With focus on grassroots, Dilip Tirkey hopes to build players and facilities for the future

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey.
| Photo Credit: File Photo: PTI

As a player Dilip Tirkey rarely spoke, but had determination and clarity of thought for both himself and the game. As Hockey India president now, he brings more of the same to his new role, focused not on top-down popularity but bottom-up development, both with the federation and the government.

“The Odisha government is focused on three areas for the big push: creating infrastructure, providing competition and a coaching programme. The three are inter-dependent and only a combined support to all will help develop the sport from the grassroots,” he told The Hindu in an exclusive interaction.

New grassroots panel

In fact, a Grassroots Development Committee, formed in HI in November last year with Tirkey as its chairman, is almost ready with a roadmap that will be implemented soon. “We will be creating a zonal system in hockey, more competitions at junior and sub-junior levels and preparing a pathway channel to track and observe players through the years so that talent doesn’t fall by the wayside and gets proper guidance,” he revealed.

“Not everyone can play for India so zonal championships will be an incentive to players and useful to get jobs. It will also create interest at sub-junior and junior levels with more age-group competitions,” he said.

It’s not a pipe dream; Tirkey has it all planned out, including having Indian teams at under-17 and under-19 levels to constantly monitor players and a separate selection committee for the age-group events.

“Suppose there are seven to eight States in a zone. They will compete and we will get a team from that zone. Then we will invite a combined team from SAI centres and a couple of academy sides — we already have a national inter-academy championship.

“These teams will then compete at the Under-17 Nationals and will be selected for the India Under-17 that will be provided with exposure tours and training camps. The same for the under-19 category and so there will a proper monitoring of players for four to five years. And, not just those who make the national teams but a group of 45-50 kids in every age group. Even the coaches for these will be qualified ones with an eye on future. Proper training at the right age is our objective,” he explained.

Taking facilities to the people

Talking about the ongoing World Cup and the development of a new stadium in Rourkela from ground up, Tirkey, who was not with Hockey India then, admitted it was surprising when the CM (of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik) first proposed it. “After the success of the 2018 edition, the CM wanted at least some international matches in Sundergarh, recognising it as the home of hockey. But with no airport or accommodation facilities, everyone wondered how it could be done. But the CM was clear that we should take infrastructure to the youth, not force them to travel to the facilities,” Tirkey said.

“There were delays, of course. The pandemic stopped all construction activity for almost a year. Unseasonal rains last year further made things difficult. Even three months back we would worry on our regular visits if we could pull it off. There was so much work left, it was literally a race against time. But the day the first ‘Test’ between India and Korea juniors was held on December 24, we were assured of getting it done with everyone from the CM to the sports department to HI to every single worker at the side chipping in,” he said.

Taking infrastructure to the youth also means Odisha now has 35 artificial hockey turfs, a few nearing completion, with 22 in Sundergarh itself. “I remember we used to go to Kolkata with coach A.K. Bansal to practice for 20-25 days before going to Delhi for junior and sub-junior Nationals. But, the biggest excitement was seeing and walking on the turf. Now there is one in my village and taking it to the village level has multiple benefits.

“One, kids will be more interested in playing on the new ground instead of bare ground. They will be able to start early and with FIH-qualified coaches that we will appoint soon, they will get proper training at a younger age with knowledge of fitness and intelligent playmaking. We will also have drag-flicking and goalkeeping coaches for juniors,” he signed off on his ambitious plans.