s process that is already operational should continue being adhered to then.
In terms of social security benefits of players, HI made a step forward two years ago with an incentive scheme that gives every playing member Rs 50K cash rewards per win registered by any senior national men or women team whereas support staff gets Rs 25K.
HI has the opportunity to consolidate this stability with Olympic success, like say the women’s fourth-place finish in Tokyo, and introduce central contracts such as cricket has that are strictly based on performance not reputation. It could be the beginning of India as the first country with full-time professional hockey players.
(PR Sreejesh, who retired after the Paris Olympics, climbed the goal-post after India’s bronze-medal win)
In a podcast hosted by nnis on X (formerly Twitter) after India’s bronze medal win in Paris, former India captain Arjun Halappa urged HI to seriously consider this.
“I would like to see Indian players getting central contracts where we have some financial assurance,” said Asian Games bronze medalist 2010 adding that he and his colleagues’ first raised it in 2009.
“It’s not about money; it’s just about how much we do for our country throughout the year. It would be a big game-changer for hockey if there were central contracts. This is one thing I want. We fought for it in 2009-10.”
Halappa said it would end the plight and dilemma of a young hockey player in India.
“Mostly they have poor backgrounds as hockey players, where parents struggle to make ends meet; there is no studies or money. If they don’t play for India (senior), then can not get a job,” said Halappa who was part of India’s successful 2001 Junior World Cup-winning team.
(Manpreet Singh, left, and Mandeep Singh being welcomed on arrival at their hometown Mithapur)
HI may argue that the jobs players secure as India internationals lend stability to their hockey careers. But the federation must not miss the point that it doesn’t make them professional players, which could be counted as a trend in some countries but hardly any player would protest against this fact. Anyway HI on this with two consecutive Olympic medals after 52 years and greater monies than other leading hockey nations.
A grade-based central contract system will motivate players and improve competition for places even further because better, consistent performers will be in the higher grade and thus earn more.
Above all, it can bring about a change in traditional thinking of getting employment by becoming an international player. A central contract guaranteeing increased payment would replace it.
However, whether or not generation so-called post-2010 cared Indian hockey been taken care of very well cannot be disputed. They have for example been rewarded properly after five years in HIL (2013 to 2017) and then an incredible comeback to Olympic podium at Tokyo and stay there in Paris. The next crop of players like Sanjay, Sukhjeet, Abhishek and Raj Kumar Pal need assurance from HI about their future as an Indian player.
As HIL second edition expected to roll out before year end again lays the groundwork for security and making hockey professionals out of these players. Hopefully, this league will also produce more Mandeep Singhs for India who go on to become Olympic medallists thereby re-establishing the supply chain that was cut off in 2017. And if a central contract also finds its way into the deal, these players will be ‘fearless’ in every sense.
— It might be a game-changing start into the post-Sreejesh era towards LA 2028 with an approaching hat-trick of Olympic medals.
