Gone are the days when India was literally the champion in its National Game. India was the undisputed international hockey champion for almost 3 decades! The 28 years long period spanning from 1928 to 1956 is known as the “golden era” of Indian hockey. During this time, Indian hockey team played 6 Olympics and secured all the 6 Olympic gold medals.
 But today, India is hardly even considered a competition in the international hockey circuit. Leave alone international space, even closer back home, people hardly know about the developments in the Indian hockey. Very few Indian youths are even aware of the upcoming hockey tournaments. Our hockey players are hardly known in the country and yes, I am talking about hockey, OUR NATIONAL GAME.
 Our national game has indeed lost all of its pride. Indeed, there is a strong need to revive the Indian Hockey, at least for the sake of our “national” game. Below are some steps that I believe can bring a difference to the current state of Indian hockey, for good:
 1. Improved training:
Of course, for our hockey contingent to perform well internationally, it is a basic requirement that they are provided with world class training within the country. For any sport, competent training serves as the pre-requisite for a commendable performance. The authorities have to ensure that the players are provided with talented trainers and coaches at various stages of their training.
 2. World-class Infrastructure:
In order to maximize the results of the efforts of competent coaches, it is important that the players are provided with world class infrastructure. This world class infrastructure includes, besides competent trainers, state of art physical training facilities and competent support staff like physiotherapist, dietician etc.
 3. Attractive Compensation:
One reason why youths talented in sports are not excited about a career in Hockey is unattractive compensation in terms of monetary as well as non-monetary benefits. The administration need to re-structure the compensation for players as well as the support staff in such a manner that it motivated them to perform with excellence.
 4. Promotion among youth:
Once all the above mentioned steps are are planned, the next step is to promote the scope of the scope among youth so that they are motivated to pursue it as a career option. This can be done by organizing rewarding tournaments right from school level, with Indian Hockey Federation involved in it directly.
 5:Marketing and Branding:
Finally, in order to raise funds for the above mentioned steps, the Indian Hockey Federation needs to market and brand the sport on lines of commercial products. This can be done by inviting sponsorships and partnerships for tournaments, roping in celebrity brand ambassadors and effective PR practices.
– Rupali Tyagi.
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